Cover plants

[patmrtnscks]

Does anyone have any ideas for good plants to plant in front of, and around a small outdoor grow? I have a grape vine behind where its going to be, and I was thinking maybe some tomatoes or corn in front of it. Maybe some sunflowers too. Its going to be in a little decorative fenced in area, in a remote corner of my yard. Any and all input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Flipper]

I know lavender would be good to mask the smell. But if your trying to hide a outside grow and your not approved by your state to grow, those helicopters can spot it from above.

 

[patmrtnscks]

Im not worried about the smell so much as nosy ass neighbors. I started some tomato, corn, pea, and jalapeno seeds today, so I can hide the plant. My plan is to grow two or three bonsai plants hidden by the veggies. Police helicopters arent an issue in my area, as in my area they have better things to do than look for stoners growing a plant or two in their yard. The lavender sounds good though, and Im gonna pick some up for the odor issues. Ill prob plant it strategically so it masks more than just my outdoor plants. I also have some Big Bud growing in my closed tent. Besides my carbon filter, I wonder if I planted some lavender around the corners of my house if it would mask any odor that the carbon scrubber couldnt filter.

 

[Lusi]

I did this same thing my first outdoor grow. Neighbors and even the repairmen walked right by my plants without seeing them. What really did the trick was to train them, bend the main stem down to grow along the ground like a vine, winding the branches in between my other plants. My favorite I trained in a circle, so it looked like ground cover. The best were in large pots with other similar sized flowing plants, but the plant in the ground with other flowers did OK. The worst hiding place was in the corn. The corn dies off before the MJ is done! My tomatoes died, but I'd think that would be OK cover, especially inside tomato cages. My plant in the rose bush was seen, so I dug it up and moved it. For the plants in the ground, I simply buried the pots so I could easily dig them up and move them. This also helped keep the size of my plants down. It was my first grow, so they were not so healthy, but plenty enough of yield to last a year. I also spread my 5 plants out all over my yard so if one was spotted, the others weren't.
I only have two of my plant pics:
The plant in the corn didn't get much light and drew many caterpillars

Once the corn was harvested, no more hiding spot! I dug her up (in a pot) and moved her.

This was on my porch in plain sight. There are many varieties of Sage that mask the smell and provide cover. I used a low growing white flowering fern of some sort for another plant. I kept these small and low, less than 18" high, to blend in with sweet asylum and other plants with large white blooms.

Insect netting also helps cover plants in a pinch. You can use tomato cages and wrap the thin cotton they use to cover rows from frost around the cage. You can cover plants when guests will be around. Make your own with wire, cover them with climbers. Don't use morning glories. They attract cabbage loopers, leaf miners and mites more than any other flower I have! Rosemary blooms white and is a good cover for plants under 2 feet. Just train and trim your plants to not look like a pot plant, bonsai pot. I had two braided together and trained to a heart. Another trained along a grape vine. Most people are not very observant.


Hope that helps!

Lusi

 

[patmrtnscks]

Thanks for the pics, thats exactly what Im picturing in my mind when I envision my garden. Ive had a minor setback though, and that would be some animal that keeps digging up my cover plant sprouts. Idk what it is, but its a sneaky little bastard. I had to move all my plants back to my deck until I figure out whats raiding my garden. Strangely, whatever it is, it only dug up my pepper and MJ plants. It just knocked my tomato plants down, and it didnt even touch my corn and sunflower sprouts. Regardless, its war.

 

[Lusi]

LOl! I have my plants in a dog kennel that's raised up on concrete blocks that go two deep. On top is a screen roof and netting all around. Not a single critter has gotten in, but the rest of my garden is always raided. I get rattlesnakes and deer on my porch, so critters are a huge problem.

They have these infrared cameras in the hunting section of Walmart. If you know what it is, it's easier to catch! I can think of birds and lots of critters that dig up plants for grub.. My first guess is always a dog... Lol I'm sure curious to find out what !

good luck )

 

[patmrtnscks]

So I went out to check my garden yesterday afternoon, and the fcker struck again, and this time it had knocked all my pots over. My sprouting plants were all over the place, so I picked them all up and moved everything back to my porch. My wife found a gopher tunnel about 15ft away from the garden area, so Im guessing the little bastards have tunnels all over my yard. Idk how to get rid of a gopher, but its ON!!!

 

[FrankFoster]

For a great idea, flat red paint and Christmas bulbs, hang a few on your plant and plant tomatoes around...