I have thought about planting a small container garden a few times since RVing fulltime. This year, I decided to go for it. The growing season here is 240 days, which means you can start early and go late, which is quite a motivation.

When I say small, I really do mean small. After a few months, I will move the plants with me so I need to start simple. I already have a Christmas cactus, and I don’t want to be overwhelmed moving pots around every day when I am exploring.

Anyway, last month I ordered five, one-gallon fabric pots that fold up for storage (if they last long enough for another season).  It does not matter if they don’t make it. The one-gallon pots cost about a buck each. The other advantage of a fabric pot is the great air exchange through the sides. Plant roots need air but they sometimes get waterlogged in plastic pots. I don’t want plastic junk anyway!

I had been thinking about a planting mix. Regular potting soil is too inert and funky. I wanted something rich and loamy, so I made up my own mix:

equal parts garden compost, quality potting soil, and chicken manure.

Oops, I opened the Garden Compost upside down.

Before you freak out about the chicken manure, it has been composted and is not nearly as “hot” as fresh chicken manure. I did not use the more common “composted manure” because is from cows. I don’t want cow stuff in my life, either. The resulting mix, by the way, has a wonderful texture.

What to plant? I had to think about what grows well in small pots (one gallon is not big) and of those things, what are my favorites? I decided on 3 pots of Toscano Kale (sword-like leaves) and one pot of basil. I could eat that variety of kale every day, and it is quite expensive in the store. Fresh basil is my favorite seasoning and will grow in a pot forever, so I can bring it in next winter and put it in my kitchen window! Besides, this is just an experiment at this point. I can do more next fall when I return. Ohhhh, and I planted one primrose transplant in the fifth pot. Primrose showed up in the grocery stores and Walmart over a month ago. They are hardy colorful, and they grow well here, so I am trying one.

Fabric pots (1-gal) filled with my custom potting mix

NIghts are near freezing still so, after sowing the seeds, I made a little greenhouse top on top of the pots. I watered the soil deeply then covered each pot with plastic wrap. I secured it with clear packing tape. At night I will probably move the pots under the picnic table for warmth but move them into the sunshine during the days. It if is rainy before the seeds germinate, I will leave the covered pots under the table. As soon as the seeds germinate, the greenhouse cover comes off.

Pots with greenhouse cover. I will pop them under the picnic table before bedtime to keep them warmer at night. The uncovered pot has a primrose.

I have extra chicken manure and compost, which I will need again next fall when I plant a few more things. It did not take me long to decide that I can store my small number of garden supplies in Alice’s trunk. Now she is also a potting shed, too!

Extra gardening supplies in the trunk!

I love gardening! It was a major part of my life before I retired and started RVing. I have great hopes for my nomadic container garden!