Did you miss the news about the Gulf Coast rainstorms? Here you go:
Regardless, all of this dreary weather has kept me inside where I've lovingly longed some great Southern gardening websites and County Extension Offices as I further prepare to set up a summer garden once we arrive.
Since we won't be building garden beds initially at our new home, we've resorted to container gardening - which is adaptable, portable, and easy to start. I've already sent a stack of pots with the guys on the moving truck, but once we arrive, I know I'll be scouting flea markets and second-hand-stores for some steals.
Another thing I love about container gardening is that it works well for those who don't have a "homestead" - it's easily accomplished on a rooftop, in a small yard, on an outside window sill, or even on a fire escape patio. If you've got motivation - you can grow!
All that to say, I've found a few inspiring photos of some container gardens that I'd like to share with you.
I love the variety of this. I doubt I'll be using any containers that are this large, but I still love the idea of mixing and matching the containers for visual appeal.
It doesn't always work for me, but I love the hodge-podge look of this. It's messy and mis-matched, but it works. Obviously, I'd be growing vegetables and not flowers.
This is not a container garden. But I just found it, how pretty!!!!! I dream, I dream.
Now this is creative! Some old furniture could work wonderful for this.
What a pretty little herb section. Again, love the rustic feel.
Love the pots on these! But I love this mostly because I'm longing to see a sweet cherry tomato on the vine.
A simple and straight-forward set-up. If only I could get some strawberry transplants from my garden bed to Alabama...
Photo Credit
Oh what'd I'd give....
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Painted wooden crates...now there's a fun idea!
Photo Credit
Oh what'd I'd give....
Photo Credit
Painted wooden crates...now there's a fun idea!
Alright. So I dream. But regardless, I'm excited to begin the garden adventure down in the deep south. I'll still have plenty of time to plant beans, zucchini, herbs, melons, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, etc. And come later in the fall, I'll have the opportunity to grow lettuce, spinach, arugula, peas, and kale. How fun!
I can hardly wait to get my hands into that wonderful soil and plant a tomato seed in the ground that will actually have enough time to grow into a plant before the frost arrives!
Are YOU a container gardener? Tell me how it works for you!
I'm doing that this year too since we just moved to our new home too. I have a great spot in the backyard that is already boundried in for a great garden (the previous owners just had a rock garden with some lawn ornament stuff! LOL) but I have to heave out a crap load of rocks to get it going and with a 3 year old and a 1 year old that just ain't happening in record time :) Hoping to have it ready by end of August for some cooler weather planting. For now I have cheap pots set up in the sun on our sunny back patio - no room for chairs but it works for now :) Good luck!
ReplyDeleteRenee :)
I've been container gardening for a few years now. It's working pretty well for us since we rent and only have a tiny patio. It also enables me to plant a little earlier than if I were planting in the ground, which is a huge bonus for the VERY short growing season in our part of the midwest. One of the biggest expenses unfortunately is having to buy soil. :-( My favorite things to plant are tomatoes and basil in the same pot. They grow beautifully together!
ReplyDeleteWe live in Phoenix so containers don't always work year round, unless they are big (like the 1/2 whiskey barrel above). I actually have Rosa Bianca Eggplants in a whiskey barrel and I just planted pumpkins in another. If you want to grow blueberries here you HAVE to put them in a container due to the high alkalinity of our soil. I hope to do this next winter. I have some herbs in pots from the spring, but they are dying a slow and agonizing death in the heat. I hope you get to plant to your hearts content when you arrive!
ReplyDeleteShaye I'm so excited for you! soon you'll have your fingers in the soil & will make a new start in your new home, with a new baby on the way. These container pots have inspired me to plant more vegie's. I live in an apartment, so don't have a lot of room to plant & don't have a lot of space to plant in the ground. I did sneak a tomato plant in the ground though..when noone was looking! I Just wanted to tell you, if youre using furniture for your vegie's..to be careful what you get because you don't want anything that is made with treated wood that would be full of chemical's. Since you'll be planting vegie's, you would probably have to use untreated wood. Keep us posted on your move!
ReplyDeleteI am gardening in containers this year because of the gophers. Drat! My backyard borders on foothills and wilderness, and lots of critters like to visit -- but the gophers are the worst. I finally gave up trying to chase them out of the yard and went to large pots. I have about 10 herbs, tomatoes and red peppers. This year I'll shop garage sales to increase my number of pots -- and next year I'll be ready for a larger crop. Thanks for all the great ideas for arranging pots. Have fun settling into your new home.
ReplyDelete