Actually its onle of those blue chemical barrel things, and I am thinking of using it as a planter, but what sall I put in it? and what soil mix should I use?
You could use it to grow carrots out of the way of the carrot flies.
Or blueberries in lime free compost.
Or a very small pond!
I have an old barrel that leaks so i am going to cut the top off and grow horseradish in it because if it goes straight in the ground it spreds
You can put a load of bricks in the bottom then a foot of compost and plant fancy stuff.
I planted banana shallot seeds this way last year. I got a good crop of lovely echalion onions with a very sweet flavour. In another barrel, I grew yellow dwarf french beans and got several meals worth of delicious beans.
If there is any particular veg you love, it's an opportunity to grow a gourmet crop.
Or to contain some herb that would otherwise take over an area of your plot.
What an opportunity!! Go for it :-)
I considered burrying 1/2 a butt under my shed to put things of any value so they would not be nicked but husband wanted to fill it with beer !! So instead we decided to drill a few extra holes and filled it with comfry and sunk it into another bigger butt on a friends plot to make a tea which we shared.
I would have gone with the beer idea myself brilliant ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: cambourne7 on January 04, 2011, 20:08:46
I considered burrying 1/2 a butt under my shed to put things of any value so they would not be nicked but husband wanted to fill it with beer !! So instead we decided to drill a few extra holes and filled it with comfry and sunk it into another bigger butt on a friends plot to make a tea which we shared.
Is it as good as PG tips
personaly i would rather not add my milk to it but the tomato plants liked it :)
Either fill it with water and grow something in it, or fill it with soil and grow something in it. Horseradish is a good idea if you like it; it spreads faster than a galloping horse.
Carrots
Carrots was the first thing that sprang to mind. Can I use ordinary soil , or do I need to fork out ( sorry!) for some compost?
I use old compost from re-potting (alpines in my case and bulbs in pots) and some peat-free compost and add some BF&B.
Quote from: pumpkinlover on January 04, 2011, 21:22:51
I use old compost from re-potting (alpines in my case and bulbs in pots) and some peat-free compost and add some BF&B.
Not sure about the BF&B, can I use seaweed instead? I am trying to be organic, and not use animal products..
Ideal for Strawberries, mint or comphrey, :)
What I should have said was that if you use spent compost it will need a little feeding to replace what the plants have already used. i use a lot of homemade fertilizer- see the urine on compost heap thread going at the moment. All definatly organic and re-cycled!! ;D
If you are going to grow carrots in it Peter you will need very little other than a soil/sand/spent compost mix...
:)
I always grow herbs in planters .
Mint, Chives, Parsley, thyme, Rosemary, and sage especially but what ever herbs you like fresh for the kitchen. The reason is I can move them into the greenhouse to early start them and then at the end of the season to give them a longer run. In mild winters they have been there all through.
It is easier to get them out of the pots to separate chives and weed the others too.
If you want them to look pretty you can always leave the herbs in the centre and place some of those pretty annuals round the edge.
Another good thing is a cut and come again salad crop they do mixed seeds in packs or mix your own.