I'm trying to plan my container garden for next year at all edibles and am corious what y'all would suggest?

Few things to keep in mind
I'm in zone 5
My containers are from like 18" down to like 6" many are 12" or there abouts (I think theres at most 12 I counted once and had like 50 herb spaces I think like 30 tomato/pepper spaces? If you want a walkthru please say)
My mom being obsessed everything look "nice" (1 whatever that is 2 never does from what she thinks does) is likely to put some of the containers in an area that gets only morning sun (rest are likely to get sun all day or nearly)

I was thinking of possibly a melon or the like with one of the "spots" could I put wheat in another and some corn in another? (only need like 3-4 ears of corn and grains would be more for the fun of it I think)

Ideally I'd like stuff we can eat/use that'd be healthy

Also I have one planter that WILL be herbs no question there (is a windowbox)

Biyuwolf,
Here are two links to help get you started. Read, read, read. If you have questions, send me a treemail.

eBuckets is simply a new twist on an old theme. Basically, it's a 5-gallon bucket (or other container), that has a built-in water reservoir. Once your veggie (or plant) is planted in the container, there's a wicking action that provides constant water to the plant from the reservoir. The plants/veggies wick up the water as they want to or need to, so they're much happier plants! You can't over-water or under-water, as long as you keep the reservoir filled. Depending on the age of your plant, a seedling will cause the reservoir to need to be filled maybe once a week. As it gets bigger and demands more water, you might have to fill 2-3 times a week. When your plant/veggie is in full swing, you might have to fill the reservoir several times a day! But, that's down the line.

The system was designed to do what the $$$ patented Earthboxes do, but less expensively.

The eBucket system:
►is Cost effective (if you get a bucket for free, the wicking components will cost you approximately $1.60/eBucket or less, cause you can find those for free, too!)
►is Efficient for those gardening in containers
►is Compact for those gardening in small spaces
►Offers portability (you can just move your eBucket with the sun patterns)

The link below will put you in the middle of a discussion a couple of us were having regarding how to go from a two-bucket system to a one-bucket system that could have a reservoir. Gessieviolet and Molamola brainstormed the concept. You can call them "research" and "design". After we all agreed the overturned colander in the bucket would work wonderfully well, they were content with having come up with the idea. I, on the other hand, was smack dab in the middle of my planting season, without a single raised bed or any other place to plant my seedlings, and opportunity was knocking. So, I picked up the design ball and constructed approximately 20 eBuckets for my very first container garden. By the end of that growing season, I knew the system so well, I was dubbed the "eBucket guru!" I like to think of myself as "Implementation," in the entire eBucket process.

This link will lead you to another gardening website, where I have posted a step-by-step pictorial tutorial on how to construct an eBucket!

The thread "Make an eBucket!" in Vegetables and Fruit forum... (Make an eBucket tutorial with pics)

Also, you can read through this thread below for a little catching up on how the whole discussion unfolded.

(Dave's Garden eBucket design discussion)

Lemme know if you need any help. I'm desperately trying to get a raised bed built for the 150+ cole crop seedlings I have going, and if it isn't in place by October 1st, I'll be doing an eBucket garden this season, using approximately 48 eBuckets. So, I'll be on call to assist in any way I can.

Godspeed, and Good Harvest!

The thread "Make an eBucket!" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

This thread will take you to a step-by-step pictorial tutorial on how to convert a large decorative planter into a self-watering system. The decorative planters will be more aesthetically pleasing, if uniformity is your goal.
The thread "24" ePlanter conversion system 101" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

Linda

Should I have specified I have MANY containers that I planned on using? I was wondering about specific plants

Some reason I thought i had said that? Or am I mistaken somewhere? What does that system have to do with established and quite effective when the sizing is correct (brandywine + 6" pot = bad!) seems to do well --I even left them alone a few times during really HOT weather and everyone did just fine this year

Biyuwolf ~ I am not sure what zone you are in and that has some bearing on what plants are grown.

In my experience, herbs do well in containers. I would suggest researching and growing the types of herbs you prefer, be it edible or medicinal or simply ornamental. You could also surround container tomato plants with basils which are compatible with the tomatoes as well as useful.

Containers can be planted fairly closely as you will be controlling the nutrients as well as moisture.

For edibles, look for smaller plant cultivars. If you plant a climber like a cucumber or indeterminate cherry tomato, you might also consider a trellis for them to climb on. I have used inverted tomato cages, pulling the legs together at the top for container vines to grow on.

