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Pots dry out fast, so you'll need to stay on top of it. Make a routine to water them early in the morning, when you're waking up and plants are most receptive to moisture. If you use pots that can self-drain then it's easy to drench them with no worries, but don't forget to put an inch of mulch or drainage material at the bottom of the pot. Those ceramic 'moisture indicator' things seem like a gimmick to me.
Plant roots are fairly sensitive (scratch that, very sensitive) to changes in temperature, and a hot sunny porch can bake those little dudes to death real quick. Especially if they're dry. I got the best success by putting my plant pots inside a larger pot, surrounded by mulch. Pots can be expensive, so get creative. Landscaping bricks or CMUs come to mind, or milk crates, or whatever else. Shading the pot with landscape fabric didn't do quite as well as I'd hoped. Bonus: a thick layer of mulch also deters weeds and helps keep the moisture trapped longer!
Plant stems become strong through stress, but that doesn't mean they're invincible! A porch is full of hard edges that can break a stem if a strong wind blows them into it. I've never had a plant stem that recovered from being kinked, it seems to be a death sentence. Use cheap bamboo rods and twine from the garden store to keep them supported, but not too tightly - a choking knot can kill them as well.
Further thoughts:
Starting tomatoes from seed is difficult at best. It's not impossible, but expect at least an 80% casualty rate. Seeds are cheap, and you can always throw out the weak ones like a Spartan. Start them in a big grid like a cardboard egg carton. Also: tomato stems convert into roots quite readily, so if it gets all spindly just bury that guy up to his neck in dirt and the stem will become more roots. A guy I know buries 12" of stem horizontally to get his 'mater roots started quickly.
There are different varieties of plants, if you're limited to a porch then be sure to get the little guys like small hybrids of zucchini, bush variety beans and determinate tomatoes. The other varieties can grow too big and either swamp out your other plants or introduce themselves to your neighbor's porch.
There are many types of herbs and leafy greens that you can harvest many times. They would be perfect to keep in a kitchen window and pick fresh for cooking. (Consider your cooking style - everybody loves rosemary and chives, but what about thyme, spinach or basil?)
Many plants will grow in response to picking. Strawberries in particular will bear more and more fruit as you pick from them. If you have a disappointing yield at first, be patient and just keep harvesting. A similar strategy for flowers is called deadheading.
Consider what you want to grow and go from there, I would be hesitant to follow someone else's plant list. You'll end up with a bunch of veggies you don't necessarily eat taking up space that could have been full of stuff you wanted.
No worries man - I edited in a few more things that came to mind later on. I tried a really extreme space saving design a few years ago and learned the hard way that even if the plant roots only need so much space, pots should be at least 2x the size of the root ball to hold moisture and resist temperature changes.
What kind of zone do you live in, and how much porch space do you have to work with? If you want more specific info we're always happy to help.
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[–] DeliciousOnions 0 points 4 points 4 points (+4|-0) ago (edited ago)
Things I learned from growing small porch pots:
Further thoughts:
Starting tomatoes from seed is difficult at best. It's not impossible, but expect at least an 80% casualty rate. Seeds are cheap, and you can always throw out the weak ones like a Spartan. Start them in a big grid like a cardboard egg carton. Also: tomato stems convert into roots quite readily, so if it gets all spindly just bury that guy up to his neck in dirt and the stem will become more roots. A guy I know buries 12" of stem horizontally to get his 'mater roots started quickly.
There are different varieties of plants, if you're limited to a porch then be sure to get the little guys like small hybrids of zucchini, bush variety beans and determinate tomatoes. The other varieties can grow too big and either swamp out your other plants or introduce themselves to your neighbor's porch.
There are many types of herbs and leafy greens that you can harvest many times. They would be perfect to keep in a kitchen window and pick fresh for cooking. (Consider your cooking style - everybody loves rosemary and chives, but what about thyme, spinach or basil?)
Many plants will grow in response to picking. Strawberries in particular will bear more and more fruit as you pick from them. If you have a disappointing yield at first, be patient and just keep harvesting. A similar strategy for flowers is called deadheading.
Consider what you want to grow and go from there, I would be hesitant to follow someone else's plant list. You'll end up with a bunch of veggies you don't necessarily eat taking up space that could have been full of stuff you wanted.
[–] GoatsnHoes1 [S] 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago
Thanks! This is some sure good information which I have saved and will refer to in the future! Very valuable information thank you
[–] DeliciousOnions 0 points 2 points 2 points (+2|-0) ago (edited ago)
No worries man - I edited in a few more things that came to mind later on. I tried a really extreme space saving design a few years ago and learned the hard way that even if the plant roots only need so much space, pots should be at least 2x the size of the root ball to hold moisture and resist temperature changes.
What kind of zone do you live in, and how much porch space do you have to work with? If you want more specific info we're always happy to help.