I keep buying more large containers to avoid having to chop up the sod in my backyard.
Container gardening gone mad
It was past time to plant the sweet potato slips I received from my new favorite binge-buying company, Park Seed Co. (Thow some sponsorship $$$ this way!) I still have a few more to plant – I am exhausted with planting. I’ve got so many lessons learned: prep the soil and containers in March – don’t plant then! (Except early spinach and lettuce.) In March start all the things that need to be started indoors, under the fancy grow light and biodome set I acquired this year from who else? Say it with me, Park Seed.* Then, in early April, start the real sowing of things that can be sown in the soil.
My original plan this week: dig up a patch of my grass the dimensions of the pallet collars I purchased last week. Remove all the grass, hoe up the dirt, situate the pallet collar, then fill with bags full of the best raised bed soil. Plant those slips, position trellis (already purchased) and voila! My crop of sweet potatoes, planted and ready for their five-month gestation in the good earth. I was shocked to learn how long it takes for sweet potatoes to grow.
What actually happened:
Have any of you recovered from the Covid-19 pounds (or more?) you must have gained? I haven’t. PLUS – I’ve stopped going to the gym as much as I should. Once or twice a week is just not getting it. Though I walk each day, it’s at the pace of a dog who strolls, stops, sniffs, inspects, and generally meanders. It isn’t cardio – it’s just enjoying fresh air.
As you may imagine, about five to 10 minutes of chopping sod by just pushing the edger around the sides of the plot I wanted left me exhausted.
When the muscles give out, I do the next best thing: spend mo’ money. I headed to Home Depot and bought some HUMONGOUS pots so I could throw the soil in those, then plant the slips in them. To make sure it would work I watched another YouTube video about planting sweet potatoes in containers. I don’t know what I’d do without YouTube to help me garden. Here’s a picture of my first attempt at planting slips in a container. Not surprisingly, I made good use of those pallet collars by making a nice corral for my new pots.
Keeping the vamps away
My garlic is growing up so beautifully. I’m really liking how it looks – I hope it keeps developing well. We’ve got a few more months of watching this grow before it will be ready for harvest.
*Did you know that Park Seed is headquartered in SC?
Before I started this hyper-hobby of gardening, I did not know that. Soon, and very soon, I’m doing a field trip. Time to look up the info on where they’re located – Greenwood, SC, a nice day trip. Oh no, I’m nine years too late:
The on-site trial gardens and retail store closed in 2013 as the company shifted to a fully online-based garden retailer.
-company website
Darn. Darn, Darn, Darn. (Editing for my family audience.)
Notes from Aunt Gem 