Dippity Do Da
Every now and then I get a good idea. I think the last time was June 14, 2005. This new idea cannot be claimed as my own, but then at least the plan to pass it on to you is my own.
I was watching an episode of Gardeners’ World on Amazon Prime when they had a segment about a lady who had a garden with 1,259 pots—and I don’t mean dinky ones. These were all different and some were quite large. Sounds crazy, huh? Apparently she inherited this pot fetish from her mother who had 700 pots. Now, this is not the significant part. What is—is that she watered all of these by hand using a watering can that she dipped into 21 different dipping containers that were spread throughout the garden. These 21 reservoirs are kept filled by a drip system. Now maybe you don’t mind dragging a hose around the garden, particularly if you have own of those expandable hoses that is light weight. But consider this: What if you had a large garbage can that was in a convenient place in the garden that you could fill once in a while and add a light dose of fertilizer. Now besides not having a hose to mess which each time you water, you are regularly giving your plants extra nutrients. Good idea?
We have been using this system for a month now. I use a pump and long hose to fill two 55 gallon barrels—one on each side of the yard. The water comes from our koi pond so it already has fertilizer added. The plants absolutely love it. LaVille uses a watering can that has a handle that runs fore and aft, so she can water with one hand with the other one free to test the soil moisture of each pot. She only has one good arm left anyway.
She frequently loses track of the watering can, so I tried buying another. I finally found the right style on Amazon Prime. (Dramm 7 Liter Watering Can 12433, $38.22) There are many models that are far less expensive, but they all have bales that are mounted crosswise.
Watering Can
So even if you don’t have a pot fetish, you may want to try out this new idea. LaVille would never admit to a fetish, but with the added SPPC plants, she does have over 250 outside containers and 50 inside.
Stan, The Tool Man