Storing Soil for Use with Wood Planters

With planting season upon us, many people are planning arrangements for wood planters. You may wish to store extra soil either before or after you plant. Some people may choose to store excess soil in the original packaging. However, after I’m done planting, I typically do not have a large amount of potting soil left over. Sometimes a smaller container is more convenient.

Should you have a little soil left after filling some of your wood planters, you can store it in a container such as a plastic tub. But if you choose to follow this route, it’s wise to punch one or more holes in the container to allow air circulation. Have you noticed that the large plastic bags often have a few small holes in them? That’s what the holes are for—to allow a flow of oxygen through the soil.

Also, if you store soil in a warm place, but the soil has not been sterilized, you might come back to find weeds have sprouted. You can sterilize a small amount by baking it in the oven and then continuing your gardening with any remaining wood planters. For a larger amount of soil, you can sterilize it by baking it in the sun on a tarp. Leave it for a month, flip it over, and leave it for another month. This sterilization process kills both harmful bacteria and weeds. Once the process is complete, continue filling your wood planters.

Soil Mixtures for Cedar Potting Tables

Cedar potting tables provide work space and storage for your gardening pursuits. Many cedar potting tables even include an inset basin or tub for mixing potting soil. If you’re new to gardening, however, you might not realize that different plants prefer different types of soil. Believe me, I’ve managed to kill my share of potted plants by failing to provide the things they need to thrive.

A little research on each plant you would like to grow should reveal what it needs in terms of water, sunlight, and soil.

I have learned about several types of materials that appear in potting soils. Knowing about these materials makes the search for the correct soil mixture a little less mystifying.

• Humus consists of decayed things. It retains moisture and provides nutrients to the plant.


• The manure included in potting mixes has been refined. It also provides nutrients to the plant.


• Peat grows in swampy areas. When added to soil, it retains moisture to keeps the roots moist between waterings.


• Sand does not retain water very well. It makes an excellent soil addition for plants that don’t thrive in wet conditions.

As you prepare to mix the right amount of additives into your potting soil, it’s also helpful to know that these materials won’t hurt cedar potting tables. You can work directly on the surfaces of cedar potting tables without laying down plastic or other materials.

How to Complete a Window Box Mosaic

If you want a window box that’s different than the neighbor’s, try customizing yours with your own design. One way to do this is to use mosaic tiles to create a design on the sides of your wooden window box. I have seen some really stunning mosaics, even on window boxes.

To create your design, line up mosaic tiles along the width and length of each side of the window box that will bear a design. This is an easy way to see how many tiles your design should incorporate. Once you have calculated this number, you can use graph paper to sketch a design for your window box.

Place glue in vertical lines along the length of the side. Use the pattern you graphed to place the mosaic tiles on the side of the window box. When you have finished laying the tiles, apply grout over the surface with a sponge. Then wipe off the surface of the tiles with a cloth to remove excess grout.

Sometimes when I get to this point in a project, where I am almost finished, I lose patience. I want to hurry up and see the finished product. But I have learned that patience pays off to finish correctly. So allow the mosaic design to set fully before you attempt to plant any flowers or foliage in your window box.

Another thing I enjoy is to incorporate variations of a pattern. Sometimes I use the same pattern but reverse the colors. Or I change a couple elements but use a central motif. This brings several pieces together around a common theme.

Rectangular Box Planters and Apartment Gardening

Apartment gardening can be frustrating at first, but rectangular box planters give you a good way to jump in. I’ve recently downsized from a house with a yard and flower beds to an apartment with no outdoor space whatsoever except a concrete patio. I understand the frustration of downsizing.

But apartment gardening actually offers a number of options. A set of rectangular box planters works much like flower beds. Any plants without deep roots should grow successfully in rectangular box planters, as long as the sunlight and water levels, as well as the climate, suit the plants you’ve chosen.

In addition to rectangular box planters, you have a few other options. I have watched how easy-care plants, such as miniature cacti and bamboo, grow well indoors without much fuss. Hanging baskets can also add color to your outdoor area without requiring a soil plot. If you’ve got a fence around your patio, window boxes look nice hung on the side of the fence.

