Yesterday I had to clean up my vegetable garden for the winter season.  It would be a sadder time, except I try to choose a beautiful fall day to do my clean up. – Actually, I stage the job over a few days because my back just isn’t what it used to be.

I pulled the beefsteak tomato, green bell pepper, Brandywine tomato and flat leaf parsley – each in their own one gallon pot (which is only 6″x 6.5″high) from the planter they shared with a single gravity feed valve.  Of all the hydroponic designs I played with this summer this simple configuration – 4 pots in a single tray, with a single valve, from a single purposed nutrient reservoir- was the most successful.

when I pulled the plants from the pots, I was gratified to see the kind of solid mass of roots that you’ll be shown in any picture that demonstrates what a root bound plant should never look like.  But since I had no intention of either increasing the pot sizes, planting them into the ground or extending the life beyond a single growing season the solid mass of roots was good news to me becuase the purpose of the exercise was to confirm that – You Can Grow a Full Sized Tomato or Pepper in a Six Inch Pot!

OK,  so neither the beefsteak tomatoes nor the peppers will yield Fall Fair Blue Ribbon sized fruit ( yes they’re fruit!)  but they will yield a steady, generous crop of food – and you can do it in the lowest maintenance container garden that you can imagine.

Since I’m about the worlds worst artist,  I won’t be sketching out the designs but I’m going to create a PDF with photos to show how to make these gardens.  I hope that for anyone who would love to grow their own organic vegetables and herbs, but don’t have the space to plant a garden – these designs will set you along the road to your first harvest.

I’ll post information about the designs here – and probably post the PDF on my ecommerce bonsai site – Zen Garden Bonsai.

Oh – the flat leafed parsley is actually still good until a hard frost takes it out – here’s a shot of what it looks like.

It started with an idea to use hydroponic principles to grow vegetables outside for people who don’t have the space for a traditional garden  – outdoor hydroponic vegetable container gardens.  It almost immediately “expanded” to embrace an organic component……………and I’ve been trying to simplify it ever since.

First it was a matter of getting rid of the overly complicated mixing and balancing of nutrients that are an inherent flaw with traditional hydroponic systems.  At least they’re a flaw if you want to get regular consumers interested.  Then it was about ditching the reliance for electricity – and luckily both of the first two problems had the same solution.  I thought the gravity fed valves were my answer but now I’m not so sure.  I think they’re overpriced and I can’t seem to do anything to bring the prices down and they are still a mechanical element that is subject to a few hiccups.

If it doesn’t work flawlessly, it can’t be foolproof and I want foolproof.

The second season is starting and the new lettuce garden is still hydroponic, still small space, still organic – but this time it might also be foolproof, too.  You see, I’ve ditched the valve for now and I’m working on something that is sooooooo simple – if it works – it will take the container and balcony gardening world by storm.  On the other hand – maybe I’m about to find out why this technique hasn’t found broader adoption.

I’ll let you know.

Acorn Squash

I guess that, in a way, gardens are like your children.  They grow a little bit every day, but you’re so close you don’t realize it, until something makes you stand up and take notice.  The garden that I’ve referred to as my summer project is absolutely taking off.  The hydroponic versions have pretty much outstripped the regular soil- in-container versions, with the exception of the Thai hot peppers and I realize that the soil versions are getting about 1 1/2 more hours of sun each day and it’s making a real difference.

If I start thinking now about all the new ways to use acorn squash I might be able to manage what is looking to be the start of a bumper crop.  The snow peas are starting to produce very tender and very tasy pods and I’ve recently added some beefstake and heritage “Brandywine” tomatoes in a newly configured garden that I’m hoping will create “The Tomato Solution” because I cannot possibly bring this to market without a tomato configuration.

But what has truly blown me away beyond my wildest expectations is the cut-and-come-again salad garden.  I’m a big salad eater and so far, from a 4 foot planting of mixed greens I’ve taken at least 6 salads for 3 people in a two week period and it just keeps getting fuller.  And the taste and texture of these greens is like nothing else I’ve ever had- which is I guess what happens when you’re not eating a commercially grown crop that must be a variety that travels well.

Here are some more shots!

Salad Greens

Snow Peas