Container Vegetables: Carrot, Cucumber, and Eggplant

Well, you probably think I'm crazy.  Carrots, cucumbers, and eggplant?  In a container?  No way!

Yes way!  This is the Paris Market Carrot.  Isn't it lovely?  It's a 19th Century French heirloom, only one to two inches in diameter, very sweet, early harvest, does well in shallow soil and containers!  Amazing!  Their shape and size are just ideal.  Once again I'd suggest a long, window-box style planter to allow them plenty of room and for the largest crop possible, but as always, use whatever you have on hand.  Carrot seeds are teeny tiny.  Sprinkle them on top of the soil and then cover with a very thin layer of soil.  Be sure to keep them moist.

 

Check out these little cuties!  They are Miniature White Cucumbers, and they are adorable!  Now for these you'll need a round pot large enough to hold a tomato cage - these guys need something to climb on.  (Putting the pot next to a trellis or railing would work, too.)  Just plant a few seeds after danger of frost has passed - Some people plant them in a little hill, but you don't have to.  Unlike most cucumber vines, which will grow until they've taken over the garden, these vines should only grow to about three feet in length.  Pick the little cukes when they're about three inches long, they should be mild and sweet with very thin skin.  As with all cucumbers, wear your garden gloves while picking - they're spikey!

This is a Round Mauve Eggplant.  Originally from China, these are thin-skinned and round, and can be harvested when they're about the size of a tennis ball.  The plants are compact and perfect for your container garden!  These are a little more difficult, as you'll have to start the seeds inside about 6-8 weeks before last frost.  (Or you could buy a regular eggplant seedling from your local nursery.)  Just one plant per medium sized pot, please.  I have recently developed quite a taste for eggplant:  grilled, sauteed, or breaded and deep fried of course.  Even if it's not your favorite, you can't deny that it would be impressive to have these purple beauties growing on your balcony!

Container Vegetables: Beans and Peas

In  an earlier post I talked about Sugar Snap Peas, which are quick growing, early harvest, and delicious right off the vine.  Because they're vining and tend to get several feet tall, you may not think they'd be very well suited to a container garden.  But check this out:

 You could create a trellis by wrapping some garden twine around your hanging basket.  If you have a railing around your balcony you could also plant them in a regular pot right next to it for them to climb on.  A tomato cage in the pot would work just fine, too.

Now let's talk beans:

There are about a zillion types, and it sure can get confusing trying to keep them all straight:  runner, pole, bush, snap, shell, dry, long, and so on.  I think you could probably grow any type you'd like with the right container and support, and I encourage experimentation!

For our purposes though, I'd like to talk about plain old ordinary green beans.  When buying seeds, make sure the package says "bush," which means the plants will be short and bushy.  ("Pole" beans need support, and will grow tall and thin.)  The picture above shows them growing in a long narrow container, and that's what I'd recommend for an abundant harvest.  Of course whatever you've got will work, and don't worry about giving each plant two feet of space, or whatever the crazy recommendation on the package will be.  Plant the seeds just 2-4 inches apart after danger of frost has passed.

The more you pick green beans, the more the plants will produce, so harvest as often as you can.  You should have more than you can eat from just a few plants, but once production slows, go ahead and pull out the plants, add a little fresh soil to your container, and plant a second crop for late summer harvest!

Two New Tomatoes

I'm wondering now what is an acceptable number of hours to put into seed selection?  Ten?  Twenty?  Four thousand nine hundred and seven?
The good news is, I have chosen two varieties of tomato seed.  The bad news is, I'm now questioning my decision to order from Seed Savers exclusively.  Baker Creek not only has online customer reviews for some products- which are very helpful- but also may be more affordable...
Both companies offer these two varieties of tomato, so I feel confident in publicly announcing at least this much:
(Drum roll?)
This summer, in addition to Green Grape, Cherokee Purple, and Gold Medal tomatoes, for which I have hopefully managed to save some viable seeds myself, I will be ordering

BLACK FROM TULA!

An indeterminate 80 day Russian Heirloom, Black From Tula has been described as having a rich, full, old fashioned, sweet and spicy flavor.  Excellent review here.  Available from both BCHS and SSE.  I can't wait to taste one!  And

NYAGOUS!

A funny name for a funny looking tomato, this one is also indeterminate 75 - 80 days, and also an heirloom from Russia.  The Nyagous has been described as sweet, meaty, rich, and very productive.  Sounds good to me!  Find it at BCHS or SSE.
I will now devote a few more hours (days?) to making the final decisions on other veggies, as well as doing the math in order to choose which supplier -  maybe both? 
All this hard work and still six months away from tasting one?!  *sigh*  I'd rather be weeding...

Seed Savers Exchange Catalog

Cherokee Purple Tomatoes

It's January in the heart of the Heartland--  Hardly a time when most people are thinking about gardening, but I've spent the past two weeks pouring over seed catalogs, and I'm so anxious that I can almost smell the dirt!
Last year I ordered seeds from Seed Savers Exchange as well as Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  This year I've decided to narrow it down to just one source in an effort to save money on shipping, and Seed Savers wins in large part due to their catalog's beautiful and thorough photography. 
It's so much fun trying to decide what to order...  at least at first.  Of course my ideas are much bigger than my garden plot as well as my budget, so narrow it down I must.
I'm especially anxious to try at least one new variety of purple tomato.  I grew Cherokee Purple tomatoes last year, and they were the ugliest, most delicious tomatoes I've ever had!  Unfortunately I got a pretty small yield (surely due in part to the overabundance of shade trees in my back yard), so I'm hoping that another purple variety will be a better producer for me.  (I'm also planning to get a garden plot through my park district--  More on that later.)  I did manage to save some of my own seeds, so hopefully they'll be viable and I'll have some more Cherokee Purple along with one or two new varieties.

While I'm naming names, I'll also recommend the Green Grape and Gold Medal varieties of tomato that I also grew last year for the first time.  The Green Grape were so good--  In side by side taste tests, my run-of-the-mill red cherry tomatoes couldn't come close.  The Gold Medal had a more mild flavor, but they were absolutely gorgeous!  
Well, back to the catalogs...
My next post will (hopefully) contain a list of seed semi-finalists!