It should be noted that the wine barrels came with instructions.
“Have you ever planted in these before?” asked the guy who sold them to me.
I admitted I had not. I did not tell him the kind of jackass arrangements in which I had planted before.
“Well, you’re definitely going to want to drill holes in the bottom,” he said.
“Of course,” I said, thinking to myself about the fact that I own nary a single drill. I drifted off into reverie for a brief second about trying to just put a bunch of nail holes in the bottom, then brought myself back to reality.
“You probably ought to put a layer of rocks in the bottom, too,” he said. “Maybe an inch or so, for drainage.”
I then thought about the fact that any rocks I haul up to the patio will have to come with me up a flight of stairs, and that they will also, upon eventually moving out, have to be hauled back down those stairs. I considered ignoring this recommendation.
“And because of the acidity, blueberries love these,” he said.
“Really?” I said. And here is where I thought the following: Oh my God. Acidity. That means I’m going to have to actually figure out how to amend my soil due to whatever’s leaching in from the wine-soaked wood. And I have not a single idea how to do that. Of course, here is what I said: “Cool!”
Because, my fellow denizens of the Internet, that is how I roll.
on Feb 15th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
Skip the rocks and use those foam packing peanuts. Accomplishes the same purpose without the weight. If you have small pots, you can use small rocks — I love the ones used for aquarium gravel.
on Feb 15th, 2010 at 8:06 pm
Ooh! I like the foam packing peanuts idea; just make sure they’re not the bio-degradable kind!
Heh.
Blueberry plants are available for sale; maybe you should get some! :D
on Feb 15th, 2010 at 8:15 pm
Another way to help drainage–place small (4″ or so) plastic pots upside down, holes up. It will aid drainage and fill up some of the space that you don’t need for soil, making the pot lighter than it would be if you filled it entirely with soil, or soil and rocks for that matter.
Also, garden sulfur is available in most garden center–it’s easy to use and it helps acidify soil. Here, where even the water is alkaline, it is a necessity.
Good luck!
on Feb 16th, 2010 at 5:55 am
I would mix in quite a lot of peat moss with your soil for acidity – and if you use sulfur, make sure that it’s elemental sulfur. It’s not a terrible idea either to put the barrel up on to 2 slats of wood. Exciting!
on Feb 16th, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Alanna, thanks for the packing peanut tip — that’s a good one! I’ve also read that taking plastic soda bottles, punching holes in them, and putting them in the bottom of the dirt works much the same way.
Al_Pal, I want to make sure I have room for tomatoes and some other stuff — not sure that I’m ready for the longer-term blueberry investment yet, although I’ll think about it, for sure.
Christina, that’s a GREAT idea. And yes — I’m all for buying no more than the needed amount of soil…
JP, Ah — interesting. I will make sure to buy a mix of things.
on Feb 16th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
a kick-ass girl like you should own her own tools when the budget permits. you can borrow mine in the meantime. :D
on Feb 17th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Anita, it’s true — and actually, I own a ton of tools, but the drill is not one that I’ve ever bought. Occasionally I cheat with a nail as a starter and then an electric screwdriver, but this is a bit different… ;-) But thank you — I will coordinate when the time is right!
on Mar 11th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
Well I was savvy enough to drill a hole in the bottom and to throw in some rocks for drainage but I had no idea about the acidity thing. We grew mildly successful cantaloupes in one of our barrels last year. I’m happy to hear about the blueberries!
I found your blog through the Cactus Jungle blog. Happy to find another Oaklander. Welcome!
on Mar 19th, 2010 at 2:15 pm
HI-larious. I’ve had almost this exact same conversation with a nurseryman regarding plum tree purchases.
“…and you’ll need to get a pollinator.”
“Of course!”
“Definitely European.”
“Naturally.”
etc. etc.
:)
on Mar 23rd, 2010 at 10:20 am
Shayna, ooh — cantaloupes…yum. I’ve never been able to grow those successfully. And yes — cheers from one Oaklander to another!
Felicia, that’s so funny. :-)