New pots and a bit of pottering

I got some new pots from Temu that should help with the water of my tomato plants and lean a bit into the hydroponics as well.

It took over a month for them to arrive but at least the tomato plants had more time to grow from sprouts to 4-6 inches high. Plus I just didn’t have a lot of pots this size to migrate the tomatoes into, and hopefully some peppers and squash as well. Here’s a pic of them.

They weren’t expensive, and have a couple of features that I thought made them worth the wait. They have an inner pot with a string (or a similar absorbent material like cotton or nylon) that acts as a wick. One end of the wick sits in a reservoir of water at the bottom of the outer pot, and the other end extends up into the soil in the inner pot. Through capillary action, the water is drawn up the wick and into the soil, providing moisture to the plant’s roots as needed. Tomatoes and especially peppers are plants that prefer consistent moisture levels and this is a good bit of insurance against being away from home for a few days. The pots also have a clear window on the side of the pot so you can see if they need more water. A bonus feature is a spot on the top of the pot to pour that water into to avoid soaking the plant directly, and minis fungus gnats should I bring it indoors. You can search for “self-watering pots” or “wicking planters.”

Here’s a couple tomato plants freshly potted. (And a photo-bomb by one of my avocados.)

While I was pottering around the garden (and trying not to step on the neighbors cat who decided to lie in the sun directly in my path) I found an interesting plant that looked a bit familiar growing along side of my greenhouse.

I took some pics and checked the Blossom app to come up with Dark (or common) Columbine. Wiki says it’s known as Granny’s bonnet, but I’m sure I haven’t heard that before. I’m also sure I didn’t plant it there but it could have been from a packet of wildflowers we planted last year in the fairy garden. It already has several flower heads on it so I am curious to see if I’ve identified it correctly. More photos when in bloom.

I’m awful at remembering plant names , especially when they’re not in bloom, and really need to get into the habit of labeling things when I plant them. Here’s a classic example:

I found this little guy growing in a yogurt pot, out growing a yogurt pot that is, in the back of my greenhouse. I THINK I remember buying one late summer at a garden centre but could also have been something I picked up off the ground. This is, according to Blossom, is an satsuma azalea. I probably got it with the idea of making a bonsai out of it, they’ve been used in that manner for centuries. But he looks a bit scraggly right now so I put it in a bigger pot with good soil and hope to see it fill out a bit before training begins.