Friday, March 22, 2013

Playin' with dirt

We've been doing a lot of playing in the dirt lately!  The front porch/yard is almost finished (seriously can't wait to share - give me one more weekend) and it sure looks like spring around here!  I love, love, love this time of year.  Carson and I go to our little neighborhood nursery so often that they know us both by name.  It's just a short walk from our house, Carson loves the place and they have so many new unique and heirloom plant varieties arriving every day.  They work with a great California grower called Annie's Annuals.  They specialize in rare and unusual annuals and perrenials and the nursery will order any of them for me!  I really have to remind myself that we have a small yard and we don't have room for everything...

During one of my visits to the nursery this week I picked up an interesting tip from one of my favorite plant experts.

Yes, that is a diaper.

She recommended I put a diaper in the bottom of my potted plants.  It's especially helpful in small/hanging pots.  It retains moisture and keeps my hanging pots from dripping.  Genius!  I'm not sure if I'll really see a difference, but I'll keep you posted.  My little hangers did get really dry every day so maybe the diaper trick will work a little magic.  If anything, the hanging pots aren't dripping like they used to, and that's certainly worth a diaper or two.

a little lavendar bacopa and dark blue lobelia (soon they'll be trailing down the sides)

Speaking of diapers...
I feel pretty lucky that Carson seems to like gardening as much as do.  Give my guy a shovel, some dirt and a bucket of water and he's a happy camper.  I had quite the proud mom moment this week when he walked into the backyard, picked up his mini rake, started raking the lawn and said "MAMA".  Yep, buddy, you're a gardener just like mama, and nothing could make me happier.

If you're interested in gardening, here are a couple of books that I've been really loving.
Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew
(I'm getting ready to plant my raised bed again and I love his method)
and
52 Weeks in the California Garden by Robert Smaus
(Obviously only good for Californians, but if you live here, read it)

If anyone has any other great gardening reads, I would love to hear about them!
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85 comments:

  1. KarenMarch 23, 2013 at 8:02 PM

    Whitney,
    I love the tip for hanging baskets...I have a few of Olivia's diapers that are a size she's grown out of. It's great that Carson loves to garden, the two of you will share many hours of fun in the yard.
    I receive Annie's annuals catalog and love the unique plants she offers and I have the Robert Smaus book. He used to write weekly for the L.A Times before his retirement...he really did give great tips for soca gardeners.
    Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. sandpaper and silly puttyMarch 25, 2013 at 2:20 PM

      Can't wait to hear what you think about the diaper trick! I swear it's helping! Robert Smaus is great, wish he was still with The Times. Do you have any other great books you recommend? I'm devouring garden books lately! I would love your two cents, since you're quite the accomplished gardener! In fact, Jeff and I were just looking at before and after shots of our yard and it's crazy how far we've come - in part due to your help and suggestions!

      Delete
  2. UnknownApril 1, 2015 at 1:12 PM

    What's the brown lining you use called? I have a 3 tier plant holder but can never seem to find those liners in the store when I there - or I'm looking in the wrong place. :)

    My 3 year old has fallen in love with gardening and I'm hoping that I can nurture it through the California drought. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownApril 1, 2015 at 1:15 PM

      Oh goodness, never mind - I just did a quick search for "hanging basket liner" on amazon and found it. Doh! :)

      Delete
  3. AnonymousMay 28, 2015 at 7:50 AM

    I think I will try the diaper in my pots and will let you know if it solves my problems of dripping pots on the deck. Great idea as they do soak up a lot and would help with the wind too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousJune 11, 2015 at 8:38 AM

    I read recently read where you can take the insides from the diaper and put it in a bucket with the soil, pour some water in and let the mix get damp. Use this to pot your plants in. It is supposed to help retain the moisture. Going to try this today. It is hard for me to remember to water my plants indoors. Like the idea of the diaper in the bottom also. The article I read said you could use a diaper that had been wet on lightly [not soaking, just no pooh.] Sanitary pads do the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousOctober 2, 2015 at 6:27 AM

    i would worry about mold.

    ReplyDelete
  6. NICLINBLUEAugust 21, 2016 at 2:24 AM

    I will definitely try the diaper trick for my hanging baskets and especially my tomato plants next summer.

    ReplyDelete
  7. JulieApril 13, 2017 at 7:28 PM

    To keep your pots from dripping on the porch and to help with moisture use a walmart bag in the bottom before you add dirt. It holds the extra water and doesn't drip. I don't have diapers any more and never thought of pads so been doing the bags for the past 4 years and it really works. Just another idea for you to think about.
    Blessings to you and your little one.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Emagrecer UrgenteApril 20, 2017 at 9:01 PM

    Very cool, I liked it a lot. Congratulations for the text

    ReplyDelete
  9. marcelo cintraApril 23, 2017 at 7:52 AM

    How interesting I love plants, and it was super beautiful too, congratulations.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Emagrecer de vezMay 4, 2017 at 7:42 PM

    Great idea as they do soak up a lot and would help with the wind too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Como Esquecer Um Grande AmorMay 5, 2017 at 4:22 PM

    Thanks for the post. Every pro has their own unique tip. It’s great to see them all combined into one simple post!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Frases da conquista funcionaMay 15, 2017 at 9:33 AM

    I think I will try the diaper in my pots and will let you know if it solves my problems of dripping pots on the deck.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Como tocar cavaquinhoJune 1, 2017 at 12:34 PM

    I will try to do this, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
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    Hehehe this is very interesting. I’ll try and then come back here to tell you how the result was ��

    ReplyDelete
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    Simple, practical and delicious. I loved the result. Thanks for sharing!

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  16. ricardoJune 29, 2017 at 3:37 PM

    this is very interesting. I'll try and then come back here to tell you how the result was, interesting

    ReplyDelete
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    Great topic!

    Kisses

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  18. Disfunção ErétilJune 30, 2017 at 10:24 AM

    Amazing idea!

    Thanks

    ReplyDelete
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    I love gardening and your post is very useful

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    Gardening is my favorite hobby

    Thanks for sharing

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    Thanks for sharing

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    Thanks for sharing. I love gardening and your blog.

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  23. CarieAugust 2, 2017 at 9:54 AM

    Wow what good tips on your blog I loved, this one of baby's frot I know now. Nice

    ReplyDelete
  24. JoannaAugust 2, 2017 at 10:00 AM

    I love gardening, because my yard is full of flowers and this tip of the diaper I used a plastic and irrigated with little water, now it will not be more plastic but a fake. thanks for the tip

    ReplyDelete
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    I loved, this one of baby's frot I know now. Fantastic
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    ReplyDelete
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    BEautiful,
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    Wow, that's cool, these tips, you're going to do it too! Your baby is so cute s2.

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  81. Natalie BrownMay 14, 2019 at 7:32 AM

    Hi!


    I’m an editor for BuzzFeed and I love your site! We'd love to include a photo of yours from this post (with full credit and a prominent link back to the original post on your blog) in a BuzzFeed roundup of smart gardening ideas. And potentially use other photos of yours in posts in the future. Would that be OK with you? Let me know, and thanks!


    Natalie Brown

    natalie.brown@buzzfeed.com

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    ReplyDelete
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