This was a birthday gift last year and I was excited to finally get it installed. The big hold up was deciding where it should go. Logically I wanted it as close to my garden as possible, so first I had to select a garden location. After much thought and exploring I chose the side of the house. Our backyard is tree lined which means high acid soil as well as poor sunlight. The side of the house has no obstructions and therefor the best location for a garden. The rainbarrel was easy to install. All I had to do was cut away the downspout and move the barrel in place. The barrel has a screen on top which keeps debris out as well as Mosquitos. The night after I finished putting it in place it rained and now my barrel is full.
Step 2 is prepping the garden boxes. We put two in on either side of the door (affectionately known as the kid door because we don't let the kids use the backdoor only this one, which leads to the mudroom). Both boxes are lined with weed block and soon I will order the soil and be ready to go.
The smaller garden box will be home to strawberries and cucumbers. The bigger box will have tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and maybe some beans.
I really love to plant tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers (I did with my Dad when I was a kid and they grew great), but I'm terrible at gardening. I planted a few flowers in a pot over the weekend and already they are falling over and dying. I have no idea what I did wrong? Anyway, I'd love to see your progress and what you end up cooking!
ReplyDelete1. I did this post via my iphone and email and it looks like some of it got cut off. I'll have to go back and add more.
ReplyDelete2. There are so many things to consider when doing potted plants. The biggest is watering.
--first, what type of pot are the plants in? Uncoated terra cotta pots do not retain water at all whereas coated terracotta and plastic retain water. Also check to see if there are drain holes in your pot. All pots with drain holes should have a saucer underneath (fill it at each watering).
A pot that doesn't retain water will require daily watering (but never durring the hot times of day on in the morning or evening).
A pot that does retain water should only be watered every other day or every third day.
Stick your finger in the soil and that should tell you if it needs to be watered. You never want the soil to be muddy.
--Also be mindful of your sun exposure. If your plants want full sun that make sure they are getting it. If they are partial sun plants and they are in full sun then they may be baking and unable to thrive.
Do you use the rain barrel to water your garden? If so, how clever! My Mom used to use garden chores as punishment (weeding/watering etc. so now I hate it and can't bring myself to plant anything. I did enjoy the fresh tomatoes though, so maybe once we own a home I'll give it a go.....maybe.
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