What fruits and vegetables in an RV can you grow and how?
Living in an RV often calls for trade-offs. You give up the space of the average home for the freedom of the road. You give up your yard, but this doesn't mean you can't grow fruits, vegetables and other types of plants. The post will provide information about what fruits and vegetables in an RV you can grow and how.
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Tip 1: Get a hydroponic planter
This may take up a modest amount of space, but it has a number of benefits. There is no soil as you’d get with potted plants. The planter comes with lights, and you can get battery powered versions. Now you aren’t running a generator or draining house batteries to keep seedlings growing. The hydroponic system is portable. You can put it in the house when you are home. You can grow everything from herbs to tomatoes. The only downside is the cost per plant, though it can be hard to beat fresh herbs you can enjoy wherever you are. See more on rvside.com.
Tip 2: Make the most of your windows
Kitchen herb gardens tend to be based in the kitchen window. It isn’t just a convenient place to keep the herbs. It tends to be the biggest window in the house. This is a great place to put a kitchen window garden. Instead of a window box that hangs outside, you’ll need to build a wooden holder for potted plants that sits inside the window. Make sure the plant holder itself is secure so you don’t spill plants and soil when making a hard turn.
Tip 3: Choose the right containers for your container garden
Container gardens in an RV are going to be at risk of being thrown around when your RV hits a bump or takes a sharp turn. This means that re- purposed glass mason jars are a poor choice, but clear plastic jars are a good choice. Pick items that won’t damage things if they are dropped or thrown across the camper.
Tip 4: Hanging plants are your friend
When you’re living in an RV, space is at a premium. One solution is hanging plants. If you have ivy and other potted plants hanging in the corner of your house, odds are that it will do just fine in an RV. It won’t take up limited counter space. It doesn’t need a lot of light, so you don’t have to put the plants out along with the solar panels. This makes Chinese evergreens, lucky bamboo, philodendron and Boston ferns excellent for those who just want some greenery in the RV.
Tip 5: Remember economics
There is a joke that the fresh tomatoes from your garden only cost you fifty dollars in gardening supplies and hours of time. Remember to take economics into account when you’re planning to garden in an RV. Don’t grow vegetables you can get anywhere at a relatively low cost. Conversely, fresh herbs that cost a fortune in the store may be worth growing in a hydroponics system.
The economics is why so many people re-purpose flower pots and mason jars for kitchen gardens. If you want to make your own vertical garden, try using a fabric shoe organizer. It requires far less effort than building a framework of wire loops to hold your hanging garden if you’re not using a standard hanging plant holder.Tip 6: Know how the garden impacts the rest of your logistics
If you add another appliance to your RV battery, you’re probably going to have analyzed how it affects your battery life or power generation requirements. Pay attention to how plants affect all the other logistics you’re dealing with. Gardening in an RV is more complicated than leaving the plants in planters outside. Thirsty plants may force you to buy more water, because they won’t be watered by the rain. If you’re dealing with a specialized hydroponic system, have a plan for refilling it with compatible fertilizer or plant food.
Unless you have one or two jars full of mint in the window, your garden can increase the load of your RV. Hanging gardens could put significant weight on a particular tire, affecting the handling of the RV or camper on the road.
Tip 7: Consider the overall environment.
Plants can make the inside of the RV more inviting. However, that’s only true if the plants don’t bring problems with them. For example, you’re guaranteeing problems if anyone is allergic to what you’re growing. The smell of the herbs may be great in moderation in a dish, but do you want to smell it all night while you’re trying to sleep? Do you need to keep pets away from it? Will it attract pests? Conversely, spring onions will repel pests.
Summary
Gardening in an RV is possible whether you want a basic potted plant or herb garden. However, there are a variety of factors to take into account so that you enjoy the highest return on the investment.
