Check out the same potato plants in my last post. Wow! These guys have really grown and I think that if I had the equipment to do some time-lapse photography it would be really interesting to watch.
This week I filled the pots to the brim with soil and added a bit of straw mulch to keep the surface cool and moist. A few plants are beginning to flower. Of course the test will come with the harvesting. Did the overabundant rain hurt them? Was my soil mix right? Did the few "hot" days overheat the pots, cooking the potatoes? If I get the potatoes I'm hoping for how many pounds will I harvest for the 2 pounds that I planted?? Only time will tell!!
Here we have my spinach crop which I've been harvesting on and off for about a month now. The plants in the rear planter are carrots and as I thin the planter I use the thinnings in salads until the carrots come in their regular size. These are "self-watering" planters or the more appropriate term would be "sub-irrigating" containers. This experiment is working out really well and I'm sold on doing more with these next year. I am using so much less water which is important for this area, which is usually on the droughty side of things. This spring we have been fortunate in that we've had lots of rain and the ground water levels are doing better. But I'm not counting on that lasting a long time. Since I moved here to central Virginia in the mid 80s, we've had many more dry years than wet years. In using these containers I am not watering the area around the garden, there is no run-off and there are no weeds. My overused back is doing so much better. I can plant the containers at my planting bench and then wheel them to the spot where they will live during the growing season. If light conditions aren't quite right I can move them to a better location. So far everything that I have harvested has tasted as good as it does when grown in the ground.
These are also "sub-irrigating" containers. The smaller one is home to a pear tomato plant that is beginning to bear fruit. The longer container next to it is home to some beets. The reservoir beneath the soil is filled every-so-often and the water is wicked into the soil above it as the plant needs it.
These planters are very popular for urban dwellers, but just as wonderful for us country folk. I have almost 3 acres of land but I don't necessarily want to put it all in gardens. I have a lovely meadow between my house and the river in which wonderful wild herbs grow that I frequently harvest. It is also home to an astounding community of wild animals who so far are leaving my veggies, which I've tucked in close to the house, alone. I'm also using some awful smelly soap bars cut into small pieces tucked in here and there. The soap even seems to keep my cats out of garden which I'm especially happy for.
Yes, I am doing herby things as well and will return to writing more about that after the planting season is done. I visited my grower friend, Krista, a week ago and came home with more tomatoes, eggplant and loads of herbs including skullcap, holy basil, comfrey and more. I just harvested ground ivy from the meadow and fever few for tinctures. The fever few saved me from a nasty headache last week. I simply ate one leaf and the pain was gone in 10 minutes!!
P.S. For great info on "sub-irrigation" containers, including links for directions to make your own, go to Inside Urban Green.
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