Make Your Own...Self Watering Flower Pot

Last year I bought several small flower pots on closeout for something like 79 cents each. Since developing more of a green thumb, I have learned that as cute as these pots are, they tend to kill plants quickly due to their lack of drainage holes. Pots with proper drainage, however, tend to be more expensive and not as cute.

Enter...yogurt tubs! We get a lot of mileage out of these at our house. In fact, I believe the yogurt tub featured in the picture used to hold homemade pizza sauce. Here is yet another use for them. Cut some holes in the bottom and si

des of the tub. Pot your plant inside the tub and then set the tub inside your pretty but impractical pot. This creates a self-watering container. I am sure this would work well with bigger tubs (like ones for bulk potato salad, etc.) and bigger pots, although I haven't tried it.

Now you can enjoy your pretty, healthy plant in its cute pot!

Backyard Garden Tour

This is the view I enjoy from the top of the stairs that lead into our apartment. This summer, my husband and I are truly living the outdoor life.

When we found out we could not plant our garden on the church's land out in the country, we were disappointed and thought we could not have a garden this year. When we mentioned that fact to our landlord, however, she generously offered us an area of the backyard! This new plot offers rich soil and is close enough that we can easily monitor and care for our little garden. We are growing zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes, green beans, and corn. Seth is trying a few new techniques: tomatoes with fencing on either side to support the plants, a raised bed for the green beans, and corn mulch walkways over newspaper to keep the weeds down.

I have enjoyed tending the flower beds at the bottom of the stairs. This year I went all out and even added a weed covering and mulch.

With all the flowers and foliage downstairs, we didn't want our stairs and deck to feel left out. We put wave petunias in a flower box and in pots. They add such a great pop of color to our space and are easy to grow!

We also planted some edible items in this area. In the other flower box, I planted four herb plants, and at the foot of the steps I have two containers, one with a cherry tomato plant and the other with a yellow pepper plant. I am curious to see how well they grow in containers.

Ever since my grandmother passed away (one year ago this weekend), I have been extremely interested in birds. As a result, I have several bird feeders. My favorite feeder is the one I have hanging outside our living room window. Cardinals and house finches are frequent visitors! The picture below is the best one I have of Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal (as I affectionately call them) hanging out on the roof under the feeder.

Living in an upstairs apartment has not stopped us from living life to the fullest! How do you enjoy your outdoor space?