Balcony/patio/terrace Vegetable Gardens

[tutsiwarrior]

hi folks

we're nearing the end of a building program on our now 3 shop houses that will include an upper floor terrace about 3m x 10m extending along the entire back of the structure with full morning sunlight. As you all must know, shop houses have no ground to plant gardens. I useta be an excellent gardener and when I lived in No Cal our garden produced an abundance of vegetables, more than enough to feed our 4 person household and with plenty to give away...tomatoes, beans, squash, salad veges incl spinach, peppers and etc...So I know about soils, fertilizers, and etc.

What I'd like to know is how successful folks have been raising the foregoing in pots in a terrace/patio arrangement..I got plenty of room. I wanna concentrate on leafy salad veges as tomatoes and green beans can be had locally. What about spinach? Is there a local sweet variety that can be used for salads? I'd like to find romaine, chard, collards, etc.

Someone said that there is a place in Tak in Kanchana good for the purpose...anyone been there?...they got seedlings and any advice on cultivation in confined spaces?

thanks in advance for your advice...tutsi

Edited October 23, 2006 by tutsiwarrior

[udon]

I had 2 great balconies at my condo in my 1st year in bkk. 99/00

I must have grey thumbs as the <deleted> lot I bought died/failed.

I must have spent at least 4000Bt on palms, pots etc.....

I hope you have better luck than me.

PS...... I was a newbie at pot plants.

[sbk]

tutsi, you may find thailand a bit hot for spinach, apparently there are some decent hot climate substitutes (but I have never tried them). Malabar spinach is one that springs to mind.

I have always had difficulty with the small biting red ants invading my pots --but then mine are on the ground, not on a balcony.

I would also recommend going for some specialty tomatoes (small pear tomatoes perhaps) as nothing tastes better than a homegrown tomato!

Collards grow here and I think okra would do well too.

Sorry can't give you a place to buy, I always bought seeds (many brought from the US).

[bina]

all the herbs and such can be grown on patios/balconies etc... jsut good drainage and soil (dont use potting soil but 'real' earth soil...

basils, chives, sage, lemon grass, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces in raised beds, all those chinese greens like bokchoy , those mini disgusting thai eggplants that are sold as ornamentals in farangland for lots of money ... even beans if u give them a place to climb up and over... google balcony gardens, city gardens etc... try the homestead sites that are like do it yourself things, they have a site for urban homesteaders (yep thats right), although not tropical, the principles apply: how much sun, which way do u face (east west etc), wind, shade, whatever... we grew okra in a pot by accident, it worked well... mints do well also... they dont have to be in pots but in jerry cans--israeli style: olive oil jerry cans cut open, old sinks, toilet bowls, etc... they are all great for pot plants. also u can make raised flat beds for lettuce and other leafies... just check your drainage and weight on the balcony... and bug population... try organic sites also for ideas... some plants can be hung and let droop over the side of a pot (strawberries come to mind but cherry tomatoes worked for us, we wrapped them around strings hanging from pipes...

[Khutan]

...I have always had difficulty with the small biting red ants invading my pots --but then mine are on the ground, not on a balcony....

My wife's grandmother draws Chalk lines around the pots and that keeps the ants out.

all the herbs and such can be grown on patios/balconies etc... jsut good drainage and soil (dont use potting soil but 'real' earth soil...

basils, chives, sage, lemon grass, peppers, tomatoes, lettuces in raised beds, all those chinese greens like bokchoy , those mini disgusting thai eggplants that are sold as ornamentals in farangland for lots of money ... even beans if u give them a place to climb up and over... google balcony gardens, city gardens etc... try the homestead sites that are like do it yourself things, they have a site for urban homesteaders (yep thats right), although not tropical, the principles apply: how much sun, which way do u face (east west etc), wind, shade, whatever... we grew okra in a pot by accident, it worked well... mints do well also... they dont have to be in pots but in jerry cans--israeli style: olive oil jerry cans cut open, old sinks, toilet bowls, etc... they are all great for pot plants. also u can make raised flat beds for lettuce and other leafies... just check your drainage and weight on the balcony... and bug population... try organic sites also for ideas... some plants can be hung and let droop over the side of a pot (strawberries come to mind but cherry tomatoes worked for us, we wrapped them around strings hanging from pipes...

Bina;

Sounds so nice. I am more a decorative Orchid person, but the fresh vegetables, oh yes.

[udon]

My wife's grandmother draws Chalk lines around the pots and that keeps the ants out.

I think you will find that the chalk is a special anti-ant chalk.

I have bought it at supermarkets, etc.

[bina]

hey udon, what is that chalk stuff called; i will buy some to bring back ; daughter suffering ants in caravan in desert they (the girls ) have tried everything but they still have ants every where: coffee with ants, cereal with ants , peanutbutter and ant spread, army ration with ant sautee....blech...

what is the ant chalk made of anyway....

khutan: i only raise things that i can eat or smell... decorative but scentless i dont like: i have aritficial flowers in the house

[Khutan]

...khutan: i only raise things that i can eat or smell... decorative but scentless i dont like: i have aritficial flowers in the house

They do smell nice and loveley to sit hanging on the balcony. I suppose I used the term a little too loosley.

