It's June 2nd and finally the weather is cooperating long enough for us to get all of our plants in. with the seasons clock ticking I ended up with what I can only refer to as Gardeners block. It's like writers block you can't decide where to plant anything or when to plant anything or what to plant. So you stand in the center of your garden scratching your head turning circles and getting absolutely nothing accomplished. The Garden map app I used to map out my garden, in the dead of winter is worthless now because you see I have way more plants than I actually drew on those maps. To make matters worse my companion planting guides are making me wonder how anybody ever decides what to plant next to what. So what's the cure? Container planting. it's a lot less intimidating to plant a pot with a couple of plants and if you change your mind about what plants to plant its not a big deal to remove them and start over. the real benefit comes in that you did actually begin. You will notice that the self watering containers have an additional benefit. they are on a platform that has wheels. my husband constructed these for me and used much better wheels than you find on the other plant stands. They came in handy since after planting, we've had at least 3 storms and high winds that would have destroyed my plants had I not been able to roll them to safety. He used heavy duty salvaged wood free and purchased the wheels at Harbor Freight. the wheels were about $4 for a set of 4.  |
| Planted May 27th |
Once I got started I was on a roll. Speaking of rolls how easy is it to plant potatoes? So easy I got carried away and planted the extra into these very chic and very cheap coffee bean sacks. Purchased at Dunns Bros. Coffee in Apple Valley for the over the top price of $1.00. No really only $1 each when one of the local feed and garden stores in my area was asking $3.75 a sack. Granted they were about twice the size but not nearly as attractive. Remember I'm the one who believes container gardening for veggies can and should be attractive when possible. My sacks have colorful prints on them of where the beans came from. Some have flowers or lizards painted on them with a silhouette of the country. When the potatoes have been harvested the sacks can be used to store them.
The advantage of using these sacks is that they drain easily and you don't have to dig to harvest the potatoes.
What medium you use is a matter of preference. Fickle person that I can be I choose to combine schools of thought. Sort of hedging my bets. Most people use compost. Some people use straw. As you can see I used both in combination. I begin by putting compost then I plant the potatoes eyes up and cover with a blend of straw and compost add a sprinkle of organic fertelizer 4-4-4 and I sprinkle 1/4 cup of bone meal. You have to water thoroughly and maintain a moist but not water logged sack. So check often. After the potatoes grow apx 5 inches above the layer of straw add more straw compost (I mix equal amounts) until only an inch of plant is showing, Let it grow above again and repeat the grow and cover process until there is no more room to add compost or straw. The potatoes are ready to harvest after the plant dies back. I will repost later at harvest time. Some of the potatoes should be ready in Sept some in late October.
Below is a planter box bench my husband built for me out of salvage heat treated wood last year. I made it my own by adding branches from one of the many storms we have had this spring and a string of solar lights. I have planted moon flower vines, nasturtium, fish pepper and alyssum in each side. I will post the results. So dig it!
No comments:
Post a Comment