Planting Strawberries in a Hanging Planter

We finally planted strawberries. I know it's a little late to do so, but we really wanted to use strawberries in a hanging planter this year, knowing that we (read: I) are not good at keeping flowers in hanging planters alive. Somehow edibles are more my forte.

My original plan was to get alpine strawberries, which are a small and tasty variety that is good for container plants. They didn't have those, so we went for a bushy variety of strawberry, the Tristan, which should suit the hanging planter well. It will also provide some pretty flowers.

First I put rocks in the bottom of the planter I bought the other day at Lowe's. I do this with all my containers to allow for better drainage.

Four Herbs in One Planter

This weekend I planted my deck herbs – I put four plants in one rail planter. I followed a similar setup to when I planted my mesclun mix a couple of weeks ago. I love the idea of being able to fill my deck with edible color.

Last year I had a hard time with herbs. My basil did well, but everything else kind of petered out by the end of the summer. Looking forward to a much more robust season this year. I chose: two basil plants, oregano and parsley. In all the reading I did online, it's best to keep herbs that are grown in similar conditions together when you plant them all in the same container. I also love the idea of having a themed container - all herbs you can use in the same or related dishes!

I especially love later in the summer when I have fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. I stack them for an easy appetizer while we're grilling. Yum!

Here's how I planted my four plants in the deck rail planter this year: 

Deck planter, with rocks at the bottom to help with drainage.

Finding My Orphan Kale a Home

After planting kale a few weeks ago, and then adding to my kale (when I thought my original kale wasn't going to make it) a week or so later, I had two remaining that I didn't have room for.

The poor kale plants were outgrowing their seedling beds:

Weekend Project: Mesclun in My Deck Rail Planter

I finally got one of my deck rail planters set up this weekend. I planted mesclun mix, another great container plant. My man doesn't like flowers on the deck - we don't want to attract the bees while we're having a beer. I have to say that that's fine with me. For some reason, I can't keep flowers alive.

So this year we're planting lettuce and herbs on the deck.