Gardening and herbs on the go.

[caseyc]

That's great! Chat again!

Casey

Steve,

Is that you, bud?! If so, where ya been? Nice to see you posting again.

Casey

Good to see you too! Yes it's me. Thanks for the Welcome. I pulled away cuz of a lot of reasons the chief one being some family medical issues, and just when I thought we were out of the woods we're possibly headed back in. Thankfully this time my house is in order so I can juggle a bit more than back then.

 

[bvanevery]

In principle I'm interested in growing stuff in my hatchback while continuously mobile, but in practice the space issues seem insurmountable. Also if one can't grow serious bulk food for one's diet, I really don't see the point from a food security / independence standpoint. "Tastiness" or "vitamins" aren't really compelling reasons to go to the trouble.

 

[sl1966]

I confess that I don't even know if it's possible to grow stuff on the go like that. It simply never seemed feasible to me because of how most peoples plants would die immediately after a move to a different city. It is a limited view, but I just haven't seen anyone come forward yet. I am very interested in hearing how it a mobile garden was kept up though.

 

[Moony]

Your best bet for gardening on the go would be to utilize vertical farming and aerophonics. Aerophonics is like hydrophonic gardening, it doesn't require soil which makes it lighter. However, unlike hydrophonic gardening, aerophonic gardens work using small amounts of 'enriched' water misted directly at the roots of the plants.
The one major drawback of aerophonic gardening is how finicky it can be. If you're not careful (and even if you are) the root systems of the plant can fail (usually because of fungi or mold), these plants also are much less likely to survive transplantation.
The water you mist them with needs to be high in vitamins and minerals, the easiest way to accomplish that would be to collect rainwater and funnel it into two liter soda bottles, although mixing soluble fertilizers into the water also works. It also needs to be a pressurized mist, to limit the amount of waste water (which is, first off, wasteful, and secondly, dangerous to the plant because mold and bacteria can easily grow in it), and you need to mist the plants' root systems several times a day: especially if the inside of the vehicle is hot!
Still, with some careful planning, a compact aeroponics system could be effectively used in a vehicle.

Going back to the planting on public land ideas, black raspberries and red raspberries are pretty hardy, but they can easily expand too much and choke out other plants. Where I'm currently living, they're fairly common in woods and in suburban areas where they're sometimes used to mark property lines.
It may just be easier to plant small, no-maintainance, native plant gardens (or find them in the wild, like wild rice in the midwest, or raspberries, or blueberries, etc.) and mark them for others to find than to go through the hassle of setting up a mobile garden.

 

[Hereandthere]

I've done sprouting in a variety of rigs we've had over the years, and I'm planning to do that again this winter. This trip will be in an old Tioga we recently got, and I'm thinking under the windshield when we're parked, in the shower or sink while traveling. Broccoli's my fave.

 

[jeanontheroad]

Sprouts need only pan and some paper towels. It's not that hard.

Many herbs don't need any more than a pot of petunias do. It's the bother of it that puts most people off. And what do you save after buying the pots and the soil and the plant food and the bug spray?

I particularly like fresh basil on tomato and cheese sandwiches. I can get a plant at the grocery for a coupe bucks, stick it in a plastic ice cream container with a hole in the bottom, fill it up with local dirt, and use the plant until it's gone or dead. Then, I get another plant.

This works because I have a weakness for one particlar easily grown item. But trying to grow ones own major herb needs would probably cost more in trouble and money than it's worth. As for berry or food crops, good luck competing with the wildlife and/or controlling pests and diseases if you aren't there all the time to do it. Successful gardens take lots of time and diligence.

 

[Hereandthere]

Thanks, Guy! I could do that on the road easily.

 

[Varmint]

All this talk of native vs non-native, invasive, etc....
I really think this is a waste of time, as almost everything planted these days is non-native or so heavily modified through genetic engineering or selective breeding as to not even resemble the original varieties they derive from. Corn, tomatoes, and potatoes are a prime example of this.

I personally favor the idea of spreading whatever native varieties can be planted, such as chestnuts, persimmons, pawpaws in native-type habitats, among other items. Trees can take a long time to yield, but when they do, it's long-term. John Chapman was a well-known example of this. Garden plants should be distributed in much the same way, with an eye to the environment where planted.

I have yet to travel the country implementing this plan, having done this only locally as an experiment. Bear in mind, though, that you may plant, but other critters may eat seeds as well as the plants themselves, preventing you from enjoying the fruits of your labors.

 

[LeeRevell]

I would wonder about state laws regarding transporting plants? They can get testy at some state borders. I got questioned back when I drove to the west coast in my Navy days (early 80's).

 

[LayWoman for Christ]

Caravan Carolyn on YouTube shows her small mobile garden for her van. At 0:40 seconds titled my garden....

