Portable Gardens

[Andrea D.]

I'm going to retire at the end of June (Yeah!) and am hoping to start doing some longer trips. I love fresh veggies. Has anyone ever tried taking their plants with them on their travels? I have a 13' Boler, so my space is limited, but I picture moving the plants outside when not on the road. Any thoughts or suggestions?

[Glenn Baglo]

Patronize local farm markets.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Andrea D.

I'm going to retire at the end of June (Yeah!) and am hoping to start doing some longer trips. I love fresh veggies. Has anyone ever tried taking their plants with them on their travels? I have a 13' Boler, so my space is limited, but I picture moving the plants outside when not on the road. Any thoughts or suggestions?

I enjoy fresh tomatoes grown in pots, but they get WAY to large to take along on the road. Remember also that roads are rough, they will not transport well. Local farm markets are popular in our area but you would need to ask the locals to find them.

[Bill in Pittsburgh]

Unfortunately my wife does, while we, like most RVers have limited space. But plants are one of her passions so how could I possibly begrudge her this pleasure when I stuff the trailer with mandolins and playing accessories.

[AC0GV]

Originally Posted by Bill in Pittsburgh

Unfortunately my wife does while we, like most RVers have limited space. But plants are one of her passions so how could I possibly deny her this pleasure when I stuff the trailer with mandolins and playing accessories.

I travel with three hobbies. Ham radio, metal detecting, and magnet fishing.
That results in the second heaviest Scamp 16 in the group. 3,060 lbs.

[Mary F]

I’ve taken a pot of basil on a trip before, but it rides in the cab of the tow vehicle when we’re underway. I can’t imagine traveling with anything other than a a few herbs… except for our little Norfolk Island Pine “Christmas tree” - it’s small enough that it fit in cup holder, and it went with us at Thanksgiving.

[Glenn Baglo]

I think that the whole point of travel is new experiences. One of the worst things to happen is McDonald's and KFC popping up worldwide. Do you fly to Italy to drink a Starbucks latte? You do now.

[Gordon in Idaho]

I have a fairly long and wide wooden shelf under the front window of my Scamp 13 . I use a double pot system. The outer pot is screwed down to the shelf and the inner pot is removable for watering or turning. No accidents so far. Currently, a small prickly pear lives there, but not going to browse on that. I can see having a row of herbs. I can also see sprouting as a real easy way to have fresh veggies every few days. Anything is possible. Do what you want.
By the way, do you have many farmers markets up your way in January?

[theresa p]

Andrea----sadly, I will have to agree that bringing along some plants, especially anything close to being at the edible stage, is likely going to be an adventure that isn't worth the hassle.


We have known friends with large motor coaches who have brought flowering plants and also have seen homemade "gardens" attached to the rear bumper of a Casita----but their owners each told us that it was fraught with problems and frustration. The Casita-garden was only built because these folks were parking for the winter in one spot. Theirs was procured for the trip down and in the end, they decided not to bring the garden back up home...so, essentially, a one-way trip. They said that there wouldn't be a "next-time".



In the end, visiting local fresh markets will not only provide you the fresh veggies you will be looking for, but you will be benefitting local economies, getting the chance to meet some local folk and also getting a much vaster variety than you could ever grow in the confines of your camper.



Plus, there are often restrictions on travelling with plants. Bugs, diseases etc are something one province/state may not want "imported".

[Campingbliss]

I too am an avid vegetable gardener. I sprout in jars when traveling in my scamp.

[Steve and Rosemary]

We aren't full time so haven't taken plants on the road but I definitely have plans to do so. A gal named Robin has a YouTube channel called "Creativity RV" and she has more than one video about how she grows food from her RV. She has a lot more room for it than I plan to but you should be able to get some ideas. If I can figure out how to include a link, I will.

I've been looking for "tiny" options that pack a punch like growing sprouts in a jar and microgreens in small containers. But those aerogardens or something similar look like a good option too!

Good luck to you and if you get a chance, we'd love to see what you end up trying and how it goes.

Mobile garden build:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-GV...l=CreativityRV

Mobile garden FAQ:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uVy...l=CreativityRV

Grow microgreens in an RV:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIU_...l=CreativityRV

This one has a description of the "aerogardens" that she uses at about 9:30:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_gX...l=CreativityRV

[Campingbliss]

Microgreens are an excellent crop to grown on road, and you could grown mini peppers and garlic greens as well. Anything you can root from the cut off end (carrots, celery, scallions...) can be stuck in water to root, then dirt, and grown in a sunny window.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Bill in Pittsburgh

Unfortunately my wife does, while we, like most RVers have limited space. But plants are one of her passions so how could I possibly begrudge her this pleasure when I stuff the trailer with mandolins and playing accessories.

I just tell my partner that my mandolin and fiddle is a plant. She rolls her eyes a lot these days.

[D Jean Fullerton]

As much as I love the idea of having living plants as I travel, I wonder about the increased humidity in a small space. Will they create condensation? Also, in a small trailer where things have to be tied down, I can't imagine being able to secure growing plants.