Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

We're on the same page. I'm looking at it as more of a volume production
for market. A few containers on a balcony is much easier to plant and tend.
What I needed to stress is containers aren't going to save on groceries,
with the cost of purchased potting soil, amendments, and containers etc.
Being on fixed income myself I think costs. But it will get you some fresh,
healthy veggies. And everybody's got to start somewhere and any growing is
encouraged. 

paul tradingpost@lobo.net

*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 3/18/2008 at 8:34 AM Douglas  Willhite wrote:

>Paul,
>I don't claim to be an expert, but I've been growing carrots all year
>around in a somewhat harsh mountain/desert climate for the past six years
>and I do think they're one of the easier crops for us novices to get up
>and running 
>with. Grow lights and heat lamps are not cost effective. But that's what
>season extenders, solariums, covered patios, and the like are for. It's
>true that the smaller the pot, the quicker the soil dries out, so larger 
>containers are better. But a lot of folks I know are living in condos and
>apartments with limited space and container gardens are a way for them to
>move toward food self-sufficiency.
>Doug
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>
>To: <drwillhite@earthlink.net>; <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
>Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 9:27 PM
>Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] Container Gardening 101 - Carrots
>
>
>>
>> Playing Devil's Advocate here. If the idea is to save on grocery costs,
>> growing anything in containers is a losing proposition, esp indoors with
>> gro lights. Few people will count the cost of heat or light, potting
soil
>> and deep containers, and do the math. Furthermore, carrots are not the
>> easiest thing to grow. Those little pots are really too hard to keep 
>> evenly
>> moist; they dry out too fast. Tiny seeds are harder to germinate well
and
>> they need to be barely covered and kept moist for a couple weeks or
>less. 
>> I
>> know; I've grown carrots. I'm planting carrot beds this month tho we're 
>> two
>> months away from last frost. I have ten rows, 3 inches apart, in each 
>> three
>> foot wide bed and fabric cover laid over the bed frames with 2x4s
holding
>> the cover in place. I'm trying to water lightly at least once a day, in
>> between drying wind gusts. Hoping the covers keep the surface warm
enough
>> to germinate.
>>
>> Cracking can be due to uneven watering. But forking is usually blamed on
>> rocks or undecomposed organic matter in the soil, or raw manure. Bad
>idea.
>>
>> The list of early and late crops is very useful. We have to double crop
>to
>> make the most of our market production. And it helps to know that top 15

>> in
>> economic value. We vary from that list ourselves tho. I can't tell if
>they
>> mean economic value for large monocultures selling to the middleman or
>> selling a diversity to local market customers.
>>
>> paul tradingpost@lobo.net
>>
>> *********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********
>>
>> On 3/17/2008 at 9:36 AM Douglas  Willhite wrote:
>>snip