Well, UPS seems to be dealing with the pandemic just fine. It's the USPS that is having problems. They were the ones that lost my first tomato order somewhere in a warehouse. A lot of online companies have sent out e mails stating they have hired extra workers.

I would say I am an opportunist. I use whatever I come across that isn't too ugly and will do the job.



For example, this planter is actually a tissue box cover turned upside down.

I used pool cage netting and bamboo skewers for support to cover the hole at the bottom. It's got excellent drainage.

What's the plant inside?

@KFredenburg It's my Thanksgiving Cactus. The poor thing still looks like a bunch of cuttings because its had a rocky 6 months. I'm hoping for some new growth in the next few weeks since it's starting to look healthier.

I hope everything goes well with your cactus!

I try to think outside the box. Dollar general has always been a good source for me to purchase cheap pots. I once used an old teapot I found at a thrift store, and it was really cute. I don't know wjere it is, I need to find it. You couldn't put a vigorously growing plant in it though, it was too small. Since it had large holes in the bottom, it was perfect for cactus and succulents.

Always have room for more cacti and succulents!

I'm slow to catch the craze, although my crown of thorns is 15 years old, and my Xmas cacti 5 to 10 years old. I've branched out to others, some successes, many failures!

Well, in order to learn new things you have to fail! The main reason why I chose succulents and cacti is because over here in California up in the hills, it's really the ONLY thing you can plant with the mule deer around. So I was kind of forced. But, I really do enjoy them, and so does my son.

Nothing eats 'em except for the squirrels. I had no idea squirrels liked succulents

I guess for the water/moisture inside?

My experience with squirrels is that they will try to eat almost anything at least once! Very sophisticated diners, they are. I've put out watermelon for the butterflies and they run off with it. Almost any fruit is on their menu. And any nut, any kind of birdseed, cat food, dog food, bread, Tomatoes from the garden, yellow squash, elderberries, figs, blackberries, blueberries, .... well you get the general idea!

I don't do a lot of containers. I use temporary containers to settle in bamboo root divisions until ready to plant out. And I have chili pequins in a rectangular planter, just because I like it to be near where I sit. I have a small bay laurel in a large put so I can move it into the greenhouse in a freeze.

I also have agaves in three big steel planters. The planters were salvaged, the ends of industrial size propane tanks that had been cut off. Some are five feet across. It's mild steel so easy to drill drain holes. They sit on sections of large steel pipe. The agaves love them.

My main containers are self-watering planters made from stock watering tanks, one round and one oval. A heavy wire mesh sits down inside, raised on bricks set on end. On top of that is course nylon fabric that used to be some kind of bag. The soil/peralite. Half-inch nylon rope pieces are laced through the soil and down through the mesh into the bottom. There is a 2-inch plastic pipe running to the bottom to refill. And a small hole just below the mesh line so it doesn't waterlog. Once moistened, the ropes wick water exactly as needed by the soil. A more sophisticated set-up woult have a stick with a float running down the pipe to signal when it was getting low. I use it for herbs.

It really reveals just how much water is required to maintain a volume of medium. And you can go away for days without worrying.

I have also watered a long row of pots from a four-inch plastic pipe set beside and below the line, with ropes running out the bottom of the bots through holes in the pipe. Keep the pipe supplied with water.

IntheHotofTexas said:I don't do a lot of containers. I use temporary containers to settle in bamboo root divisions until ready to plant out. And I have chili pequins in a rectangular planter, just because I like it to be near where I sit. I have a small bay laurel in a large put so I can move it into the greenhouse in a freeze.

I also have agaves in three big steel planters. The planters were salvaged, the ends of industrial size propane tanks that had been cut off. Some are five feet across. It's mild steel so easy to drill drain holes. They sit on sections of large steel pipe. The agaves love them.

My main containers are self-watering planters made from stock watering tanks, one round and one oval. A heavy wire mesh sits down inside, raised on bricks set on end. On top of that is course nylon fabric that used to be some kind of bag. The soil/peralite. Half-inch nylon rope pieces are laced through the soil and down through the mesh into the bottom. There is a 2-inch plastic pipe running to the bottom to refill. And a small hole just below the mesh line so it doesn't waterlog. Once moistened, the ropes wick water exactly as needed by the soil. A more sophisticated set-up woult have a stick with a float running down the pipe to signal when it was getting low. I use it for herbs.

It really reveals just how much water is required to maintain a volume of medium. And you can go away for days without worrying.

I have also watered a long row of pots from a four-inch plastic pipe set beside and below the line, with ropes running out the bottom of the bots through holes in the pipe. Keep the pipe supplied with water.

Gerald!
What are chili peqiuns? The database didn't show any results.

I misspelled it. Chili pequin. Peh-Keen'. (Google thinks you mean chili penguins.) Small red pepper, round or very slightly elongated. Fairly hot. A favorite of mockingbirds to the point where you have to lay mesh over them when they turn red. They're all over Texas. Wild turkeys like them so much that in season, the meat is very hot.

They self-seed, but I've found that they often don't come up in the same place. So they take some management, if you really want them around all the time. I try to keep a couple of plants. They're good picked off the tree and scattered in tacos and such or pickled.

Ooo, now I want tacos you must be very lucky around harvesting time if you're someone who likes spicy things!

The only peppers I've grown are Hot Thai Peppers.
Hot Pepper (Capsicum annuum 'Thai Dragon')

I don't grow anything but hot peppers. This year I have a habanero, Brazilian starfish, Goliath jalapeño, and a cowhorn cayenne. The cayenne is my drying pepper, I grind it coarse for pepper flakes, and to a fine powder to make my chili powder. I combine the ground pepper, salt and garlic powder to make the chili powder.

Ooo, you are probably happy around harvesting time

I've only grown these three peppers:
Red bell peppers (not spicy)
Orange sweet peppers (not spicy)
Hot pepper (Capsicum annum 'Thai Dragon') (spicy)

I cook a lot of Tex Mex, so it was the logical thing to do. Some hot peppers produce so much fruit I had to do something with it!

Sounds so tasty!
So jealous of all you fruit/veggie gardeners! Hopefully I'll be able to do the same things when we settle after we move.

I'm sure you will!

gardenfish said:My experience with squirrels is that they will try to eat almost anything at least once! Very sophisticated diners, they are. I've put out watermelon for the butterflies and they run off with it. Almost any fruit is on their menu. And any nut, any kind of birdseed, cat food, dog food, bread, Tomatoes from the garden, yellow squash, elderberries, figs, blackberries, blueberries, .... well you get the general idea!

Squirrels are just rats with a hairdo.