If you have ever wanted to make your garden grow without you then it sounds like we have something in common:
- We have a smallish yard and it’s mostly shaded
- I did my best last year to place the shade friendly veggies in the shade
- I also did my best to water when there was no call for rain
- I should have known better
I did not have a great harvest last year, let alone much at all to speak of. No, I didn’t water my veggies when it called for rain and most of those times, it did not rain. The veggies I placed in containers on our deck (which gets about 5 hours of sun a day on average) did okay but yet again, I didn’t water them as much as was needed. I also didn’t use fertilizer. I thought the compost in the non-soil mix I made from this wonderful book was enough but when I talked to this amazing woman at a local library whose book I bought last year and inspired my winter planning, I found that I sure needed that fertilizer. Compost is good to start but not to last.
This year I have moved things around and hopefully placed those veggies that need medium depth soil and less sun in the right place. Side note here: I had to build boxes with a bottom so the spawn-of-satan-weeds did not get in through the bottom. Check out the ‘control’ section of that link and you will understand. Those veggies that require deeper soil are either growing in the cold frame (thank you Nikki for this inspiration!) or are going to be planted in containers on the deck.
That being said, I found a great video on diy self-watering containers – to help with my watering deficiencies – and I did purchase some seaweed fertilizer as well. This is a great video and I was inspired! I finished the third container today. Now to add the ‘non-soil’ and plant those seeds! Wahoo! Here are some pics to show you how it all worked out for me. I used 1.5L bottles of water for the bottom inserts. Now I just have to remember to add water on a regular basis! Baby steps!
How is your garden planning going?
Awesome! What is the white stuff in the last photo? And what are you planning on planting in these containers?
Charmaine, that is a frost cover that I laid over the top to keep out the cats that think our yard is a poop haven. Also, it helps to warm up the soil for planting. 🙂
So neat Tam!
That is great you had the chance to talk with Nikki! Her book is so great!
The seedlings are going nuts here but I have been told not to put anything out until after Mother’s Day (mid May) so we have a few more weeks. Our nights just get so cold still!
Happy to see more experiments in your garden! Great fun!
Dawn! It feels so good to get some gardening under way. I only wish I had grow lights too but alas, there is no room in our home. Perhaps next year we can try in our basement but for now, it’s going to be seeds outside. Just have to wait until at least after May 9 to put to seed some of the more cold tolerant ones. Can’t wait! Love watching the growth you have going on inside. Those plants are solo happy