All I have left to plant is a couple of Geraniums in my patio garden. It’s been a nice little project, and I’m hoping for some produce later on in the season. I planted my vegetables in large planters. I’ve put way too many plants in each pot, but I’m not sure what I want just yet. I’ll pull out the extra later. I found a good deal on two Lamium plants. I’m not sure exactly what they are do to poor labeling at the garden center, but one has pink flowers and the other white. I’m hoping they will grow together now.

I fertilized a couple of days ago. I’ve found that in potted gardens fertilizing is crucial to have good plants. The potting soil just doesn’t hold onto nutrients the same as regular soil, and it is usually devoid of them to begin with. Previously, I’ve just used miracle-gro, but this year I tried a polymer-coated slow release fertilizer. The analysis was 18-6-8, much better than a balanced fertilize like 16-16-16. Plants don’t use equal amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, so a fertilizer like I have is better.

After using it, I realized I had just ruined any claim I could use to call my produce organic. Chemical fertilizers are on the list of things to not do. But they extremely convenient. My other alternatives would be compost or fish emulsifier. One needs to be incorporated, and the other stinks (literally, not figuratively). So chemical fertilizers won out this year, but I’ll still try and avoid other chemicals like nasty pesticides.