We finally have everything we need for growing some fresh veggies using containers. We bought some fairly deep rectangular storage bins to use as planters. They were a lot less expensive than pots, and they'll hold a lot more soil. We made some holes in the bottoms for drainage.

The seeds and plants are all here. We got some organic humus and manure, some organic mushroom compost soil amendment stuff (the store guy recommended it), and a whole lot of good clean potting soil. We have some gravel for the bottoms of the bins, and some tomato cages for things to climb on (along with the lattice that makes the privacy fence for our little patio area).

We're going to try to grow strawberries, roma tomatoes, grape tomatoes, onions, two kinds of peppers, Italian runner beans, green beans, sugar snap peas, some herbs, several kinds of salad greens (we got window box shaped planters for the salad greens), spinach, kale, and cabbage. I think we're going to give the term, "intensive gardening" a new meaning.

The live oak trees are still shedding their old leaves from last year (and they're also blossoming at the same time). They've been shedding since last fall, and they still have quite a few old leaves that I know are going to fall in the next few weeks. SRS, you live in live oak country don't you? Do you know when they finally lose the last of their old leaves? I don't want to try to rake until most of them are down. Those little leaves are a lot of work to rake.

This is the best time of year in this part of the world, I think. The daytime temperatures are in the upper sixties to the low eighties, F, and the nighttime temps are ranging from the forties to the upper fifties, with low humidity. I've been wearing shorts and t-shirts all week.