Ideas? Vegetable garden + traveling

[Weezer]

What gardening I do, I do here at home and pay two teen boys down the road to water everything for me while we're gone camping.

(dusts off hands) DONE.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Looks like you weren't alone in this idea:





Still not for me, but neat to see.

Same kind of approach, but not quite what I was thinking. I expected the plants to be in pots so you'd be able to move them from the carrier to an appropriate spot in the campsite. The back of the trailer rarely has the best sunlight. You'll need something portable so you can deal with different orientations of your campsite and different tree layouts if you're moving sites every few weeks.

Whatever approach you do take, I'd recommend sticking with vegetables that aren't going to be bruised as you transport. Herbs, green or yellow beans, lettuce, onions, garlic or other roots, etc... I can't see constant transport being good for things like cucumbers or tomatoes. Peppers might be fine, they're fairly self sufficient and don't need much tending other than getting water. I've grown them in pots no problem, and they're thicker skinned so they should be able to take some jostling. But they grow tall like tomatoes... so I don't know.

Edit: Opps, saw you posted you don't like peppers, scratch that.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Weezer

eDad, I've tried those upside down planters. I've never had luck with them and I have a green thumb.

I've seen them all over the countryside and not one of them has ever flourished. A few tiny tomatoes at best and the plant tends to get long and spindly, wouldn't support a large tomato if you managed to produce one.

Just my opinion/experience and observation.

What oak man said X eleventy. Just camp near local farmers' markets.

LOL I just got a visual of your truck bed as a truck patch;

you're gonna look like The Beverly Hillbillies!



Reckon you can grow some of them thar "Texas Tea" leaves?

Hmm, I've very sad to hear that about the upside down planters. Small tomatoes are fine by us. We did cherry tomatoes one time. Or even the little plum-sized ones. But, I'd rather come up with something that has a likelihood of working vs. being a failure and not knowing if it was my lack of gardening ability, the travel/regular movement aspect on the plants or a marginal product that doomed me out of the gate.

I'm totally down with the Hillbillies look!

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by herk7769

Pepper plants would be about 2 feet. A Tomato plant would require careful pruning (of suckers) to keep it short, bushy, and still bearing.

And, when you plant the tomato plant, to keep it from growing tall instead of bushy and prevent spindly branches, plant it deep...up the the lowest branches.

I'm literally laughing here, envisioning the look on DH's face if I proposed this idea to him. He'd drag out that pretty long sleeved white jacket with the nifty long straps on it!

I'ma show him that bumper garden picture just for kicks and ask how he feels about us trying that. Hey, he loves him some maters, he does!

Sliced mater and bloney sammich with Miracle Whip is nectar of the Gods, I'm sayin'!

[Weezer]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Hmm, I've very sad to hear that about the upside down planters. Small tomatoes are fine by us. We did cherry tomatoes one time. Or even the little plum-sized ones. But, I'd rather come up with something that has a likelihood of working vs. being a failure and not knowing if it was my lack of gardening ability, the travel/regular movement aspect on the plants or a marginal product that doomed me out of the gate.

I'm totally down with the Hillbillies look!

Laughing harder! OMG if you build a "tooba fore" (that's how 2X4 is pronounced 'round here) garden on that 5er's back bumper I want pictures!

LOTS of pictures, and you also have to post them on your blog!

WAIT....would a garden on the back bumper void the frame warranty?


<<<<duckin' and runnin'

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

Same kind of approach, but not quite what I was thinking. I expected the plants to be in pots so you'd be able to move them from the carrier to an appropriate spot in the campsite. The back of the trailer rarely has the best sunlight. You'll need something portable so you can deal with different orientations of your campsite and different tree layouts if you're moving sites every few weeks.

Ahh, ok - that makes a lot more sense. Good thinking.

Originally Posted by Kaadk

Whatever approach you do take, I'd recommend sticking with vegetables that aren't going to be bruised as you transport. Herbs, green or yellow beans, lettuce, onions, garlic or other roots, etc... I can't see constant transport being good for things like cucumbers or tomatoes. Peppers might be fine, they're fairly self sufficient and don't need much tending other than getting water. I've grown them in pots no problem, and they're thicker skinned so they should be able to take some jostling. But they grow tall like tomatoes... so I don't know.

Edit: Opps, saw you posted you don't like peppers, scratch that.

That's the rub- tomatoes are the one that I'd personally like to see grown the most. You make a really good point about the bruising and I knew that I worried about them being moved so often- but didn't quite know why. I was more thinking the stress on the stems.

Right now- I'm leaning towards my crop being tomatoes, lettuce, and strawberries. Though, I do like the idea of garlic and maybe some herbs.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Weezer

And, when you plant the tomato plant, to keep it from growing tall instead of bushy and prevent spindly branches, plant it deep...up the the lowest branches.