 

[TrainChaser]

It will probably be confiscated if you're going into California with it.

 

[ToyotaEscaper]

Anyone watch the first season of The Grand Tour? Make a naturemobile like Richard Hammond did lmao

 

[AmieW]

Didn't read the whole thread, but in some areas, it's illegal to plant any "alien" plant on public land. Here in FL, where even the most common herb can become invasive, it's illegal to plant anything on public land, including roadsides. This is true of most ecologically sensitive places.

 

[eDJ_]

Some time ago I mentioned a "window garden" for growing herbs & spices.   It is made of used clear soda bottles
of the 12 oz variety.  If setting such up outdoors you may use 2 liter bottles.  The idea is that they drain into each other (try to use plants of the same Ph requirements if recycling their water...or better use fresh caught rain water if you can and discard what drains thru thus using using fresh each time)

I now see this developing by this "Balcony & Garden Web" article

13 Plastic Bottle Vertical Garden Ideas | Soda Bottle Garden

http://balconygardenweb.com/plastic-bottle-vertical-garden-soda-bottle-garden/

Wiki how

http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Vertical-Garden-from-Soda-Bottles

For those who are Nomadic it may be more difficult to keep a gardening system.  Some may plant around where they camp and return there or near there each year.   Thus having a supply of fresh when boondocking and moving around.   Some may disapprove of this but ultimately it is up to each Nomad's volition.  All down through history seed has been scattered by animals at random.   But if you purchase paper envelopes of seed locally at hardware/seed stores and plant it in the same region I can't imagine why it would
cause any ecological mayhem.

 

[lenny flank]

Sadly, it DOES cause ecological mayhem, which is why it is illegal in so many states. In my adopted state of Florida there are several hundred invasive species of plants--including such severe ones as air potato, water hyacinth, and kudzu, that arrived as innocent-looking garden plants. Today over one-fourth of all plants and animals in Florida are non-natives that have become established in the wild.

Invasive species are the second-leading cause of extinctions (behind only habitat loss), and many states now spend millions of dollars per year trying to eradicate non-native invasives.


PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not plant ANYTHING ANYWHERE that is not native. Not only is planting non-natives illegal in most places, but it does tremendous ecological damage that in many cases can never be reversed.

 

[BluebirdHazel]

I haven't read the whole thread but I just wanted to add that it's easy to grow a few veggies in pots. I'm growing Romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, and herbs in pots. They keep on giving as I harvest and plant more seeds plus I know they're organic. I also have one cherry tomato plant that I'm hoping will be generous with baby tomatoes. ?

 

[MTNomad]

DOT sprays the highway shoulders with chemicals so be ware of how close to the road you plant...

 

[AdventurousAdriana]

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not plant ANYTHING ANYWHERE that is not native. Not only is planting non-natives illegal in most places, but it does tremendous ecological damage that in many cases can never be reversed.

^^^^^ YES, please listen to Lenny!  It's a very romantic notion to follow in the footsteps of former chuckbox toting wagon cooks by planting random herb gardens or other culinary plants BUT it can be quite detrimental to the local environment to do so.  Please refrain from making the same mistakes our ancestor nomads did.  :heart:

I do love to garden and am looking forward to finding some way to do so in containers that come with me.  Alternatively, I might sign up for a community garden plot in an area I plan to frequent or spend an extended period of time in.

I just joined this RV Gardening group on Facebook... they have a good amount of tips: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1520380811403266/

If anyone is currently growing something I'd love to see pics of your setup!  :heart:

 

[Deb_A]

Haven't read the whole thread, but I'm a totally fanatical gardener, and every time I think of van dwelling, the thought of giving up my plants and gardens stops me. I know I will see so many plants in my travels that I want, and can't have.

I've decided to do three things to keep me sane

1) Set up a small (2 ft.) grow light and shelf to hold miniature african violets, since I can't live without something that blooms. I grew them for years, and they aren't very hard to grow. The only problem would be that they need humidity, but I'm working on a plan for a mini-greenhouse shelf for them.

2) Grow tiny succulents. They don't need much water, so they won't contribute much humidity to the van.

3) Grow herbs and micro/mini greens. I'll be eating mostly raw food on the road, and micro/mini greens grow quickly and are very nutritious. If I set down roots for a couple of weeks, I can grow a crop of micro greens easily in that time. Yes, they take up water resources, but I'll just use food money for that, since I'll be eating the results. You can literally grow these in shell containers you buy salads and fruit in, so they take up little to no space.

 

[highdesertranger]

transporting plants across state lines is illegal in a lot of states, but you can get away with it because no one is checking. except in California they have agriculture inspection stations at all major border crossings. highdesertranger