You can group rectangular box planters with several other containers for a miniature garden on your patio. Combine them with hanging baskets, pots, and aquatic plants for a diverse look.

Questions to Consider When You Buy a Planter

With so many choices available in planter styles, how do you know what’s right for you? It’s not an easy decision, but there are some factors you can consider to narrow down the options a little.

Where will you position the planter? When you evaluate the shade, sun, and exposure to water that various locations provide, you can select the best location for the plants you want to display. The size of this location might present certain restrictions for the size of your planter.

Will you need to move the planter? If it’s important that you be able to move the planter easily, this will also present size restrictions. A large planter filled with soil won’t be easy to move.

What materials do you need? You can find a planter in all sorts of materials, including metal, wood, plastic, clay, and terracotta. Each of these materials offers different advantages and weaknesses.

What looks good to you? Do you like something plain or ornate in your garden? Do you need unfinished wood so you can finish the planter to a specific shade? Do you want something that adds bright color without you having to paint? Consider what you like, and how much time you want to devote to the planter.

If you know what you need before you start looking, the process will be less overwhelming and more productive.

Customizing Wood Planters

Wood planters are a great addition to your outdoor scene. They’re pretty, they serve a practical function, and they offer many customizing possibilities. Based on which wood planters you choose, how you customize them, and where you position them, you can use them to either complement existing decoration or work as focal points in your theme.

One of the obvious ways you can customize wood planters is to stain them. Stain allows the natural grain to show but adds interesting colors to the mix. Stain allows you to customize the color but still leaves the wood in a natural-looking state.

You can also add decorations to your wood planters by stenciling patterns on the sides or fastening glass mosaic tiles to the outside.

The way you position wood planters also is a factor in customizing them. Use them as window boxes or as stand-alone planters. Look around your yard. Beside your front doors, along the edge of a porch, grouped around furniture—wood planters can work virtually anywhere. Your design is never limited to the image that accompanies the product packaging.

Vegetable Suggestions for Planter Boxes

Planter boxes allow you to grow your own organic vegetables at lower cost and without much space. What are some vegetables that grow well in planter boxes?

1. Root Vegetables


• Carrots


• Beets


• Turnips


• Potatoes


• Sweet potatoes


• Parsnips


• Radishes



2. Leafy Vegetables
   
• Kale
• 
  Swiss chard
  
• Lettuce



3. Fleshy Vegetables


• Eggplant


• Squash
  
• Cucumbers


• Tomatoes


• Sweet peppers


• Hot peppers

Your primary concerns when you grow vegetables in planter boxes will probably be nutrients and moisture. You can buy specially formulated potting soil to deliver more nutrients to the vegetables. If you maintain your own compost pile, you can also enrich the soil in the planter boxes with the compost. Mix one part compost to two parts soil.

Soil in planter boxes tends to dry out more quickly than ground soil. Check your vegetables every day to evaluate moisture levels. To encourage more water to saturate the soil, try watering your vegetables in the mornings. The water usually evaporates more slowly at this time of day because of lower temperatures and calmer wind.

Fire Pits for the Non-Gardener

If you’re a non-gardener, either by choice or by a woeful lack of skill, consider fire pits as an alternative to troublesome plants. People of every kind enjoy outdoor spaces. Unfortunately, we don’t all possess the same level of time or knowledge when it comes to gardening. Plants and flowers add visual interest to a yard by breaking up the expanse of lawn.

Fire pits, unlike plants and flowers, require little regular care. The initial setup may require some work, but after that, the main work concerning wood-burning fire pits is to sweep up ashes. You also need to keep clutter away from fire pits and trim plant nearby plants. No watering, feeding, fertilizing, composting . . .

Fire pits offer light and warmth to your gatherings. Why would your friends not want to join you when you create such an inviting and cozy atmosphere? Placing furniture around fire pits also encourages a cozy atmosphere. How about a couple chairs and a love seat, with a side table between them? Your outdoor scene certainly doesn’t have to revolve around plants.