Help me, garden Dopers! I have a window-box planter - 6" wide by 24" long with about 5" of dirt in it. I grew some arugula in it this summer, and I’d like to try something else there this fall. I already have some herbs in other planters - rosemary, mint, and thyme. I’d love to grow some vegetables, but I’m not sure what can grow in such a small space. Any suggestions?
You don’t have enough time to grow anything from seed if this is an outside box.
(Moderator) We seem to have settled on Cafe Society as the home for gardening threads, so I’m going to move the thread thither.
(Gardener) You’re at the end of your growing season there. You might be able to get a crop of spinach before it’s too cold, but probably not. (You’re zone 4?) You could always go for “purty” and do ornamental kale or pansies.
radishes have a 20 day growth cycle … there is a butter lettuce that has a 45 day growth cycle.
Winter wheat?
<grins ducks and runs>
Cilantro!!!
Oh, and winter wheat is something I’ve planted (indoors) for cats to chew on. A local feed store sells the seed, typically by the hundred pound, and they give me a tablespoon for free.
Sorry, should’ve specified - this is an indoor box on a windowsill. The S.O. loves radishes, so maybe I’ll humor him and plant some. Cilantro’s a good idea, too, since my outdoor cilantro didn’t fare well this year.
Even if this was an outdoor box, Cambridge MA is not the North Pole and probably doesn’t get any serious frost until late October, so a variety of leaf lettuces and radishes and such would have been feasible.
Since it’s indoors and presumably gets adequate sun (at least six hours will be necessary for most vegetables), the above or other edible greens would work. You could also try a mini-cherry tomato (there’s a supershort variety called Micro-Tom).
The Boston MA area, including Cambridge, is zone 6 (because of the moderating influence of being near the Atlantic coast). You have to go further north and/or considerably further inland for Zone 4. Even coastal Maine is zone 5.
No shit, really? Philly is “officially” zone 6, though I treat it like it’s zone 7.
Radishes are endearing because the mature so quickly you get a sense of accomplishment.
Don’t plant potato eyes. They do okay, but the new tubers soon outgrow their space. New potatoes are tasty tho.
Chinese Lanterns are fun but you have to trim them early so they spread wide and don’t get too tall and rangy for the window sill.
For hanging pots you can’t beat Bleeding Hearts.
So, I’m a radish virgin. How do I know when they’re ready to pick?
Really. Although, it can be hard to remember is that all that climate zones take in to account is how cold the minimum temperature is. I’d be willing to believe Boston has a somewhat longer winter than Philadelphia, and probably has more days that come close to that minimum temperature than Philly does. (Actually, I’m kind of surprised that Philly isn’t officially zone 7, myself.)
Radishes would probably bolt in that window box.
Your right. It doesn’t mean anything about when the frost and cold hit. It only means the lowest temperature plants need to endure.
I know you said vegetables were your preference, but I find basil does really well when planted indoors in containers, and I noticed you didn’t include it in your list of already-planted herbs. In my books, a herb pot ain’t a herb pot without at least one kind of basil in it. 
Vegetable-wise, you might be able to try other greens like spinach or lettuce, or you could try nasturtium if you want something both that’s both pretty to look at and tasty to eat… it has (the flowers and leaves are peppery, sort of like arugula).
Another option, particularly if you’re a fan of spicy things, is hot peppers. I’ve seen a few varieties that are specifically intended for containers - one really pretty one I’ve used before in a planter is Little Blue, which produces thumb-sized dark purple peppers. Do check the seed packets to make sure it’s an edible variety, though, because a few of the container varieties out there are purely ornamental.
When they’re about the size of a grape. If they aren’t poking through the soil, dig around the stem a little bit to gauge the size of the bulb.
:smack:
I was writing something on cool-season veggies yesterday, so was in the mindset of thinking about length of winter, not severity of winter.
As far as what is “officially” what, they haven’t updated the zone charts since whenever, and I’m not sure the whole country doesn’t skew slightly differently now than it did 50 (or however many) years ago. (I’ve got a crape myrtle that’s thriving.)