If you've ever attended my workshops, you know I'm a big on mulch. But does mulch have to be so bland and barky?
I found this great blog featuring some great ideas for mulch:
apartmenttherapy.com
Why is mulch so important?
It keeps the soil from drying out too fast, reducing the need to water so often. Frequent watering leaches away nutrients from the potting soil.
Mulch helps preserves moisture (not water) in the soil. This allows the container to dry out evenly, so that the soil at the top isn't dry (where you check it), while the soil in the bottom of the pot isn't soggy wet.
It also functions as erosion control to keep soil from washing away when you water.
The great thing about using unconventional materials like marbles, pebbles, or seashells is that they don't degrade like the traditional bark mulch.
Most important to me? It has to look good. So try something different and add a little permanent flair to your containers.
One of the best things about living in Phoenix Arizona is the weather. Still 28 days before spring 'officially' begins (March 1st), it is 70* degrees, sunny, and everything is in bloom. This really all began about three weeks ago, just after winter weekend. We had a couple of weeks with lows in the 30's, a few days of glorious rain, and now we're headed full steam into what looks to be an incredible spring season.
Before diving into some big project that involve digging or hauling (I have loads), I thought I'd have a little inspirational fun.
"I'll do edible pots!"
Using some old tera cotta pots (about 18"x18") I made a soil blend of potting mix, compost, mulch, and pumice.
Here are the plants I installed in container #1:
Kale - perfect for salads and green smoothies
Spearmint -I like to snack on when I garden and use in tea
Purple kale - labeled as an ornamental, I saute' with monk pepper and sea salt
Dusty miller - it looks so great, and makes a unique garnish
Here are the plants I installed in container #2:
Dill - great on fish (with lemon) and the blooms attract butterflies
Spinach - full of calcium for green smoothies and salad
Swiss chard - saute' with garlic and spinach - yummm!
Lemon thyme - perfect aromatherapy and in tea
Dusty miller - very cool pressed flower for art cards
Except for the dusty miller and purple kale, I gathered everything else from the Downtown Farmer's Market or Baker Nursery in effort to keep things as organic as possible. These pots will only require watering a couple days per week and should produce well for about two months. I don't intend to fertilize because of the organic composted mulch in the soil mix.
Once temperatures over 90* degrees, I'll transplant everything into a shady area in the garden, hopefully to gain another month of late springtime eats.
