A lighter look at large planters
Planting flowers in containers is a great way to add color and texture without a lot of work. No digging required! You don’t even have to have great garden soil — you can just lug home some bags of potting soil. But while the initial planting may be easier, maintaining a container garden presents its own set of challenges.
One of those challenges is size, and there are trade-offs you might need to make. With smaller pots, it’s obviously much easier to pick them up and move them where you want. It’s also easier to clean out the pots at the end of the season. However, the soil in small pots dries out quickly and requires more frequent watering. A benefit to large containers is that you can water less frequently. But unless you put big containers on casters, the place where you fill them with soil will most likely to be the place they stay.
This issue of planter size came up recently. Phyllis, a reader who lives in Royersford, wrote: “My son bought his wife a square wooden planter which is about 3’ high and 3’ wide. To fill it ... would take a lot of soil and make it virtually impossible to move. I was wondering what non-toxic items they might use to put in the bottom to fill it somewhat so they wouldn’t need so much soil. Do you have any recommendations? I thought of those packing peanuts, or Styrofoam, or the air-filled plastic bags that are used in packages nowadays, but I wonder if they are toxic. We all are organic gardeners in what we plant, so we want to use the correct things. Do you have any ideas about what they might use?”
It turns out that in its formed state polystyrene does not present a concern, which is why some foods are packaged in it. Chemicals will not leach out and contaminate the soil or any plants growing in that soil. The 12th Report on Carcinogens from the National Toxicology Program (2011) did list styrene (part of the polystyrene chemical that makes up most foodservice and packing foams), as a carcinogen. But the report pointed out that “the danger lies with workers in industrial facilities that build items such as boats with styrene.” (http:// homeguides.sfgate.com/safeuse-styrofoam-planters-vegetables-90628.html)
Here’s additional tips from the same source:
Because your filler should take up at least one-fourth to one-third of your pot, you need to make sure it’s healthy for your plants and able to stand the test of time. Use materials that are inert, and that won’t
react with soil. Avoid materials that break down easily, such as newspaper, cardboard and paper cups. These settle and sink over time and can introduce bacteria and mold into your soil as they break down. If you use large, bulky items to provide filler, e.g., plastic food containers or crushed soda cans, place a sheet of mesh or landscaping fabric over top of them to help keep your soil in place.
Go native with the annual Hawk Mountain Spring Native Plant Sale, May 19 -20
Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will host its annual Spring Native Plant Sale, on Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The sale will be held in the Visitor Center parking lot. The sale will feature nearly 300 species of Pennsylvania native wildflowers, vines, grasses, ferns, shrubs, and trees.
The Sanctuary’s garden volunteers will help visitors select which plants are best for their home landscape. The volunteers will also carry purchases to buyers’ cars, store them until the end of the day’s visit, and offer great gardening tips. The bookstore also of- fers a year-round selection of native plant gardening books for those interested in learning more. All proceeds benefit Hawk Mountain’s conservation and education programs.
The sanctuary is located at 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529. For more information, go to www.hawkmountain.org, or call 610-756-6961. Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. Direct e-mail to pamelacbaxter@gmail. com, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442. Share your gardening stories on Facebook at “Chester County Roots.” And check out Pam’s new book for children and families: Big Life Lessons from Nature’s Little Secrets. Available at amazon.com.