I have the winter blues! I decided to start my vegetable seeds over the week-end. Planning my garden takes the blues away. This year, I decided to try winter sowing. I've been saving plastic liter, juice and milk bottles. Anything that I can cut and punch holes in the bottom for drainage. I started about 20 bottles over the week-end. Tomatoes, dill, zuchinni, squash, sunflowers and petunias. Tomatoes, dill and petunias reseed, so hopefully I will have a successful germination rate. Research showed that the squash and zuchinni will also do well. l will continue winter sowing through-out February. I'll start a few tomatoes, cukes and greenbeans inside to ensure I have something to plant. I set these bottles outside my kitchen door, but will eventually move them to my picnic table. It had just started snowing, so they received a nice coating.
Stay tuned for additional posts. If you are a gardener and use the winter sowing method, please share your experience.
Just had to share these pictures of my bargain hanging baskets. I picked up these beautiful baskets for $10.00 each at a road side stand on my way home this evening. The price at the local farmer's market was $25.00 each for a basket this size and and $36.00 at my favorite garden center. I love a bargain. Looks like I may have to get a taller pole for the pink one this week-end!
Do you like my new pots? I found these at the local Dollar General for $5.00 each. I just had to have them for my deck. I love lady bugs and butterflies, so when I saw them I immediately grabbed them. So glad I did, when I returned there were none left. Does this happen to you - You go to the store for something, but if they have anything relating to gardening it finds a way into your cart.
I spent a ton of money at Lowes this week-end. I had to purchase fencing for my veggie garden. I needed new shearers for the shrubs, and they were having a sale on their annuals. I headed to Wal-Mart next and spent a ton of money there too, I needed two plant stands for these pots, lol. I love wrought iron, and of course that's what they had and I had to have them too. Price wasn't bad either. I really need to hit a few yard sales or flea markets this year. Another passion of mine. I'm hoping to find a few unique items to use as containers or things for my garden.
Anyway, I've been planting all week-end. When I'm putting together new pots, I crumble a few of the plastic containers that I'm throwing away since I don't plant from seed yet, and place them in the new pots. This cuts down on the amount of potting soil that you have to use to fill the pot and helps with drainage. I've been using this trick for years, and it works. The best part is that the money I save on potting soil, I use for a new plant.
I just cover the crumbled containers with potting soil and compost and plant whatever I have. I'm planting tiny tot glads and a sweet potato vine in these pots. This will be the first time that I used Glads and sweet potato vines in my containers, so stay tuned for their progress.
