It’s that time of year again, when I get outside and get those containers planted for the summer months. It’s still nice right now and not too hot, but that will change quickly. I love adding colorful annuals to my white planter boxes and it adds such beauty to the patio outside in my backyard. I can’t imagine my summer and outdoors without having some colorful summer plants added to my spaces, can you?
This year, I’m partnering with Ecoscraps® once again and they are sponsoring my containers this season. I introduced you to them last year and love their concept. I looked at their website and really liked what I saw. Two college students noticed how much food was being wasted when they went out to eat and decided to do something about it….by turning it into gardening products.
Since 2010, EcoScraps has been working to be a part of the solution by reusing this waste and keeping it out of the landfills. They want to educate and make sustainability something that’s part of mainstream America. I personally throw way too much stuff away that I can’t eat before it goes bad. That’s the hazards of cooking for one or 2, it’s so hard sometimes to eat it all and use it all before it starts to go to waste. Ecoscraps takes that food waste and makes wonderfully rich garden soil with it.
Sold at Walmart, I would love for you to check out their product line.
So what’s so different about THIS dirt?
The Ecoscraps founders saw a better way to make soil which in turn is better for our gardens and planet. Bad food transformed into rich, organic soils does a lot of good for all of us as families and for the environment.
Instead of all that wasted food going to landfills, it’s going into this rich dirt to organically grow plants and food. that’s a win-win for all!
OK, so why not support a company who does all of this?
Take a look at their video on the process of turning waste into soil!
Getting my 2 big bags of Ecoscraps potting soil from Walmart, I was ready to start planting. Filling up my big containers is a good sized job, but this soil is rich and will hold water and minerals to help support my plants. I’ll share more about my plants in another post, but for now watch me plant them!
I’m adding these pretty colors to 2 other planters out there too.
So, this is how those big containers end up at the end of the season. It all dies back and the plants just sit there after their growing season comes to an end. We all have these sitting around, don’t we, just begging for new plants to be added. But, you have to have new soil added to get the season kicked off with new plants.
Once I take the old mass of roots and dirt out of the container, it all comes out in one big (and heavy) clump. I drug this clump to the edge of my yard in the trees and bushes and eventually it will decay. You simply can’t reuse dirt when the roots are this thick, plus for new plants to thrive it needs rich new dirt in the container.
In goes the new Ecoscraps soil with its rich blackness which will nourish my new plants and they will be ready for growing and putting on lots of new blooms. Yippee for that! I love my blooms!
I added four plants in here for now and may have room for one more, but they do grow and spread out pretty fast, so these will be really gorgeous in a few weeks after they grow and get taller and fuller. I always try to use something tall in the middle, something spilling on one side, and definitely a couple that add lots of color and blooms to the mix. I’ll keep you posted later on how they do this summer!
In the meantime, I’ve got a gift card giveaway for all of you! Ecoscraps is giving away a $50 Walmart gift card so you can try out their potting soil too. I love being able to give away great stuff to all my readers, so this is a win-win for all of us.
All you have to do to win the $50 Walmart card is leave your name and email address on the Rafflecopter widget and answer this question in the comments below…
Have you planted your summer flowers yet and where are your main planting areas? Containers or garden beds? Let’s talk about flowers today!
Note: This post is sponsored by Ecoscraps, but my love of container gardening is all my own!
I have pots on my patio and flowerbeds in the yard. This year, I am adding a new pot for the patio (colorful flowers) and I love the idea of this potting soil that uses recycled food scraps! Thanks for the introduction to this product, Rhoda. I will certainly check it out at my local Walmart.
I use containers. Sometimes I use packing peanuts for good drainage for my lavender (in ground). I have a large urn placed so that we can see it through the back deck door, when walking through the hallway, and this year I’ll fill it with bright red Calibrachoa!
I plant in containers as well as in the ground. Once the pollen season is over, I cannot wait to get my containers planted and placed on our covered porch and deck. We live on the South Carolina coast and use our outdoor spaces a lot enjoying our views out onto the Inlet, therefore, my containers filled with colorful plants as well as herbs add so much to our outdoor spaces. Love them!
Right now I have containers on the front porch and some on the back deck. I’m hoping when I retire next year that I will have a couple of raised beds in addition to that for some vegetables and cutting flowers.
Simple but so beautiful.
So excited to start planting in my containers this year! Still alittle too cold.
I really enjoy your blog. I love your outdoor spaces. I do mostly container gardens. I am going to try this soil. Thanks for telling us about it.
I live in the south so my planters are done. My tomatoes, basis, lemon balm, oregano and peppers are going crazy too. Most of our flowers are planted in flower beds along the fence as it gets full sun. Sunflowers ? are sprouting already too. Love this time of year.
I use mostly perennials in my garden beds and annuals in my containers (and I have a LOT of containers), so I need to replant them every year! I would love to try this soil!!
We are moving into our new house this weekend so we have a lot of yard to plant! Can’t wait
I love container gardening!
I love containers!!! But I do plant a few in the ground. I am ready to get started!!!
I do some containers, but mostly in ground. Well actually above ground…I have red clay aka brick soil, so I have added tons of good top soil to all my gardening areas. Why fight the clay, it is just easier to add berms and such. Every year for my birthday, my granddaughter and I go to the plant store and she helps pick out plants. At the age of 4 she knows what symbols to look for whether they can be in full sun or in shade. Such a smarty! This past April 15th, I made a comment on how many plants she was buying and she said Papa said ‘I could buy all I wanted!’ lol I have NEVER heard that from his lips.
I am getting ready to plant after the cold snap moves through WV this weekend! I do mainly pots with annuals for color. We have a lot of landscape and I have been preparing that for summer first. The mulch comes next week then it will look beautiful! Can’t wait!
I plan to get mine out this weekend! I spent last weekend weeding and edging to get the beds ready so this weekend it’s on to the containers! Great giveaway for a great product!
I love the idea of Ecoscraps!
I haven’t seen this product before. I’ll have to check it out!
I do window boxes and containers. I love when they’re full and flowy!
I love flowers !! Already have planted some but would love to plant more !!
Planting an replanting on my deck has “commenced” …. lolol… But just this week !!! Here in Florida I should have started weeks ago !!!! 🙂