Progress Report: Still Alive!





Strawberry: Sequoia



Herb Pot

 

Sunflowers: Solar Eclipse and Incredible 

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

 

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Sugar Daddy Snap Pea

Nasturtium: Milkmaid

Corn: Martian Jewels (1 of 5 pots)

Bean: Blue Lake Bush

Bean: Blue Lake Bush

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

Bean: Scarlet Runner Pole

 

Zucchini: Dark Star

 

African Marigolds

Out Came the Sun and Dried up all the Rain...

 

And the (not so) itsy bitsy slugs went up the water spout...

Our pots have been inundated with the rain for nearly a month. The first two weeks, there were at least several hours of dry time between the heavy showers and the plants were at least content with the refreshing drink during early growth.

The past couple of weeks those same plants have endured an almost constant barrage of rain.  Just this week, we saw leaves begin to yellow and the early signs of drowning ready to consume my hard won seedlings, which were becoming large enough to call plants.

A sad pot of snap peas that had endured not only the past month of rains, but two previous wind/rain storms will likely not make it.  I reseeded under the dying growth in the hopes they will spur to life before it gets really warm (we have partial sun/shade spots, so hoping they have a chance).

I did not fret too much as anything that may have drowned was reseeded, will be reseeded, or appeared to be just fine.  But when the yellow leaves began to show on everything, I worried--just a little.

With the rain, the pots are still staged on the patio.  We hope to finish weeding the side beds this weekend and get those pots where they belong (which, with another month of rain, has all kinds of great growth and new things to remove).  The Scarlet Runners shy of their tall teepee and clinging to one another on the overgrown temporaries that will have to be left in place under the large teepee.  They are quite happy, save for the couple of skinny feet at the top with nowhere to go.

 Black Turtle Beans

 Green Onions

 The patio pot staging zone (the DMZ). All set for sidebeds this weekend, hopefully! Good weather on the horizon!

Nasturtium (Empress of India)

 

  Nasturtium (Milkmaid and Alaska Mix (Variegated)

Connecticut Field Pumpkin

Dark Star Zucchini with slug hole.



Nasturtium (Milkmaid) under Scarlet Runners



Nasturtium (Milkmaid)

Black Turtle Beans



Green Onions



 Sugar Daddy Snap Peas



Sugar Daddy Snap Peas



Sequoia Strawberries

 

 

Jersey Blueberry 

 

 

 

The photos are from today as the sun unleashed itself through the dense cloud barrier that has been so dominant these past weeks.  A bit yellow, but looks like everything will survive (at least that how it appears right now). 

Container Colour and Nasties

Container colour seems to have an informal science behind it. Dark is good, dark is bad, light is good (have never read light is bad), and so it goes on about how container colour can impact the productivity of our container plants.

My container garden is large. I am also trying to keep it to as close to organically certifiable as possible (which has likely turned me certifiable in moments). I cannot escape the use of nursery trade pots. Budget disallows my preference for large terra cotta pots or even fiberglass wannabes. Did I mention the terra cotta is also good, but also bad?

Light pots tend to reflect light, thus leaving the container requiring less water on those particularly "warm" days.

Dark pots tend to absorb the light and heat, thus rendering the container a miniature oven for roots and requiring 1-2x, sometimes 3 waterings a day, depending on the latest and greatest information.

Terra cotta tend to leach their moisture, keep the soil cool, and crack in the winter. Personally, I've never had a terra cot pot of any size crack in winter, but I can certainly understand how that could happen. I do know they will keep the soil cool, but the claim that they lose their moisture is beyond me for I've never seen this, myself. Perhaps it is my location(s) that make that different.

My trade pots are black, a near black, and dark gray. This means my stealthy green friends may be warm and possibly be responsible for root scorching as the plants mature . We've hit some grand temperatures between the rain and storms. Even in the mid 60s, those pots are hot to the touch. For this season, I will be able to water at least twice a day and monitor them for hydration and evaporation. For the long term in container gardening, I don't think this is a great way to go, but you've got to use what you have, can get, or afford.

I had a large number of pots to purchase, so I purchased my plastic trade pots in small bulk. I much prefer the earthy feel of terra cotta, but I would have ended up with a few large and lovely terra cotta fixtures on the patio and no true container garden to speak of.

Moving on to the real question that begs to be answered, how do we mitigate the black trade pot?

Optionally, we could spray paint the pots (I was really considering glow in the dark paint, but at 70 pots, the investment did not really seem worthwhile and may have ended up a bit on the cheesy side of aesthetic appeal. 

After all, we do have to look at these all season long!

Alternatively, in staying organic, we bought a truckload of nasturtiums ("Nasties"), Milkmaid, Alaska Mix, and Empress of India. Their companion-friendliness to almost all other vegetables precluded our decision to basically shove a few seeds in every pot.

"Why would you do that?", I imagine you are asking!

Well! It is our hope that the nasturtiums will grow, flowng over the sides of the pot in a pleasing cascade, essentially covering (and ultimately shading) the darkness of the container colour. Voila! Problem solved. Or so we hope!

Of course, it will take a bit for the nasties to fill and spill, but while the seedlings are young, that soil needs to be essentially warm and comfortable. With the spring rains still in the air, moisture is the least of the problems while then nasturtiums take over.

Bonus perk: if our garden absolutely fails, we at least have the nasturtiums to enjoy, both for eating and eye candy!

We may have possibly overdone the nasturtiums. . .