Growing Fruits / Vegetables on Board

[lorenzo b]

There are also soil additives that retain moisture. You have to be really careful with plants in limited soil because they can dry out quickly and destroy the roots, but then nurturing them regularly with a little drink is part of the fun. Just don't forget them for three days is the hot sun.

[David M]

I think you are going to get more bang for the buck by growing a few small herb plants. Herbs that come in containers are never as good as the fresh stuff. And no, I don't mean pot for you wise guys out there.

[Herbseesmoore]

There will be no Herb pots on my (our) boat!




Herb, Herb, Herb

[GordMay]

Anyone try small (containerized?) hydroponics?

[svHyLyte]

Growing Fruits/Vegetables on Board?

Why Not? Well--for one reason, the first foreign port you pull into, the Health and Agricultural Inspector is going to quarantine your boat and make you pull out the whole business--dirt and all, together with your veggies and the various bugs'n beetles they might be carrying; bag it/them up; and have the whole business delivered to a hazardous waste disposal site. That last thing any country needs is some latter-day Johnny Appleseed spreading invasive species to decimate their agricultural industry. Moreover, unless you're pulling a Donald Crowhurst, or Bernard Moitessier, there is no passage longer than about 30 daze--which isn't enough time for a "crop" (of anything but difficulties) and by carefully selecting one's fresh provisions, and storing them properly, they should endure until one can resupply (cabbages, potatoes, onions, carrots, even green tomatoes wrapped in newpaper, will endure. And, if one must have "fresh greens", one can grow a crop of sprouts very readily in a corner of the cockpit in paper cups in a week or so--but be prepared to ditch them, and the fresh eggs, frozen meat, poultry, etc; and, any remaining fresh provisions, before expecting to be granted free Pratique in most foreign ports. I understand the NZ and Oz are particularly strict about this as is Tonga, Fiji, the Galapagos; most central American Countries, etc., etc, etc.

FWIW...

[David M]

No kidding! I was towing a small trailer boat across the California-Nevada border and they wanted me to pull the hull plug. Why?, because I might be carrying an invasive mollusk. I had no problems with that, it just surprised me.

[svHyLyte]

The prevasive California Garden Snail arrived in San Francisco in the late 1800's on a ship from Europe in trays of meal, imported by an expat French would-be restauranteur that theorized that San Francisco's emerging society was the ideal place to introduce "Escargot et Ouef'" (snails'n eggs) and similar delights. The experiment was a failure, as was the restaurant, and the remaining stock were loaded up in a wagon and dumped in a land-fill--and slowly but surely made their way virtually everywhere in the state. Were it not for the deserts of Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico...

FWIW

[jokler]

I found this... It looks pretty boat friendly Go Green Upside Down Hanging Planters

[sarafina]

seems like herbs would be the most useful gardening to do aboard. I bet something like this would work...



Hang it on the life line in nice weather, hand it on the towel rod in heavy weather...

[First Mate]

Originally Posted by Herbseesmoore

There will be no Herb pots on my (our) boat!




Herb, Herb, Herb

yes dear.

[synchronicity98]

Just read "Sailing the Farm" (Ken Neumeyer)... fairly outdated (1981) but he presents a multitude of ideas on growing vegetables, drying fruits & seaweeds, etc etc. Might be worth a read?

[aboutgone]

aero garden might work at the dock or on the hook if you have a genset......Home Of The AeroGarden From AeroGrow International i have one at home and its great,,,,cherry tomatoes in 10 weeks....Romain in three weeks.....awesome product .......

[Blue Stocking]

s/v HyLite is correct. Hell,we almost had a change of Government when the Cricket Board tried to import soil for our cricket pitches!!

[planetluvver]

I once saw a used book called somethiing like Sailing Your Ark. I was able to resist the temptation to buy it, since I have never used my land homesteading books, which I bought in anticipation of buying a farm. I am curious about whether the book had anything practical to say. I believe it was published during the 70's.

PL

[Maren]

Originally Posted by svHyLyte

The prevasive California Garden Snail arrived in San Francisco in the late 1800's ... The experiment was a failure, as was the restaurant, and the remaining stock were loaded up in a wagon and dumped in a land-fill--and slowly but surely made their way virtually everywhere in the state.

Maybe now is the time.