I got an email from a friend this morning. It is Spring cleanup in her town. She has been hauling out all of her trash, so they will pick it up soon. She mentioned that she was tossing an old wagon that her kids used to play with. I love wagons...any kind. I had a wagon at my old house that I used to fill with geraniums and trailing viney plants. I could pull it around the yard and fill in where things didn't look so nice. The geraniums were in pots...if they didn't do well...they could be replaced with something else. I was checking the internet for ideas for planting wagons and at E how...I found these directions on how to plant a traveling salad garden. I thought this was a good use for an old wagon. I wish that I had my old wagon....I would try planting my herb garden in it. I love using old things in the garden. They just seem to belong there.
Balisha
I had to add this: My friend just emailed and said that she was saving the little wagon. I'm sure she will be so glad later on that she did this. Wagons are so cute and no matter what the condition they make nice additions to a garden. B
Things You’ll Need:
An old toy wagon
Drill and 1/4in metal drill bit
All natural or organic potting soil
Lettuce seeds
Peat moss
Step1Clean the wagon, and allow to dry. With a 1/4" metal drill bit, drill three rows of drainage holes every three or four inches.
Step2Fill the wagon with a good quality, all natural or organic potting soil to 1/2" from the top. Water the soil well, and allow to drain before seeding.
Step3Plant your seeds of lettuce in four rows, leaving the seeds on top of the soil. The wagon pictured has two rows of butter leaf lettuce, and two rows of romaine. Plant as many varieties as you like.
Step4Sprinkle a thin layer of peat moss over the seeded soil and water. Use a watering can or hose sprayer with a light spray to avoid disturbing the seeds. Keep the soil moist to ensure germination.
Step5As your lettuce grows, thin the plants if necessary, according to directions on the seed packets. Rather than harvesting entire heads of lettuce, pull off leaves as needed. Your plants will continue to grow for some time.
Step6Hot summer weather can be hard on lettuce. Moving the lettuce bed to a cooler, somewhat shady spot on hot days will help protect the leaves from burning in the sun.
An old toy wagon
Drill and 1/4in metal drill bit
All natural or organic potting soil
Lettuce seeds
Peat moss
Step1Clean the wagon, and allow to dry. With a 1/4" metal drill bit, drill three rows of drainage holes every three or four inches.
Step2Fill the wagon with a good quality, all natural or organic potting soil to 1/2" from the top. Water the soil well, and allow to drain before seeding.
Step3Plant your seeds of lettuce in four rows, leaving the seeds on top of the soil. The wagon pictured has two rows of butter leaf lettuce, and two rows of romaine. Plant as many varieties as you like.
Step4Sprinkle a thin layer of peat moss over the seeded soil and water. Use a watering can or hose sprayer with a light spray to avoid disturbing the seeds. Keep the soil moist to ensure germination.
Step5As your lettuce grows, thin the plants if necessary, according to directions on the seed packets. Rather than harvesting entire heads of lettuce, pull off leaves as needed. Your plants will continue to grow for some time.
Step6Hot summer weather can be hard on lettuce. Moving the lettuce bed to a cooler, somewhat shady spot on hot days will help protect the leaves from burning in the sun.
8 comments:
What a neat idea, a traveling salad or herb garden! I wanted to reuse our old wheelbarrow for a similar purpose but hubby got rid of it before I could. :(
Oh Balisha...I loved this post. I must tell you this story! I didn't have a little red wagon of my childrens..however, I did see this old wheelbarrow in our neighbors yard. They sold it to me for $2.00 and I wheeled it home. The tire was gone and it was a mess, but I could just see it, holes drilled and a wee buried in the dirt to disguise the wheel. What a cute planter it would make. I had done it before a long time ago. I was excited as it was just what I was looking for. A few days later, I came home from a day with my daughters and found the wheel barrow all washed, a brand new TIRE on it all ready to use. Howard thought I would be so pleased that he had saved it! :) I mean, whats a gardener to do! So..I will take your idea and look for an old wagon at a garage sale and hope my "fixer upper" sweet husband doesn't try and fix it all up. :)
Thanks for sharing your tip, Balisha!
Mona
PS..We now have two beautiful working wheelbarrows. :)
Hello two ladies,
Glad you liked this idea. I may look for one too. My friend said that I made her cry this morning...she went out and retrieved that little wagon.
That's a great idea! I'll have to keep that in mind when I'm ready to retire my old wagon!
Hi Balisha, I have an old red wagon I plan to plant this spring. I was wondering if there was a way to prevent the entire bottom from rusting and rotting away. So far I haven't seen anything on that subject. Guess I'll just give it a couple coats of rustoleum and hope for the best;)
Marnie
Hi Marnie and Laura,
The only way I can think of to keep the bottom from rusting out would be to keep the plants in individual pots and lining the wagon with something.
That's what I did...and then drilled holes in the bottom. I guess that rustoleum would be about the only thing you could use otherwise.
Laura...hang on to that wagon...it seems that there is a lot of interest in keeping them going long after the kids are grown.
What a great idea. I love this and the fact that you can move it around into the sun, etc. I have one in the garage I bought for my grandson but he is not tired of it yet. Maybe, I can find one at a yard sale or something. Thanks for sharing this.
I have a wagon that I have had for 35 years. Use it in the garden and at one time to bring wood in for fireplace. Love wagons. Might find another one and do this.
Love your entries and thank you for visiting me.
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