Use an overturned five-gallon plastic container as a base, to lift the planter above neighboring plants.
The black color will virtually disappear into the surroundingfoliage.
A lightweight potting soil will also help.
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Another bonus of lifting the planter higher is you don’t have to bend to water it.
Shake and Disperse Fertilizer
Smaller plastic containers make great shakers.
The hole at the bottom will slowly siftfertilizer, animal repellent, and other granular material.
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you could just scoop up what you need and wave it about.
But you don’t want to bury your plants.
Scoop Soil
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This is a bit of a no-brainer.
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How nice that it makes the perfectpotting soilscoop.
Thin, rigid edges make for the best scoopers.
Lift the liner occasionally to check that there is no standing water.
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If there is, empty it and water less frequently.
They are like instant row covers.
Once it warms the next day, remove the pots and the plants will still be in good condition.
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They provide enough insulation to get them through several early season threats.
Until the pot fills with roots, they can also become water sodden.
The newspaper helps to hold moisture and it eventually decomposes, making room for expanding roots.
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Don’t worry, it’s perfectly safe to recycle the newspaper in the garden.
Then you’re free to just sink and lift the seasonal plants as needed.
This is especially nice if you like to add color around shrubs.
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Bury the liner when you plant the shrubs and you will never have to disturb their roots.
Once again, the black color will help the pot completely blend in.
To spruce them up you’re able to always paint them.
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Clean the pot well and then roughen the surface with some sandpaper, so the paint will adhere better.
Spray paints work much, much better than trying to brush paint on.
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Marie Iannotti