...

Sliced mater and bloney sammich with Miracle Whip is nectar of the Gods, I'm sayin'!

Planting tips are welcome.

And Miracle Whip... ... wow, I need to re-think our friendship. Just plain mayo and sliced mater on toast for me.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Weezer

Laughing harder! OMG if you build a "tooba fore" (that's how 2X4 is pronounced 'round here) garden on that 5er's back bumper I want pictures!

LOTS of pictures, and you also have to post them on your blog!

WAIT....would a garden on the back bumper void the frame warranty?


<<<<duckin' and runnin'

Nah, BUT if I went that route- I'd source a Sabre-approved bike rack and build on top of that (or do the reasonable thing and go with pots like Kaadk suggested).

[Kaadk]

There's another option available to you too. Trade your QBOK in on a Toy hauler and then you'll have the garage to easily transport a whole garden around.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by dalford

You got the board buzzing... You might try an earth box.
Sun Harbor Nursery Earthbox Gardening Systems, Earthbox Garden Planter & Seminar

I've used them in the past. They are easy to maintain and you can't overfill with water. It is on wheels but not sure how much it weighs once filled with soil but you may have that problem with any solution.
Also, tomatoes grow tall, could be the main issue unless you find a short variety..

I like the portability of these. I could put a bilge drain plug on one end to empty the water for transport to save weight that way.

The weight is my biggest concern with all of this and frankly why I liked the idea of the upside down planter - I really don't want to be moving heavy stuff weekly or so. That, itself, could be the biggest killed of the project.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

There's another option available to you too. Trade your QBOK in on a Toy hauler and then you'll have the garage to easily transport a whole garden around.

LOL- if we did that, my daughter would demand a golf cart, bikes would be properly put in the garage and my fifth wheel would have negative pin weight with the way we pack!

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by ependydad

LOL- if we did that, my daughter would demand a golf cart, bikes would be properly put in the garage and my fifth wheel would have negative pin weight with the way we pack!

Yeah, but with a golf cart you can pull a small trailer with your garden planted on it. No need to lift anything.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

Yeah, but with a golf cart you can pull a small trailer with your garden planted on it. No need to lift anything.

Double-towing is always an option :

My brother gave me a pull behind trailer, 12ft long, and I turned it into a mobile greenhouse. Georgia has the strictest limits on size and height of home made trailers and using their guidelines you can pretty much have anything you want to carry with you if you put in the time and effort to just build it yourself. Using the mobile garden, I grow most of my family's food. I canned the veggies and, at 13 ft tall, I even have a banana tree, and coffee tree plants along with tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, potatoes, squash, lettuce, broccoli , okra, green beans, peas, onions, eggplants, corn, watermelons, and cantaloupes. Its wonderful to be able to grow my own food and can the veggies and fruits.

from: RV Gardening

[ependydad]

Ok, I assume I could grow tomatoes in a 5gallon bucket or it looks like someone is growing them in reusable shopping bags:


Seems like weight would be a little easier to manage this way. 1 bucket/bag to 1 plant. Unless I put them in the shower, it still doesn't help me protect them from the wind for travel. And, there doesn't seem to be anyway of protecting them from movement unless I go for the criss-cross of twine like the bumper-garden guy.

[youroo]

After reading all of this,Mushroons would be the perfect plant for FRF Members. Grown in the dark and covered with Manure! Youroo!!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by ependydad

Ok, I assume I could grow tomatoes in a 5gallon bucket or it looks like someone is growing them in reusable shopping bags:


Seems like weight would be a little easier to manage this way. 1 bucket/bag to 1 plant. Unless I put them in the shower, it still doesn't help me protect them from the wind for travel. And, there doesn't seem to be anyway of protecting them from movement unless I go for the criss-cross of twine like the bumper-garden guy.

Personally, I love this idea. Mine will ride in the shower during travel and they would be easy to put out at the campsite.

[cheese53073]

to make pots/bags etc. lighter use lightweight potting soil and mix in Styrofoam beads. I'm tempted to try packing peanuts myself but haven't yet. You may need to give them a drink twice a day but heck your just sitting around with nothing to do anyways right?

[Oakman]

Originally Posted by ependydad

But I like it, for no other reason than to try and see if we can. Plus, we may get a science fair project out of it for daughter.

Science project made me think of this.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by cheese53073

to make pots/bags etc. lighter use lightweight potting soil and mix in Styrofoam beads. I'm tempted to try packing peanuts myself but haven't yet. You may need to give them a drink twice a day but heck your just sitting around with nothing to do anyways right?

I wish! I work fulltime from the camper while we're on the road. But I'll look I to using styrofoam anyway!