Container Gardening – Progress or Back Steps?
This week was more of a maintenance week than a growth week for our container garden. Still, there were lessons learned and possible progress made.
THE GOOD
No visible splitting on the avocados yet, but I did make some changes. Another batch of guacamole meant another seed and potential tree. I decided I would add it to the pot with the other one. So, I again attempted peeling off the brown outer skin. And this time … it worked with no uncomfortable splinters up my nails! I was able to use the tip of a steak knife for most of the peeling.
The only difference was that I peeled this one right away after washing, while it was still wet. Last time I had washed it and then set it aside for a few hours before I got around to trying to peel it. The takeaway is to peel it right after washing and DO NOT LET IT DRY.
THE BAD
When I was getting ready to add the new avocado seed to the pot I concluded that, despite my previous musing, not all dirt is created equal. The potting soil I had used was from a bag I had picked up quite a while ago and hadn’t used with plants before. In fact, the only thing I had used it for was to create a dirt bath for my kids’ toy dinosaurs.
Not sure how I missed it, but the soil is clumpy and there are little twigs in it (the rocks were courtesy of the kids). Not exactly ideal for a seed trying to sprout. Thankfully, I still have some of the other potting soil that I bought for the lettuce. I dumped the clumpy soil back into the bag to be used for future swamps and refilled the pot with the new soil; much lighter and fluffier soil.
THE UGLY
So far, the hardest part of growing lettuce has been my nearly 3-year-old. She likes digging in dirt and sand, and the lettuce container has proven too tempting. Thankfully(?), her brother has been quick to rat her out, so I’ve been able to prevent major damage, but some uprooting has occurred. I promptly replanted them and am hoping that there is no long-term damage. There are already some questionable spots on the leaves, but I’m hopeful. The pic below is from a few days ago and when I checked on them this morning they seemed to be standing a bit straighter.
THE NEUTRAL
It’s been raining most of the week here, so my outdoors plants are staying nice and damp despite my unintentional neglect. Thank you April showers.
I’ve been doing a little research into different plants that grow well in shade/partial shade and am trying to decide if I want to do more vegetables or just add some greenery. I still like the idea of putting some hanging plants on the back fence to add some visual interest. If I don’t hang them too low, I should be able to keep Peanut from getting into them. Decisions, decisions.
