Poke a couple dozen drainage holes in the plastic for drainage with a screwdriver or stick, or that will become a stagnant box of swamp muck when it rains for a week. Some packing peanuts are made of potato starch and will biodegrade, thus not serving this purpose. I detest any plastic in the garden, except for pots or a clear sheet serving as a cold frame or greenhouse. They had better mention compost here at some point. Good soil is better than gold.
Rocks in the bottom of a pot actually impede drainage, and I don’t think plastic foam would be any better. I use a thin layer of peat to keep the dirt from washing out through the holes, and it wicks water toward the holes.
The picture sort of vaguely suggests that the pot is sitting outdoors on a deck, but I don’t think that a beginning gardener would realize that without being told.
The pot should be up on stilts of some sort to keep the drainage from rotting the deck. Perhaps this is taken care of by the slotted nature of the milk crate (I haven’t looked closely at one recently), but it should be mentioned so that people can use what’s available where they are. I’d be happier if there were a rock at each corner of the crate. Better yet would be wheels, so that you can shift it when everything except what’s under the crate has dried out after a rain.
Sure, you can grow most garden plants in a milk crate, but only as a stunt. One crate-size tomato plant might keep you in garnishes during the season, but if you want to grow enough to supply your needs, plant thyme, chives, and winter savory. There’s room for one more plant, but I’m blanking on herbs that won’t fill up the crate all by themselves. And the thyme and winter savory have to be kept cut back.
grainpaw almost 8 years ago
Poke a couple dozen drainage holes in the plastic for drainage with a screwdriver or stick, or that will become a stagnant box of swamp muck when it rains for a week. Some packing peanuts are made of potato starch and will biodegrade, thus not serving this purpose. I detest any plastic in the garden, except for pots or a clear sheet serving as a cold frame or greenhouse. They had better mention compost here at some point. Good soil is better than gold.
aunt granny almost 8 years ago
Rocks in the bottom of a pot actually impede drainage, and I don’t think plastic foam would be any better. I use a thin layer of peat to keep the dirt from washing out through the holes, and it wicks water toward the holes.
The picture sort of vaguely suggests that the pot is sitting outdoors on a deck, but I don’t think that a beginning gardener would realize that without being told.
The pot should be up on stilts of some sort to keep the drainage from rotting the deck. Perhaps this is taken care of by the slotted nature of the milk crate (I haven’t looked closely at one recently), but it should be mentioned so that people can use what’s available where they are. I’d be happier if there were a rock at each corner of the crate. Better yet would be wheels, so that you can shift it when everything except what’s under the crate has dried out after a rain.
Sure, you can grow most garden plants in a milk crate, but only as a stunt. One crate-size tomato plant might keep you in garnishes during the season, but if you want to grow enough to supply your needs, plant thyme, chives, and winter savory. There’s room for one more plant, but I’m blanking on herbs that won’t fill up the crate all by themselves. And the thyme and winter savory have to be kept cut back.
Jayneknox almost 8 years ago
Basil?My chives take over everything.