Veggie Garden Update

Summer is moving along at quite a fast pace now. The 95+ degree temps we've had this week are a prelude to months ahead. Its warmer than it should be already, but it seems the garden is hanging in there with some hand watering and frequent visits by me. I am concerned now that this will be another difficult grasshopper year ahead. I've seen them start to pour out of my herb garden, especially the mint. (or maybe they just like nice breath, *wink*) I'm sure the purple martins will have plenty to eat around here this year. I'll have to keep monitoring the situation as the growing grasshoppers see what all they can eat in my garden.

Herb garden of left. Veggie garden on right.

Butternut squash blossoms

If everything goes ok with the butternut squash, I better start looking for recipes for them. There are tons!

Gardening in a tub works great. Here is a grape tomato plant with contender green bean plants.

Companion planting green beans with tomatoes helps pump nitrogen into the soil that the tomato plant needs.

Later in the week I will talk further about growing tomatoes. It seems to be a plant we've all had questions about from time to time.

Using Baskets As Planters

If you would like to add a tasteful looking planter to your patio this year, let me suggest using one of those baskets that you have way too many of hanging around. That's what I did. Its super easy and it didn't cost a thing really. All you need to do is: use a sturdy basket  line it with 3-4 layers of newspaper, trimming the edges so they won't stick out around the rim Fill with potting soil - I like to use the "moisture control" kind so it doesn't dry out so fast Fill with the plants of your choice Garage sales and thrift stores always have a plethora of baskets for the picking. Its not necessary to paint the basket or anything. This one came painted and didn't fit in my decor anymore. This same concept could be applied to other containers that soil may leak through. Using black and white newspaper or even coffee filters for smaller containers is all you need. Its a great way to recycle and save tons of money on expensive planters.

How to Make a Self-Watering Container

I am always on the lookout for practical and frugal gardening ideas. I stumbled upon a few ideas that have gotten my garden creative juices flowing and I hope they will you too. I have three that I think are wonderful ideas to try. Here goes...

The video and directions for this self-watering container are well written and recorded. This made my imagination run wild over the possibilities of how I could apply it in other containers I already have here.

One thing I can tell you about gardening in Texas. One season you are fighting flood-like conditions and the next, drought. Summers here are hot and dry making it necessary to water your plants in containers once or twice per day. Now you can see why I jumped all over this idea when I found it!

I do have one reservation though and I need to do some research on it. The vinyl tile with what seems to be a glued surface on the back. I am concerned about chemicals leaching into the water, especially when our temps hit 100+ here. It may be perfectly safe, but I always err on the side of caution. I'm sure I can easily find a substitute for this when I think about it in depth. I just need to put on my thinking cap. Any ideas?

How to Make a Self Watering Container

Here is another do-it-yourself self-watering container. This one is based off of the design of an Earthbox(TM). I LOVE using totes for so many things, that this just seemed to be a natural pick for me also. The link I am including will direct you to a .pdf file website. (thus the download of it when you click on it) The pictures and instructions are well written, so you should be able to follow them easily.

I do have a concern about this one also if you live in a hot climate. Although most of us have PVC for water pipes, there has been concern that PVC may have the potential to leak harmful chemicals into the water. So, do the research yourself and do what you are comfortable with when building this. Of course PLASTIC itself has raised a lot of concern in recent years about how it affects our health. So, that said, I still think that all of these plans are worth trying even if you modify them to your standards of safety.

Here's the link to make your own: Self-Watering Tote

I really like the professional look of the next self-watering container. It is huge also! I believe the container is a 30+ gallon tote. This is a great size to grow tall vining plants such as tomatoes. The size of the base will help in keeping the plant from toppling over in windy conditions. The video and instructions are very well made also.

Welcome to Tomato Festival's EarthTainer(TM)

Hopefully this will give both of us some garden projects to do while the weather is cold and yucky. I am looking forward to getting started!