Day 1 Outside

I checked on the newly transplanted peas and cucumbers after a very rainy Friday.  Turns out Friday night was windy as well.  The items I left out on the balcony had relocated to the far corner and one of the soda bottles had fallen over.  I cleaned up and reset the soda bottles and pushed each into the soil gently. 

I added some water by spraying down the sides of each bottle from the opening.  I am going to need to add watering can to my shopping list.  So far I've only seen huge outdoor cans with giant openings.  I need a smaller watering can with a fine long spout, but this $62 unit  is too steep.  Leave it to Target to put design over function in their cheaper version - the handle is in the way!  I probably would do better in the florist section of a grocery store.

Speaking of watering, last night I was reading a book from the library called "Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers".  The book was written by a Vermont hobbyist who struggled with earth gardens due to the fertility of soil.  He had spent a summer doing regular container gardening and was disappointed with the results.  The next summer he tried several self-watering containers and was hooked.

First results from online searches for self-watering containers bring you to very expensive specialist gardening companies.  While I appreciate their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit, I find $50 for a small windowbox sized container a bit expensive. The leader seems to be Earthbox with a combination self-watering container and fertilizer unit.  Prices start at $59 and go higher. 

After a little more research, I ended up right back with the Virginia Master Gardeners association.  I can't tell if these guys are just really well published on the web or if they are one of the most active MG associations.  This time it was the Southern VA group with an online tutorial on how to build your own self-watering container.  The $7 estimate is a little fictitious - if you don't already have weed cloth sitting around you'll have to buy a roll, which will be more than the $1 estimate.  But overall, the expense ends up being close to what I am paying for a single windowbox sized container that isn't self-watering.  I am going to need one or two more containers when the tomato and peppers are ready.  These look like a good solution.