This is my first ever attempt at both solo gardening and container gardening. Last year, as part of an internship, I worked in a kitchen garden at Old Sturbridge Village and learned a TON about gardening! Seriously, if you are interested in agriculture & American history and are a college student look into applying for their intern program. It was a fantastic and education experience! but I digress... This year I will be on my own with my books and whatever advise you (my lovely readers) choose to grace me with.
After a fabulous afternoon at the park, the Mr. & I scooted over to Walmart for some supplies and I spent the last few hours of daylight planting a few things on my porch (hopefully not too early but I have plenty of seed left if all else fails).
These 7-gallon buckets were about $5 each, not bad compared to all the pricey planters. I punched some holes in the bottom of each for drainage and filled 'em up with potting soil.
Blueberry Bush:
We got this little darling from Lowe's. I'm a little nervous now though because after planting it I read that blueberries need acid soil (oops) I just used regular old potting mix which I'm sure is alkaline like most other plants prefer. Just goes to show I need to do my research before I get ahead of myself next time. Now I'm working on ways to lower the pH. My current plan is to add leftover coffee to the water and used coffee grounds & pine needles to the soil. I may end up giving in and getting commercial acidic fertilizer.
Root Veggies:
I used my other three buckets for carrots, turnips, onions and garlic. I made sure I really worked the soil for the carrots, rubbing it between my hands to break up the clumps, so that my carrots will grow nice and straight. I also have some starter potatoes I need to set in the window to prep for planting in a week or so. One of my books recommends using a garbage barrel to plant potatoes in. Has anyone tried this? How did it work out?
I started out my peppers and tomatoes in a DIY planter. I saved eggshells in the crate as I used them then saved the whole thing for my planter. When I was ready to plant I tossed some of the spares and crushed the rest of the shells, sprinkling them into each well of the crate. Add dirt & one seed per well and done! The calcium in egg shells is supposed to be really good for peppers (and probably tomatoes too since they are related?). I bought rainbow mixes for both so I can't wait to see all the colors!
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