Finally time to plant

It was time to get some plants in containers. I was entertaining guests from out of town this week and the forecast for the next five days looks sunny and clear. My starter plants look starved for nutrients and root space so out they go. But first I have to deal with the boring part of gardening : cleaning up from last year. 

I reuse almost all of my potting soil, usually just sending the clump that comes up with the old root balls down to the compost bin. Then I top up with new potting soil or reused soil from another container I'm not using. I mix in a good amount of organic granulated fertilizer, water the surface a few times, then plant.

The old potting soil in these totes is very very dry. Like dust. As I stir it I can usually taste it in my mouth. Lots of little root bits are still in there. I pick out the largest clump but the rest just break down into tiny bits over time. Sometimes the surface of the potting soil is caked in salts from tap water or water soluble fertilizer. I scrap off the top inch or two when I find this but these totes are self watering, with a watering reservoir at the bottom. For most of the season water is not added to the surface of the potting soil so the top layer in these containers looks pretty good.

Doesn't take much to clean things up. I actually planted two cucumbers in this container. I usually plant more than one seed in my starter containers and then have problems committing to pruning the container down to just one plant. And when I go to plant them outside I have the same problem. I have a hard time parting with the extra plants so I usually double plant my containers on the balcony. It gets crowded but if one plant dies, I always have a back-up.

After a few years in the sun and snow these storage totes start to breakdown. It's hard to see in this image but the this blue tote is covered in cracks. The walls of the tote have softened and it's starting to bulge out against the weight of the potting soil. It even has a split running up the middle. So this is probably the last season for this tote. Still holding water in the bottom though, for now. Good for one more go.