How About a Portable Veggie Teepee?

My previous post about the Painted Lady Runner Bean prompted me to talk a bit about the teepee I've planted them on.  I plant 10 or 12 bean seeds in each large 15 gallon black nursery pot.  I use good potting soil (not garden soil). The beans must be kept moist at all times while germinating.  They take about a week to poke through the surface, depending upon the weather.  Once up and growing, I  remove all but the strongest 6 plants.

The pots are arranged in a circle of eight, with a teepee of tall bamboo arranged around the pots and attached together at the top with twine.  The bean vines eagerly scamper up the bamboo. 

I love the pot teepee.  You can take it down in the winter and store it if you don't want to grow a cool weather climber on it.  You can set it up anywhere: on pavement, gravel, rooftops, or in other hard to handle areas, such as fertility-deficient soils, virus-infested soils, or gopher-ridden areas. You can also move it between seasons, to maximize the differing sun conditions between the summer winter gardens.  You can see I've got mine set up on mulch.

The teepee is also a great idea for renters, who may not want to make the financial commitment of building permanent garden beds.  I have heard from upset renters who have carefully and expensively nurtured vegetable gardens only to have to move out when the landlord must reclaim the property.  The disappointed tenants bemoan leaving their precious gardens behind, unharvested and unrealized.  The portable veggie teepee can be moved (perhaps not fully laden with 100 pounds of beans, but certainly the pots, soil, bamboo, and carefully cut-back plants to their new garden spot.

Other suggestions for what to grow on a portable garden teepee are: edible snow peas or fragrant sweet peas in cooler weather, cucumbers, smaller melons such as Charentais, gourds, or mini pumpkins.  Remember that the bigger the fruit, the less plants per pot.  Growing larger vining fruit on the teepee requires attaching the vines carefully to the teepee as they grow.  A bit trickier, but what a show-stopper!

My other tips would be frequent watering and fertilizing with a good all-purpose organic liquid fertilizer, and don't make the mistake of using pots smaller than 15 gallons!

Comments

[Sandy]

What a great idea! We're going to set one up next Spring. Now I just have to find the 15 gal pots.
Thanks for the idea.

[Doug Whitmore]

This looks like a great idea. I'll have to try this for our winter garden.

[sea]

What a great idea! I grow your tomatoes on my balcony in pots and they do quite well. Unfortunately moving them twice this summer did challenge them a bit, but I'm still getting some nice tomatoes from them. Do you have any suggestions for winter vegetables that could grow on something like this? I'm in Sunny Sunnyvale (moved from Mountain View).

-Sea

[Bob]

Hi

I am impressed with your method of growing beans but wonder if you mean 15 litres rather than gallons?

I know that US gallons are smaller than UK gallons but even so I would find it a struggle to lift o pot of 15 gallons of soil.

regards

bob

[Love Apple Farm]

Bob: I do indeed mean 15 U.S. gallons. Yes, it's heavy. We either have two people carry them, or we truck them around with a dolly. Fortunately, we don't have to cart them around a whole heckuva lot.

[grovespirit]

Which organic liquid fertilizer do you recommend for containers such as these, and how often should it be applied?

I use my homegrown worm compost when I have it (about once a month), but I don't have enough to go around. I don't think monthly applications are sufficient.

So I am wondering what other organic liquid fert's you would recommend.

Thanks!

[Love Apple Farm]

Grovespirit: You can (and should) use any all-purpose liquid organic. "All-purpose" means that all three macronutrients (N-P-K) are present in about the same amount. For example, a 5-5-5 will give you 5% of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. Apply that ever two or three weeks for max production and health.

[Deleese]

What a creative idea and springboard! This is going to be a nifty way to thwart the deer (life in the Santa Cruz mountains) by using the teepee within a smaller fenced area.
We have a small pool (seldom used) that can now provide a suitable growing space via pots, and ... improve the scenery. Thank you!

[Carolyn]

I set my pots a bit farther out so that my teepee is big enough for my grandson to play in! The beans are already sprouting! :-)