Post image for Potato Project: Growing Potatoes in a Container

I have more Smart Pots than just the ones I’ve set aside for the comparison study (and sent to Debra), so I’ve been looking for different things I could try. One of the things they are supposedly good for is growing potatoes. With that in mind, I bought a ‘French Fingerling’ potato seedling at the nursery, because that was the only way to get just one potato plant. All the seed potatoes were sold in bags of ten.

However, according to the Smart Pot website, you can grow 3 potato plants in a 10 gallon Smart Pot, so I need two more seedlings. Whoops. Word on the street is that Adriana has an extra seed potato, so maybe I can arrange a swap of some sort.

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Post image for Good Container Gardening Practices to PREVENT Pest Problems

Last week my master gardener class was on “integrated pest management,” as you could probably tell from the #MGtips tweets I posted to my Twitter account. Integrated pest management (IPM) is the use of all suitable pest control methods in a compatible manner that minimizes adverse effects on the environment. While IPM sometimes advocates the use of chemical sprays by home gardeners, usually it is only as a last resort. Done properly, IPM practices can often prevent serious pest infestations in the first place, negating the need for any kind of post-occurrence treatment, chemical or organic.

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Thumbnail image for Dear Target, I’m Impressed With Your Garden/Outdoor Section

Dear Target, I’m Impressed With Your Garden/Outdoor Section

March 10, 2010

I want to start this post off by saying that there is no way that Target should replace the need for a “real” garden center. It’s not possible for a generalist to do a specialist’s job as good as the specialist. Know what I’m saying?
Now that I’ve got that guilt off my chest, I really [...]

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Thumbnail image for 5 Plants You Can Use to Add Privacy To Your Balcony

5 Plants You Can Use to Add Privacy To Your Balcony

March 9, 2010

Living in an apartment or condo means living really close to other people. I’ve been rudely reminded of that lately, as my upstairs neighbor has decided to rearrange their furniture late at night. But the closeness can also be felt outside, on your balcony or patio too. Inconsiderate neighbors may use their balcony as a [...]

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Thumbnail image for My Brother’s DIY Modern Bird Feeder

My Brother’s DIY Modern Bird Feeder

March 8, 2010

I have two wonderful brothers that live much, much too far away. Ben is 26 and lives in Philadelphia where he works as a software programmer of some sort (what he does is completely over my head). David is 19 and in college in Vermont; he plans on becoming a Navy submarine officer. They’re both [...]

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Thumbnail image for Three Things You Should Know About Growing Lavender

Three Things You Should Know About Growing Lavender

March 4, 2010

The votes are in, and it looks like I’ll be growing tomatoes and lavender in my Smart Pot comparison test. Many thanks to everyone who voted. I’ll be planting the Smart Pots in the next week or so, but in the meantime I’ve been rereading The Bountiful Container chapters on each plant–it’s my go-to guide [...]

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How to Have Seed Starting Success

March 3, 2010

“Seed starting” or “starting seeds indoors” refers both to something that gardeners giddily look forward to at the end of winter, and a practice that frustrates a lot of people. While sowing seeds in pots indoors doesn’t require any difficult techniques or hard to acquire skills, it is kind of unforgiving in a few respects. [...]

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Thumbnail image for Container Gardening Inspiration from My Trip to Roger’s Gardens

Container Gardening Inspiration from My Trip to Roger’s Gardens

March 2, 2010

I’ve posted about Roger’s garden before, they are a fantastic garden center in South Orange County. It’s one of those sort of garden centers that people visit every weekend and take photos. The vignettes their landscapers create are nothing short of spectacular. And their pots do not disappoint. I think you’ll really enjoy taking a [...]

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Thumbnail image for Creating a Cocktail Garden on Your Balcony

Creating a Cocktail Garden on Your Balcony

March 2, 2010

I had planned a post for today about ironic animal statuary. Alas, that post will have to wait for another day. Yesterday I saw a great idea for a garden mentioned on Twitter, and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share it. @FromFarmToTable tweeted that she’s reinstating cocktail hour come spring and invited [...]

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Thumbnail image for Share Your Ideas in the March Blog Carnival!

Share Your Ideas in the March Blog Carnival!

March 1, 2010

It’s time for the March blog carnival, and I’m really excited about this month’s topic, because it is a reader-suggested topic. In case you missed the first two LOTB carnivals, and you’re not sure what a blog carnival is, it’s when one blogger requests that other bloggers publish posts on a certain topic and then [...]

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Thumbnail image for And the Winner of the Smart Pot is…

And the Winner of the Smart Pot is…

February 28, 2010

I used Random.org to help me select a random number between 1 and 24 (there were 24 comments/entries) and it came up with #1. So SMITH BITES (Debra), that means you! I’ll be contacting you shortly to get a mailing address to send you your Smart Pot. I’ll also be contacting you from time to [...]

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Funny Gopher “Abatement” Video

February 26, 2010

We watched this video in my master gardener class yesterday, when talking about what NOT to do to control gophers…

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