We've been wanting to plant stuff other than marigolds and herbs, but the ground is just not yielding. Since the ground is too hard to till without something with a motor (we'll do that at the end of the season and get it ready for next year), we were looking for raised bed ideas. I've been researching for weeks, and everything was so expensive, even if I built it myself. I found a container gardening system at Home Depot that would work, but it was about two square feet and over $40 just for the container. I was giving up hope that we could do this with any sort of a budget. A trip to Ollie's today solved the problem - a plastic pond liner on clearance for $30. It's larger than the container garden at HD, and multi-leveled. The Man and I discussed it, and figured it would work with a little modification. Holes punched in the bottom, a bag of rocks, and four bags of topsoil resulted in just what I was looking for. The different levels are helpful for different kinds of plants, and with the smaller pots propping up the one end that might cause problems, I think it worked out splendidly.
I broke up the bunches that were already in the pots, giving the lemon balm and lavender their own pot, the cilantro a place with some marigolds, and the rest of the marigolds, oregano, sage, thyme and parsley a home in the new bed. I added a pineapple sage, basilico and opal basils, plum tomatoes and an heirloom striped beefsteak tomato. In the third pot is an heirloom yellow bell pepper. I had one bag of mulch left over, so I spread that around, but I'll probably add more. I must say, I am rather proud of myself. The peppers are already standing straight up, and everything else looks happy in their new home. I never thought I'd be able to grow anything but kids.
I'm a chef, mom of two grown amazing people, a culinary instructor, and now a holistic nutrition and wellness counselor. I will be adding homeopathy to that list of accomplishments soon, and this is a record of my journey towards that and many other goals, along with the stuff that turns me on and off. Like my Facebook page for even more amazing ideas and recipes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-People-Culinary-Program/214831771901699?ref=hl