I have been container gardening for the last 9 years. By now, you would think I would have an idea on what I am doing. And you would be wrong. 

My first successful garden was my first garden where I had no idea what I was doing and somehow everything just worked out. Our deck was overflowing with cherry tomatoes and peppers. My zucchini plants did awesome until I picked all the blossoms. (Spoiler alert: they are a delicacy because that KILLS the plant) 

It’s been downhill ever since. 

I even attended a container gardening class at MATC only to find out I was wholly unequipped to grow any anything, except two little humans. But they came to me parent-proof.

So when the girls came screaming and running at us from our three-tiered raised bed and I saw a dozen baby bunnies flying out of it, I knew that this was going to be my year for the garden. 

Most people would have seen those bunnies and given up. Not me. I had found my scapegoat. If anything fails in the garden, I plan on blaming these sweet little bunnies.

At first, we planned on putting our containers in various parts of our yard to see where would be the best location for a future in-ground garden. Isn’t that a great idea? I thought so. Because now we are NOT doing that. The containers will be on the side of the house with the naive hope that maybe the bunnies won’t notice them. Is the sun great there? Nope. Is it convenient to water? Not really. Is there really an logical reason to put the containers there? Nada. And that is why it will probably be perfect. 

 

After overstuffing my containers for years, my goal this year is to prune existing plants and have a tight control on how many plants are purchased for the containers.  In other words, I am going to have to say no to my husband when he wants to buy a dozen different pepper plants.

Our plants will be:

–Cucumbers

–Green beans

–Cherry tomatoes

–Jalapeno Peppers

-Basil

–Spinach

–Arugula

–Strawberries

 

I will continue to keep you posted on how the garden is doing. G informed me that ‘this year, it might help if we actually watered the plants.’ So you could call that a goal as well. Low expectations and ‘here’s hoping’ are our two mantras. How could we possibly fail? And the answer will always be: Because of those damn bunnies. 

 

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What are you growing this summer?

 

 

 

 


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