Gardening in a swimming pool

[Belle2667]

Hi -

I'm posting on the budget board because I'm trying to feed my family healthier foods for less money.

Do you think I could use one of those hard plastic kiddie pools to plant a garden? DH does not want me to "rip up the yard" and I don't want to make a permanent committment if my green thumb is really black.

I'm thinking it would be similar to a raised garden, just less work. I would keep it on our patio so it won't kill the grass and I can give it some shade (full sun in our yard all day) by placing it in the shade of our deck when needed.

What veggies do you think would work best? I'd like some lettuce, onions, beans, peas, cucumbers.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

 

[mrsklamc]

I would doubt you could grow enough in one of those to dent your budget but you could see if you like gardening. I would stick with lettuce or onions, avoid things like cukes that grow on a vine.

 

[Colleen27]

Everything you mention is well suited for container growing, so I think they'd do fine in the pool. Large onions might be a problem, depending on the depth of the pool, but green onions would do well and even smaller cooking varieties would probably be fine. Other than that, everything you mention is fairly shallow-rooted and should thrive even in a relatively small space.

I wouldn't count on moving the pool, though - those things get HEAVY fast when you fill them with water or sand, and I don't think garden soil would be much lighter! Instead, think about orienting trellises for the beans and cucumbers to provide afternoon shade for the cool-weather-loving lettuce and peas.

 

[terri01p]

 

[msmayor]

You need to consider that the container MUST have drainage, or you risk rotting the roots with too much water. Excessive rainfall has to have a way to drain out of the soil.

As someone else said, once filled with dirt it will not be 'portable'.

If you really want to garden in a container, I'd invest in clay pots instead. Their porous nature (along with some gravel at the bottom) will provide better drainage.

 

[Colleen27]

If you really want to garden in a container, I'd invest in clay pots instead. Their porous nature (along with some gravel at the bottom) will provide better drainage.

You'd be able to achieve the same thing by drilling drainage holes in the pool sides, near the bottom, and putting a layer of gravel in before adding soil/compost.

Pots aren't a particularly low-cost alternative for gardening unless you're getting them second-hand. A hard plastic kiddie pool costs $10 at our local Kmart; a single 12" clay pot costs $8.

 

[Sadie Chez]

It's a great idea, here ya go this might help:

http://www.technologyforthepoor.com/UrbanAgriculture/Garden.htm
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cottage_gardening/66126

 

[NotUrsula]

The one thing I would caution you about is the possibility that the plastic might leach chemicals that would kill the plants. I had that happen once with a couple of large plastic planters that I bought -- NOTHING would grow in them the first year that I had them. I dumped out the soil and plants and stuck them at the bottom of the yard meaning to dispose of them, and they sat out in the weather for a year. The next year, DH thought he'd surprise me by re-planting them (he didn't remember about my complaining that nothing would grow in them), and amazingly, this time they were fine. I asked about it at a botanical garden, and they said that some plastics need to outgas for quite a while before they are nontoxic to plants.

 

[extremesoccermom]

It's a great idea, here ya go this might help:

http://www.technologyforthepoor.com/UrbanAgriculture/Garden.htm
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/cottage_gardening/66126

The first site is excellent I wish I had seen that before I built a series of circular containers yesterday to plant a strawberry fountain. Those would have been better. But I think I might get some today to start another area on the patio. I plan on growing everything I can this year. I already have 4 raised beds and yesterday I bought two peach trees. This is such a great idea!

 

[Rustysmom]

I like this idea! I live in the city and my backyard is all concrete. Not by my choice, it's how we bought the house. I plant in containers and they do well, but I have a kiddie pool that is starting to crack and instead of throwing it out, I may plant some veggies in it now.

 

[TiggerTails57]

As someone else said, once filled with dirt it will not be 'portable'.

My parents bought 'Gro-bags' (popular in UK, kind of like a big bag of potting soil) for growing some tomatoes.....it was cold so they decided to give them a head start by starting them off in my brothers bedroom that had a good bit of sunlight. Well, they planted the little plants and watered the gro-bags and when it came time to move them to the garden........they were too HEAVY! so my brother had tomatoes all summer growing in his bedroom!!!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tomato/msg0517584613249.html
Here is a pic of someone growing tomatoes in a bag of potting soil.

 

[minnie1928]

My neighbor did this exact thing for several years and she always had a ton of stuff growing in it. Not sure exactly what types of plants, but the pool was always full.