We also grow Chilli's on the balcony. I got tired of running out or being one or two short and having to go to the shop while dinner was being cooked.

[udon]

hey udon, what is that chalk stuff called; i will buy some to bring back ; daughter suffering ants in caravan in desert they (the girls ) have tried everything but they still have ants every where: coffee with ants, cereal with ants , peanutbutter and ant spread, army ration with ant sautee....blech...

what is the ant chalk made of anyway....

khutan: i only raise things that i can eat or smell... decorative but scentless i dont like: i have aritficial flowers in the house

ummm....... Ant Chalk!

Check out the supermarkets, they are in a blister pack, easy to spot in the insectiside dept.

I use "Ant Sand" (Mortein) in the shed, dunno if you can buy it in Thailand, but I'll bring some with me next time.

Edited October 26, 2006 by udon

[tutsiwarrior]

...khutan: i only raise things that i can eat or smell... decorative but scentless i dont like: i have aritficial flowers in the house

They do smell nice and loveley to sit hanging on the balcony. I suppose I used the term a little too loosley.

We also grow Chilli's on the balcony. I got tired of running out or being one or two short and having to go to the shop while dinner was being cooked.

yeah, chiles are easy to grow in pots...thing is there is a community chile bush growing in a little dirt patch in front of a Pepsi warehouse across the street from our premises that is quite prolific seeing as how 2-3 households use it. Looks like 2-3 plants all tangled together. Anyone got any more suggestions on salad greens, seeds, seedlings, where to buy, etc...

[turnpike]

i'm not one who normally "double posts", but in this case i thought it appropriate. (i've only just posted this in the "tomatoes:please move if wrong" topic.)

anyhoo, google "upside down tomatoes", you can grow tomatoes upside down in a five gallon bucket, search enough and you'll find directions. sounds perfect for a balcony or terrace providing you have something strong enough to hang a five gal. bucket full of wet dirt.

no weeding, easy to water, i haven't tried it yet, but it looks promising. i've read somewhere you can also grow a tomato plant out of the top of it as well.

hope this helps

[chownah]

For lighter dirt add vermiculite or perlite....probably 50% would not be too much and would considerably reduce the weight.

Chownah

[udon]

For lighter dirt add vermiculite or perlite....probably 50% would not be too much and would considerably reduce the weight.

Chownah

Where do you buy vermiculite & perlite?

Thai names?

[bina]

styrofoam

[tutsiwarrior]

once we finish the terrace it should be able to support any load associated with pot plants and etc. Today we went on an excursion to east Kanchana to pick up some nieces that were staying with the sister-in-law whose starting a farmworker job there working for her in-laws. On the way we went past many places selling big pots but I didn't see any long rectangular types that would be good for leafy veges. Someone said something about raised beds...how to do that on a terrace?...built in flower boxes?

Edited October 29, 2006 by tutsiwarrior

[bina]

u answered your self tutsi,... like duh!.... of course u build your own, or look for suitable junk that fits the bill.... and then set everything on brickes or legs or whatever so there is drainage... (use wood, cheap and available from wooden platforms that places use for putting huge containers of things on-- forgot the word )... etc .

be inventive, creative, recycle... jerry cans, metal barrels sawed in half (watch out for safety issues when doing so), packing boxes for long and skinny items from stores, whatever...

have fun.

bina

[turnpike]

u answered your self tutsi,... like duh!.... of course u build your own, or look for suitable junk that fits the bill.... and then set everything on brickes or legs or whatever so there is drainage... (use wood, cheap and available from wooden platforms that places use for putting huge containers of things on-- forgot the word )... etc .

be inventive, creative, recycle... jerry cans, metal barrels sawed in half (watch out for safety issues when doing so), packing boxes for long and skinny items from stores, whatever...

have fun.

bina

i think the word you were looking for was...like duh!...pallet

[bina]

yep...... some words i learned only in second language (hebrew) as they are technical or agricultural so dont even know what they are in english.... however, there is no translation for like, u know, duh! as my kids use it appropriately, like , duh!!...

anyway, tuts.....try the ideas

[tutsiwarrior]

yep...... some words i learned only in second language (hebrew) as they are technical or agricultural so dont even know what they are in english.... however, there is no translation for like, u know, duh! as my kids use it appropriately, like , duh!!...

anyway, tuts.....try the ideas

b,b,but darling bina, do you mean to say there are no ready made terra cotta long rectangular planting boxes in Thailand that I can just stoll in and buy? That means that I would have to be creative...expend energy, and otherwise become closer to death than I already am.

I shall put the wife on it right away...she's the boss around here anyway and certainly better at practical matters than I could ever be. Trouble is around here nobody ever throws anything out that can be used again, so using cast off materials is not likely...