One Amazing Container Garden Tip

When you’re waiting for spring to finally stick around, I have come across one container garden tip you should take care of before you start planting your containers!

I am so excited to have spring knocking on my door!  Sadly, when I open that door, all I see is snow. There are trays of seedlings in the dining room waiting to be hardened off in a few weeks in our cold box… which is covered in snow.

So tell me. Are you guys container gardeners, or tilling the soil types? When I think about tilling the soil in my dreams, it’s a gigantic farm with a wrap around porch, long gravel driveway. Goats, cows, chickens, crops, horses, bees. Until then, we’ll sow our gardens and containers with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, pumpkins, zucchini, and wildflowers.

Since I can’t get my hands in the dirt quite yet, I’ve decided I’ll go ahead and get my containers ready to rock and roll. Last year, my herbs were so sad and blah, I figured this year, I’ll go ahead and sanitize the pots. Which I don’t ever do. Mother nature doesn’t sanitize her dirt, so why should I?

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I’ll tell you why…

It’s all fun and games, until the mint is meh.

Fungus, pests, and all sorts of troublemakers for your plants can live on in the pots. They’ll wreak havoc on your new plants if you don’t get rid of it from the pot, and that’s so much work going down the tubes. And probably why my herbs weren’t too successful last year.

This is one container garden tip, I’ll be using for sure. It’s so quick, it only takes a few minutes at either the end of the season before you store your pots or the beginning before you plant new things.

I also must mention that this post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure, here.

You need to bush off the left over soil and mineral deposits with a bristle brush. I leave the salty crust, because I love aged pots. If you don’t like that, scrub it off.

Wash the pots in hot soapy water and rinse.

Now you’re ready to sanitize the pots for your container garden.

Here’s my Facebook Live with a cameo by Edith, telling you all about it:

I love cleaning with steam where I can, and that’s where this HomeRight SteamMachine comes in so handy. I’m so grateful HomeRight has partnered with me to share this handy and adorable steamer! It kills 99% of germs, with no chemicals (despite my soaking these thrift finds in bleach and these blinds in bleach, I still hate bleach!), and has so many attachments for use all over your home and garden. This cute little steamer will do floors, appliances in your house, bathrooms, and grills… basically all over the place. My friend Sarah used it to steam her garage siding. You can even remove wallpaper with it!!

 

As my pots dried, I took the steamer and hit the floor, my sink, ice dispenser on the freezer, and the bathrooms! Once the pots dry, you’re ready to get planting and enjoying your container garden.

Well, when the snow melts, that is.

Pin this tip for later: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/206673070384639041/