Sprout Day 3

Amazingly enough, we haven't killed it yet. Yay! Anyway, the pumpkin sprout is getting up there.



On another note, my father pestered me into doing this.



Yep, that is a hanging flower pot. Yep, there is a tomato hanging out of the bottom of it. Remember that space age technology from a few posts ago? It came back to bite me on the ass. My father wouldn't let up until I agreed to give this a shot.

So here it is.

I took a regular hanging pot like you can get at the dollar store or filled with flowers at Wal-Mart. The pot needs to have an one inch hole in the bottom, this usually has a pre-built in screen that is easily cut out. After that is cut out, get some freezer paper or at the very least wax paper and cut a 3 or 4 inch circle. Cut to the center and take out a circle large enough to fit the 'neck' of your tomato plant, but small enough to keep all the water from going straight through taking all the soil with it. This does not have to be beautiful as it is only a functional piece.

Put the collar on the plant, slip through the hole. Careful not to bruise the leaves or damage the stems. The collar you made should stop it from slipping too much. Add your soil. Water, then top off again with soil, repeat until soil is even but not compacted. I bought a bag of soil specifically for hanging baskets because it is designed to hold moisture (meaning less work for me) and it will fertilize for 9 months. I figure that will get me through until the frost kills the plant and I'll have to make plants for next year. Muwhawhawhaw!

Speaking of plants, the CAC gives them away for free and seeds, too. You'll need to go see if you qualify. Quote: "THE GREEN THUMB PROGRAM promotes home gardening and provides free vegetable seeds and plants to eligible gardeners in Knoxville and Knox County. The COMMUNITY GARDEN PROGRAM encourages individuals and families to garden together in public housing developments and provides gardening assistance..." If you wanna garden, they can hook you up. I think as of this posting that the end is June 30. Check out the website and look for the Green Thumb Program.