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| From Photo Challenge |
I don’t particularly like whiskey but I love whiskey barrels. I have been looking for wine barrels for the past few years to use as planters. It is very difficult to get used wine barrels in Central Florida. We have very few wineries and it is very expensive to have barrels shipped here. You can imagine that I was ecstatic when I learned that a local big box store is now carrying whiskey barrels (which are essentially the same). It took three visits and 3 different locations for me to commit to buying one. On the first visit, I was just curious. Are these good for planting? Why does the sign say keep moist and in the dark? On the second visit, it was raining. I didn’t feel like dealing with putting the barrel in my car in the rain. On the final visit, I was finally able to get the nerve to ask someone to help me get one down from the huge pile. I also asked for assistance to help me lift it in the car. However I ended up getting impatient and loading the barrel in my car by myself.
When reaching home, I lifted my barrel out of the car (which now smells like a country bar) and dropped it in the general area that I wanted to keep it. I decided to water it down in order to keep it moist as per the instructions (If allowed to be empty or dry, the metal rings will tend to come loose). After pouring water in I realized the thing needed drainage holes. I enlisted my husband to do the drilling. He drilled two holes before I realized that they were not big enough. I needed a different kind of drill bit. After another trip to a big box store, I was ready to drill again. This time I drilled my own holes. Go me!
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| From Photo Challenge |
The barrel was rolled back to it’s final resting place and filled with some organic potting mix. I planted tomato plant, one pepper seeding, one eggplant seeding, one basil plant, and two small dill plants. I added some drip irrigation tubes that were free. Now all I can do is wait and see what survives. The back corner of my yard now has a rosemary and whiskey fragrance.
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| From Photo Challenge |
Growing With Leala 