Herb Garden in Camper?

[F350Girl]

Has anyone tried to grow Mint, parsley or any other herbs in their camper? I Wan't to try cooking with more fresh herbs. I got a pot with some herbs from my moms house since she doesn't use them often and put it in my camper. Im wondering If its possible for them to actually do well in a camper with ventilation? And sun?

 

[TrainChaser]

When you're stopped, you can set them in the sun (if they like sun). If they don't get enough sun, they'll get tall and lanky, with lots of wasted space between the leaves.

You probably won't get the plants through any California (state) border crossing because the have agricultural check stations where they stop you and look for plants, fruit, etc. If you've got any, they will usually confiscate them. If you're not going to CA, no problem, as I don't think any other state has them.

 

[F350Girl]

When you're stopped, you can set them in the sun (if they like sun). If they don't get enough sun, they'll get tall and lanky, with lots of wasted space between the leaves.

You probably won't get the plants through any California (state) border crossing because the have agricultural check stations where they stop you and look for plants, fruit, etc.  If you've got any, they will usually confiscate them.  If you're not going to CA,  no problem, as I don't think any other state has them.

Yeah I live in California and when I travel to Nevada they don't check but Oregon does! yeah I actually thought of putting them on the roof for a few hours while I'm parked in sun at work or something I can keep my Key inside the camper so i don't drive off with them on the roof. I know people will probably steel or brake the planters if i leave it on the bumper step! 

 

[WalkaboutTed]

If you're away from fresh groceries, you can always grow bean sprouts. Super easy, super compact and super good for you. Multiple kinds to suit your fancy.

 

[F350Girl]

If you're away from fresh groceries, you can always grow bean sprouts. Super easy, super compact and super good for you. Multiple kinds to suit your fancy.

Great Idea!!! I'm going to try that!!!

 

[frater secessus]

If you're away from fresh groceries, you can always grow bean sprouts. Super easy, super compact and super good for you. Multiple kinds to suit your fancy.

Lots of excellent things sprout easily on the road.  My favorites are lentils, fenugreek, green peas, etc.

 

[TrainChaser]

For info on sprouting stuff, check out the Sprout People at https://sproutpeople.org/

OREGON??? Are you sure about that? I spent nearly 7 years crossing back and forth from OR and was never stopped, and there was no check station.

 

[AbuelaLoca]

I was actually thinking about this myself... Now, here's my idea and y'all might think I'm crazy! I thought about getting a shoe organizer that hangs on the door and cutting it down to like 2 rows and filling them with rocks on the bottom and potting soil above to grow small herbs and maybe chives and garlic... there is the issue of drainage that I'm still trying to figure out, but it could be hung in the window facing out toward the sun while driving or hung outside the door while stopped. What think?

 

[ColdBrook]

 I thought about getting a shoe organizer that hangs on the door and cutting it down to like 2 rows 

 I have planned on doing something similar, or might just try some potted herbs to set in windows first.  Also I definitely plan to grow sprouts in jars.

 

[mayble]

When I had my Class C, I was seriously eyeing up that over-cab bunk area as an indoor garden.  Tons of light, and I sure as heck wasn't sleeping up there.
I was thinking a couple containers that could snugly hold the pots would be easy to secure while traveling, and easy to move outside when parked.

 

[Zizzer_Zazzer_Zuz]

I can certainly see setting up camp for 2 weeks or more and some of the first tasks being to set items like souerkraut, kambucha, and hard cider to ferment planning to store all of it for use at the next camp, or even the one after that. I have been working on a small, simple, and portable brewing and fermenting kit to take on the road with me.

Sprouts seem simple enough in sticks and bricks and I know that craving for fresh ANYTHING that comes on after a few weeks with no fresh fruit or veg. If I understand correctly edible sprouts take about a week and some of the leafier greens can take closer to two weeks.

I wonder if a small hydroponics set up could be created. You could even supplement the lighting with LED grow lights. A small PV panel battery running a water pump and a small LED or fluorescent light fixture. I get the impression that sprouts don't really require any light at all.

 

[eDJ_]

If you can find some small plastic bottles of perhaps the 6 to 10 oz size about like this,

you could in a south facing RV Window,  create a vertical window garden that is drip irrigated.  Stringing 3 to 5 off these small bottles up like this to hang from cup hook screws installed at the top of the window.

at the base of each bottle a couple holes would be drilled one above
the other (on both sides) so that nylon cord could be fed through
them and tied to make a vertical chain.  with the cords tied together
at the end of the last bottle so that all of the bottles could be hung from
a cup hook or some more suitable mount.  

Since it is small herb plants small bottles would be suitable. But this can be
scaled up to use 2 liter bottles for outdoor use or in the south facing window
of a home for growing small vegetables.

This website shows a construction technique. 

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


For an RV the above photos would be scaled down.  There are even systems
using a small aquarium pump that pumps from a catch basin at the bottom of
the hanging garden and fills a tank above which drips into the opening of the
top bottle.  The little pump is on a timer.   As shown below.

This would be ok for those who are working jobs and cannot water
the herb garden at home frequently.    For those who would be
boondocking and are in camp most of the time they could just
manually water from a small water vessel.  Your choice of fertilizer
would be your own option.  


Spice Rack is one of my sites which will provide some information about
the use of Herbs & Spices.

http://spicerack.homestead.com/

For planting Herbs you should be aware of the PH of the soil.  Here is some
information on that.   Each vertical column should have a PH that matches
the herbs being grown in it.

http://www.growinganything.com/herb-garden-plants-growing-herbs-from-seeds.html

 

[TrainChaser]

Getting back to the shoe organizer, regarding the drainage: somewhere, sometime, for some kind of plants, the writer said when you only have the option of small containers for soil that you shouldn't bother with drainage because small clumps of soil tend to dry out rather quickly (relative to things like 6" pots, etc).

And if you worry about dripping inside the van when you're driving, water them well before you have to 'confine' them to the inside, like the day before. For nights, just hook them outside from your roof gutters.

This really sounds like an interesting idea!

 

[eDJ_]

My own thoughts on the system in a Van or RV that doesn't provide for a drain reservoir was to take a plastic sandwich bag and place the open end at the bottom bottle cap.  Then use a twist tie to tie the bag around the bottle neck so it will stay in place as a collector.

I've seen at the Dollar Tree store these rolls of  twist tie material for the garden.  Just cut the length you need and tie the bag in place.   You could even use old rubber bands.

But this would prevent water from dripping into the interior of the Van.


As for adjusting the PH to the needs of your plants,   a mixture of Arm and Hammer soda in water for soil will raise the PH  making the soil more Alkaline.

By  using alum in water the PH will be move lower to a more acid soil.

When the PH is adjusted to a particular plant's "Optimum PH" level, the plant can more efficiently extract nutrients from the soil.

0 being the most acid and 14 being the most alkaline.

You can get PH test paper which comes on a roll to test PH of your soil.

You need to have some distilled water and a sample of your soil.   Mix them and allow the soil to settle in the water where you can dip the paper into the water.   Then compare the color of the paper to the chart on the side to calculate the present PH of that soil sample.   You can catch rain water in a plastic bottle or just buy distilled water in a bottle for doing this.   But getting the PH adjusted to your plant will allow it to thrive and extract the nutrients from the soil that it needs.  

I've seen small containers, like 8 oz size, of all purpose plant food in Dollar stores that could help in growing
your window herb garden.