CONTAINER GARDENING

I miss gardening.    In a number of places we lived I grew large productive gardens.   Here in western Maine our home now is surrounded by trees and there is no place in the yard with enough sun to consider planting a garden. 

I have successfully planted flowers in containers before, so this year I decided I would try vegetables in a container.   I took a large empty cat litter container, drilled holes in the bottom and filled it with potting soil from Walmart.  I planted two cherry tomato plants and one cucumber plant – again from Walmart.    I water then daily and every four weeks water with Miracle Grow. 

Now I have two eight-foot tomato plants, and a cucumber plant that is fixing to climb my porch.   Today we harvested our first cucumber and we seem to be about a week away from harvesting tomatoes.  

Next year I plan to expand the garden – more containers.   Planting in containers requires more attention than an actual garden – regular daily watering and feeding

I have a pumpkin plant by the stone wall in front of the house that seems to be thriving, but the deer keep eating the buds off.  I have some mint growing by the wall and this evening I am going to harvest some of the mint plants and put them around the pumpkin buds – don’t know if this will keep the dear away, but it seems the deer are avoiding the mint.  

Locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers are expensive at the farmers market.  If I get the harvest I expect I will more than pay for the plants and materials invested – and we are eating our own.  

the Ol’Buzzard