Sun and Fun

Sunny spring weather finally seems to be here for good, which means it's time to get dirty.

Planters Found

My internal struggle to decide what containers to plant my food in seems to be over (for now). I found plain terra cotta planters at (where else?) Wal-Mart for cheap, so I've stocked up. If all my seedlings sprout, these probably won't be enough, but it's a good start for now.

New Kid on the Block

I may have gotten too brave. I found a blueberry plant on sale in the Wal-Mart Garden Center. It didn't seem any more difficult than my strawberry pot, so I bought it, and now it's joined the collection. It adds a nice layer to my own produce section since I really don't grow a lot of fruit. Hopefully it doesn't die.

Not Just for Eating

Not everything I'm growing has a practical purpose. I'm growing two pots of tulips (one yellow, one white), and two pots of yellow/orange daffodils. So far, these are by far my most successful specimens. Just this morning, a yellow bloom said 'hello' to the sun for the first time.

Patio Party

It's not quite warm enough out to leave my babies outside 24/7, but today was nice enough to give it a whirl. Everybody spent a good hour and a half or so sunbathing on the patio. It'll be nice when that can be their home. Right now there's a lot of pots strewn about my living room, as close to the windows as possible. It's tough to get outside to enjoy the fresh air or grill.

On the Hunt

My seeds on the verge of sprouting, and as excited as I am to get this garden growing, it'd be okay if they waited an extra day or two to say hello. My current challenge is finding things to grow my plants in.

Material Girl

My book recommends not using plastic because the chemicals could leach into the soil and inevitably my veggies and, you know, cause cancer and stuff. The book is probably right, but non-plastic planters are a little spendy.

My next thought was coffee cans. They're easy enough to scrounge (as long as you know coffee drinkers), are sturdy enough to hold plants when they become voluminous and heavy with fruit. But, alas, my affordable alternative does have its flaws. The metal cans can get too hot if placed in full sun (which is where most garden vegetables are supposed to be planted) and can scorch the essential roots.

Glass jars don't seem like a bad plan. They've got that cool see through thing going, so you could keep an eye on the root systems. They're everywhere--mayonnaise jars, pickle jars, mason jars, etc. But, I worry they'll just be too small to support my peppers and other plants.

It seems all that's left is the old stand by: terra cotta. Sadly, though, I have very few of these, and they're currently occupied by tulips and herbs. The best prices I've found so far are at Home Depot, but for the size I need, it's still about $8 per pot ... and I need quite a few pots.

Prowling for Deals

I've been trying to keep my eyes peeled for containers to use that I hadn't thought to use before. 5-gallon buckets have come to mind ... but I don't know where to find those. The man friend has suggested looking at garage sales, but my work schedule doesn't permit that kind of fun. So, I've put him to work scouring Craigslist and other websites to find a retired gardener's supplies.

Sadly, though, I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I may have to shell out more money than I planned to for this endeavor. If anyone has any ideas I haven't considered yet, I'd love to hear them. The peppers should be popping soon, after all.