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!
kathy wallace says
We love to pot plants and set them around the deck. I love Spring!
Maria says
I bought this same brand for my herb container. I bought s large player in legs and filled it up with this pretty dirt. I’m working on the rest of my raised garden beds too.
marjorie lavender says
I plant in containers and in a bed in the front yard (the only sunny spot). I like to move the containers around.
Lynne says
I plant mostly in containers now and have just started. I would love to use this dirt as it says that it helps contain the moister in the soil. Once I start it is hard to stop. I love flowers!
Stephanie Henry says
I plant both containers and flower beds. In fact, I just planted my first containers today!!
Sandi Gibbins says
I plan on planting beautiful plants in my pots and containers next week! ?
Debra says
I plant both containers and beds. Have just started experimenting with shade plants in containers….
Kathy says
I have planters by the garage and on the front porch and flower beds in the front yard. Can’t wait to see it all blooming!
Treasia Stepp says
I started the planting a few weeks ago but still have more to go. I have planters and two window boxes left I am working on. This would be awesome to help me get finished on them.
Laura McCants says
I haven’t planted all of my patio containers yet. Also still need to plant my front porch flower boxes. I would love to win the gift card–it would definitely help me finish my spring planting!
angela says
I have planted some but need to get more. I have both containers and garden beds but have more garden beds.
Sandy says
Just a few containers so far…..
Amalia says
What an awesome company! I spent all last weekend sprucing up the herb garden, planting some gorgeous Calibrachoa in my deck planters and weeding, weeding, weeding!
Jenn @ Loveland Lodge says
Beautiful! I got a few planters done in early April, but it’s time to go back and do the rest!
Teresa K says
What a great idea to use food waste — I’m going to try it! I’ve been working in my garden beds dividing and moving perennials around but haven’t done my containers yet. I have five pots on my front porch that I fill with annuals and I do the same thing: something tall, a filler and a spiller and my containers always look great. I have seven pots on my back patio that I fill with herbs. Happy gardening 🙂
Tanya says
Did some veggie planting. We had such a mild winter we don’t need to replant our impatiens, they volunteered to come back! Thanks for sponsoring this giveaway
Melanie says
I have flowers in pots on the front porch and pots in the back yard. I am really excited about gardening this summer. Did not even mind the weeding I did a few days ago!
Connie says
I haven’t planted yet. I want to put two planters on my front porch but haven’t quite decided which planters I want to use or exactly what I want to put in them. I may use a Purple Pixie® Loropetalum which is a dwarf, weeping variety and only gets about one or two feet tall. Since it is weeping, if put in a tall pot, or one on a pedestal of some kind, it hangs over the edge of the pot and looks gorgeous. In addition, a variety of grass might be good put I haven’t decided on the “thriller” yet.
Karenann says
I love planting in both containers and in my garden beds. As soon as Mother’s Day comes, I start planting. Here in New York, we still get very cold nights up till Memorial Day, but it is safe to start planting around Mother’s Day. I usually plant fancy containers for my porch, patio and pool and plant in all my beds on my property. It’s my Springtime and Summertime hobby!
Rachel says
I haven’t planted my summer flowers yet. When I do plant them I plan on planting them in decorative pots.