<p>Does this exist: I know that DS would like to grow some lettuces, maybe tomatoes, on his townhouse deck - once spring comes! He is thousands of miles from us, so I can’t choose a nice planter, some seeds and soil to bring to him. I have to order something online as a Christmas gift. I thought it would be easy to find some sort of lettuce planting kit with a nice container (maybe without the heavy soil - he can get that himself, or a version with one of those lightweight planting mixes, a nice mesclun mix of seeds. I only found one option and it wasn’t quite what I wanted. Anyone know of an item/source?</p>
<p>@jmmom, I tried a few of these MiracleGro seed pods this year because someone gave them to me free. They did produce and were handy. They are lightweight and could ship easy to your S. Maybe you could pair it up with some type of planter that could be shipped and then he could just be responsible for getting his own soil???
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-170025-Gro-ables-Salad-Garden/dp/B00C88DV6M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418665300&sr=8-2&keywords=miracle+grow+pods”>http://www.amazon.com/Miracle-Gro-170025-Gro-ables-Salad-Garden/dp/B00C88DV6M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1418665300&sr=8-2&keywords=miracle+grow+pods</a></p>
<p>Here are some more indoor seed starting kits.
<a href=“Seed Starting Pots & Kits”>Seed Starting Pots & Kits;
<p>I had a blast starting tomatoes inside one year, but I got going way too early and they were a good three feet high by the time I was able to get them out of the dining room!</p>
<p>Google tower gardens. I don’t have a link but I have seen several articles in my area about people using them on rooftop decks. </p>
<p>I should mention I haven’t ordered from that source, but it came up at the top of the list on a search, and I noticed it had a bunch of reviews of various products – handy.</p>
<p>I have to say I really appreciate your starting this thread. I’ve about maxed out with what I can do with bulbs for now and was pondering what to do in spring. For some reason I hadn’t even been thinking indoor seed starts, and I even have a heated growing mat in a box somewhere! Those tower gardens do look really cool. Hm… Or I may end up with 3’ high indoor tomatoes again. They had been transferred into big pots by that time and were somewhat unwieldy. It was pretty funny.</p>
<p>How about an Aerogarden? We have one and its always been fun to have fresh garden goodies (or flowers if you prefer). Comes in different sizes.</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the ideas so far. Will check them all, and hungrily check back for any others!</p>
<p>Check out this source. I’ve had great luck with their seeds and grew lots of great stuff in containers on my deck.
<a href=“Vegetable Seeds & Plants - Tomato, Pepper, Bean, Organic - Burpee”>Vegetable Seeds & Plants - Tomato, Pepper, Bean, Organic - Burpee;
<p>Another website to check out is: <a href=“http://www.shopterrain.com”>www.shopterrain.com</a>
Lots of garden goodies here.</p>
<p>You could put together a gardening box of gifts–gloves, hand tools, markers for the plants, watering can–even a small com poster (assuming there is room on the deck). Williams Sonoma has a nice selection of gardening supplies.You can even buy raised beds and planters.
<a href=“http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/agrarian-garden/agrarian-garden-beds-planters/?cm_type=lnav”>http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/agrarian-garden/agrarian-garden-beds-planters/?cm_type=lnav</a></p>
<p>This book is a great resource for container gardening.
<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/The-Vegetable-Gardeners-Container-Bible/dp/1603429751”>http://www.amazon.com/The-Vegetable-Gardeners-Container-Bible/dp/1603429751</a></p>
<p>Have fun putting it all together.</p>
<p>Have you seen the upside-down tomato planters? <a href=“ALL”>Gardener's Supply Company - Error; (I’ve ordered from Gardeners Supply and been very happy with the items.)</p>
<p>@Deborah T, how on earth did you grow 3’ tomato plants indoors? All my attempts to start tomatoes that early end, if not in failure, than in pretty pathetic results… :(</p>
<p>It was years ago. It was probably that year or one or two before that I got the plug in heat pad and a grow light. I honestly don’t remember whether I started the tomatoes from seed or starts, but it was way early, probably February. I couldn’t put them outside for months. I know at one point I had to transfer them to bigger pots while they were still living indoors, and I set them near the sliding glass door to get enough sun.</p>
<p>Had so much fun the last few days. The house feels a little quiet now. It’s the perfect time for me to start checking around town and seeing what I find to get started with one of these projects!</p>
I am ready to go, even if the weather isn’t! Yippee skippee! Pansies, lobelia, sun golds, it’s only a couple of months early…
Sweet peas, cosmos, okay, I’ll try and wait a little longer.
Am I the only one getting started on this admittedly way too early. 
I was leafing through the gardening books during my volunteer stint at a local second hand book center - and the book center is at the place where I have a community garden!
Sigh. I went to California over the holidays. It was in the mid-to-high 70s, sunny, clear and lush. Huge colorful blossoms everywhere. Now home in snowy and cold Denver, and spring seems so so far away!
It’s pretty dreary out here, too, but I am going to start some seeds indoors.