Totally Off Topic, but.....

[Misty1979 0]

To start off, I'm asking you guys this random stuff because I've been trying to get a hold of my Mom for about a week now to ask her, but Magicjack (stupid internet phone that I've learned to hate,) hasn't been working, and I refuse to pay the long distance on my cell phone... so I'm hoping for some motherly planting advice from some of you here, hehe. I'll warn you ahead of time, I was raised by my dad who never even looked at a garden, so my terminology and my knowledge is severely lacking but I'll really be grateful for any tips you might have!

Anywho, my husband and I went to Home Depot the other day and purchased four planters that are about 20 inches long and maybe 5 inches deep, a hanging planter, and a normal pot which I'm hoping to plant some tomatoes in. We're going to plant sweet peas, onions (not chives, but actual round red onions,) tomatoes, bok choy and peppers (the jalapeno sized ones.) I was thinking we would plant everything in the long planters except for the tomatoes since they will grow upwards tree-style, so they will be going into the normal um pot. All of them will be growing outside on our deck in the sun on a table we bought to set the planters up (on that note, I'll add that we're hoping to plant the sweet peas in both the long planter outside and in the hanging planter...when they blossom eventually, I want to bring the hanging planter indoors.)

All that being said...does anyone see any flaws in this? I read the directions, and it says everything seems to be in season, so it sounds like they'll grow (we live in Southern Cali, so it's always sunny here.)

Mostly, I'm just not sure if certain things should be planted deeper than others and some more shallow, etc. Also I'm not sure how to space them out since the directions don't really cover that.

Any ideas/tips/criticism of my lack of feminine skills? Thanks in advance for any pointers you might have

[Misty1979 0]

Ugh...google is not my friend anymore...so far from my reading it looks like I may be planting too late? I hope not, I was sooo looking forward to fresh cherry tomatoes straight off the vine

[meauxna 15]

I taught myself to garden, just like you are.

I don't think it is too late for your climate, unless you're starting everything from seed (which is really hard and not so much worth the effort, tbh). The sweet peas will grow easily from seed, now the onions might be late but I'll tell you my best secret: Darwin Gardening. If it makes it, great! If it doesn't, it wasn't meant to be (this time). Since you've got the stuff, put them in and see what happens! The tomatoes should still have time, because of your climate.

My first thought was that those boxes might be a little shallow for the onions, but my planter boxes weren't too much deeper than that.

I just read around, I still google new plants all the time, and ask questions at the nurseries. Even at Lowe's & HD, the workers generally know something. It's a great way to get to know your neighbors too, asking for help & tips. Go for it and enjoy the ride!

[Carlawarla 1]

Well, first I'm thinking that your planters are not deep enough. Sorry. Perhaps the sweet peas will grow from seed, but the others, I'd doubt that you're going to get much unless you're using potted plants. Tomatoes need a lot of room to grow, like maybe 2 feet apart. So, even if you got a few bedding plants, you'd best only get two in one of those 5' pots. I still don't think 5" is going to be deep enough. The problem when you put plants in planters is they have to be watered daily, and sometimes twice a day if it's hot. The soil in them really gets dried out in pots. We can't even have flowers in our pots here in the summertime, they just burn. Why not for the first year, plant some smaller quicker growing plants? Try green onions, leaf lettuce, and herbs? You could have many crops of lettuce if you put it in now, in one planter, and plant it in a long row. The same for green onions. They mature very quick. How lovely to devote a pot to just herbs. You can pick them during the summer for your cooking, and then later, hang them upside down to dry and then use them all winter. If your heart is set on tomatoes...and I hear you...there is NO tomato in a store that tastes like homegrown...then get a pot, that you can devote just that one pot to a tomato and get a cage. Buy a bedding plant. I'm sure they still have some in the stores. Perhaps they're still flowering now as well. The pot should be perhaps, a foot or 18" deep, and about the same around. Try one or two of those for some "early bird" tomatoes.

Best of luck!

[Krikit 1,163]

You've received some great advice from the others, Misty, so I won't reiterate those points. I know this link will take you to the Expats site, but Katkoot is a fabulous gardener and has some really interesting posts. Link to Katkoot's Garden Thread

I taught myself to garden, just like you are.

Meauxna. I you. It's so nice to see you on here again.

[trailmix 77]

I don't know anything about gardening

[Krikit 1,163]

[Carlawarla 1]

I don't know anything about gardening

I love how you say it with a smile.