Green Thumbs

Spring is in full swing at the Parks'.  With graduate school behind me (more on that later) I have decided to try a new hobby... gardening.  If you know me, you are laughing out loud right about now but it is true.  I am going to try my hand at starting a (very small) garden.

A couple weeks ago I started with herbs and I am proud to say they are not dead yet.  I have a small pot with rosemary, mint, parsley, oregano, and thyme.

This week we decided to plant a few container gardeners.  Using three galvanized buckets we planted tomatoes, peppers (green and yellow), and cilantro.  Not much I know but remember... we are starting small!  Thankfully the rabbits haven't found the plants yet!  If they do not eat the plants I also plan on planting lettuce.

To help us I began by logging onto Pinterest researching the best ways to plant in containers.  I found a great "how to" but for whatever reason I cannot seem to find it now.  I will give it the credit it is due as soon as I can find it.  For now, here is my version.

First, drill holes into the bottom of your container about 4 inches apart.

Next, line the bottom of the container with coffee filters making sure to cover each hole you made.

Cover the filters with a layer of gravel.  These steps insure proper filtration.

Place a layer of sand or plain old dirt on top of the gravel.  We used sand from an old sand box.

Fill pot 3/4 of the way full of potting soil.  We need all the help we can get so we used Miracle Grow. 

Position your plants and fill in potting soil around them.  When using toddlers as helpers, use the words "gentle" and "easy" repeatedly.  If a four legged friend is your helper, don't let them eat the dirt.

Lastly, water the plants and say a little prayer that they actually grow so that you did not just waste $40.