Your seed/plant selection will depend primarily on the types of edibles you like. A few cultivars I've tried are below.

cucumber ~ Spacemaster, Little Leaf
tomatoes ~ Florida Everglades, Porter, Gardeners' Delight
eggplant ~ Ravayya
squash ~ Peter Pan
okra ~ Lee
onions ~ Egyptian walking

I have been researching and gathering seeds that will be used for the next growing season. I will be planting mostly in raised beds but am selecting small (dwarf) plants because I will be using a limited amount of space. If you are interested in some of the new cultivar names that I will be trying, I will post the list here.

There are many gardening and educational sites that discuss container gardening.

Biyuwolf said in the first post that they were in zone 5.

Pod, I would like to see your list

Ok now I'm thinking people don't read?

the first post said: few things to keep in mind
I'm in zone 5

Look if you don't believe me IT'S THERE! Along with more information I feel needed

I HAVE been doing containers for the last years (this was like my 8th? 9th?) this year was just my windowbox PACKED with herbs (last year it had 7 this year? I think like 18-20 and oddly enough everyone did extremely well)

I think I'm most corious what will do well in the 6 and 12" containers as I'm fairly certain the large pots (I can get about 7-8 peppers between 2 of our large pots the largest you can squeeze like 5 tomato plants in super squeezing with that one)

Also want to know what squash (thinking luffa and watermelon ATM but something of the like) would need

AND what I can put in that clay soil pot (from my mom paying more for topsoil that wasn't the quality I expected)

If you want to see the selection of seeds I'm looking look at the big long list on sakura0garden.blogspot.com

Biyuwolf ~ my apologies for overlooking the zone. I just glanced where the name would be with the zone and saw none.... but then I have none there either.

I will look at your blog and see what you have on your "big long list".

~~

Patti ~ I will gladly post my list but perhaps should send mail so as not to detract from this thread?

I think that your list would be good info that would compliment this thread but if you would rather treemail me that is okay too.

I will do so, I don't want to step on any toes.

pod (Howdy!), you're not stepping on toes here. Feel free to share.

If you and biyuwolf go to your profile page, there is an area that lets you put your zone, State, Country, anything you would like to post that will show up in the corner of your posts. This is very helpful so that people won't be so in the dark, as is what happened here. (Had biyu had her zone posted there would be no doubt where she/he is. It would also keep folks from having to scroll back up, or to many past pages, to find where she/he posted that zone info.) Zone locations really help when folks ask questions about plants, plant growth, what grows or doesn't, etc.

Hope this helps.
Shoe

I guess I stupidly figured that with a thread people would read the first post and would be aware from reading that I put it there

Guess common sence really aint that common!

Biyuwolf, I believe people are trying to help you out here, and pod even graciously apologized for overlooking your zone, but she did take a good amount of time to give you a nice long helpful post which would be good no matter what zone you are in.

No one likes being publicly snarked at- twice in one thread, even!- while trying to help.

Pod- please do post your list here. Many will benefit and be appreciative.

I guess my having made a point of saying it withought putting it in a font size 72 AND bold I would think that it should have been seen?

Also I don't think I have the time to wait for heat loving Florida tomatoes that need more humidity then we get here (I thought I saw something that said Florida)

Also to me that 2nd post seems totally unhelpful with my established pots that I plan on re-using (pots that have had the same dirt in them for years!) I admit it feels more like spam then anything (the epots thing)

Shoe ~ thanks for that gentle bump. Twas something I needed to have done.

I think the topic which I'm interested in will be best approached in a new thread and I will welcome anyone that has input.

The thread "Soliciting your suggestions for small or dwarf vegetable plants please?" in Vegetables and Fruit forum

As an aside Biyuwolf ~ the old saying to not judge a book by its' cover is appropriate with plants also. There are quite a few gardeners that have successfully grown the Florida Everglades tomato in climates that are not tropical. If I recall, it was named accordingly due to the discovery of the original plant.

Best wishes with your endeavor. pod

Perhaps yet I can't leave an aloe or most of my herbs outside in containers and expect them to survive --actually the 2 I've had survive really really faught! Orange and English thymes if I left pineapple sage or lemon verbena out they would be shivering by Samhain and gone well before Yule in this climate --but yes they do do well during the season

I'm going off to thank God that I'm just now getting back to this thread...

Hugs, Pod!
Hugs, Ubie!
Hugs, Trish!
Hugs, Patti1957!