The Plants are Potted! {Garden Update}

I've officially begun my first ever container garden! I've grown a few actual gardens before - specifically two that I can vividly remember. One of them was with my Mom growing up and the other was one that my Aunt pretty much grew for me at my Dad's house before I was even a teenager. And since then, I've never so much as had a house plant I was able to keep alive. But, in spite of this, I've planted FOUR plants, and I'm really geared up for the challenge of keeping them alive.

Last week, my last week of unemployment after student teaching, I set to work painting my terra cotta pots, and getting my plants potted. Tomorrow I'm going to show you how I created my ombre pots for the Pinterest Challenge, but today, I wanted to give you an overview of how I worked to plant my garden.

First, I went to the garden center and picked up organic soil. You may or may not notice that the bag above says "Garden Soil" and is not meant to be used in containers. This is what my garden center had, and I was assured by him - and many people in gardening threads across the internet - that as long as I water sufficiently and keep a close eye on the growth, I will be fine with this type of soil. I'm trusting the garden guys for now, but if it starts to look like its going downhill, I will switch it out for container soil.
So, with my garden gloves, and my soil, I took my freshly painted pots and filled them with soil, leaving about 2 inches of room at the top. Then, I took my small seedling (for my tomato plants) and dug a little spot for them, and placed the seedling inside. Then, I covered it back up with my soil.


I planted two tomato seedlings - Early Girl and Big Boy - and two herbs - rosemary and basil. I am so excited about the possibilities that these combinations have in store for me, and I cannot wait for the plants to start to give me more!



I also planted two succulents in tiny, unpainted pots. I used the same soil, and the same method, leaving only about an inch from the top of these smaller containers.




I'm thrilled to be sprucing up our balcony - and I am psyched for warm Summer nights reading and enjoying the space, and most of all - the food from the delicious plants!
Have you grown plants in containers before? Finding new ways to enjoy your outdoor space? And are you as excited for Summer as I am? I'd love to hear from you!