Gardening and outdoors?

@parus, Your picture of the day lilies put a smile in my heart as well. Thanks!

@tennbee I use to have a big garden and canned all my vegies,fruits , Our son was allergic to dyes,preservatives . I had an assortment of things to keep the pest away. Snail-a saucer of beer ,Dried blood ,animals wont go over this to get to garden, Lyme on leaves ,Hair ,deer wont go near it . The soap mixture is good also to spray on leaves don't forget the underside . Just a few tips I used in my garden. Hope some of this helps

@tennbee The idea of using plastic bottles, foam blocks, packing peanuts is primarily to make the pot lighter and use less soil. (You know how heavy a extra large pot can get when filled with soil, plants and water) Years ago I took a class at a garden center on flower arranging and a master gardener showed us how to use milk jugs and 20 oz. soda bottles and foam peanuts. Put the filler material of your choice in the bottom of the pot.Cut a piece of landscape fabric or fine screen, fit in place, add soil and plants.
My next project is to make a fountain out of a jumbo planter I have in my garage. It's a beautiful turquoise blue planter fountain kit I bought at Lowes for under $40. I can't wait to relax on my lanai to the sound of bubbling water!

@tennbee : Pebbles / rocks / potting shards work for small or medium pots. I am talking about 5 to 10 gallon patio pots, with annual plants in them. Putting rocks in them defeats the purpose of making them lightweight, and movable. And I have not yet found an organic material that simulates the efficient use of plastic bottles or similar for ANNUAL, ORNAMENTAL, plants grown in pots on the patio, e.g. I save my environmental and natural pesticide approach for edibles.

Looks great. Have tried similar. After a full season of growing plants in the pot, the layers have shifted, peanuts in the soil, roots in the soil and the peanuts.... nice for medium to small pots, perhaps.

Wow! @ellerbracke I'm impressed! Actually, I'm hungry for those berries! Great gardening there. I envy your green thumb!

lioness, looks like you used all the tricks to try and keep the pesky insects away.

@tennebee Yes had to everything people would tell me I tried some worked some didn't but those that did saved a lot of our crops. At the end of the season Id make vegetable soup and can it . Then had a lady come in and clean up the garden from what was left. I enjoyed it .

@lioness : Not sure which area/temperate zone of the US you used to garden in. I’m impressed by the organic/natural deterrents you found to minimize damage by pests or animals. Some (proven) negative: today - meaning, these past few years - you can put whatever hair you want onto any plant, and the deer will just east the next one in line. That old remedy has come and gone. At least here. My main fiend are raccoons. The love figs. But only once the fruit is perfectly ripe. So I check the figs in the evening, thinking 12 more hours would make it perfect, and the ‘coons jump the gun. Morning comes, figs are halfway gnawed. I don’t begrudge the occasional snack, but it is really frustrating to lose 3/4 of your fruit harvest, being chewed on and then left on the ground, or even on the branch. For anyone suggesting netting: Been there, done that. Overlaps joined with clothe pins. FYI: raccoons can open them. Tried wrapping almost - ripe figs with alu-foil. Next morning I had silver balls under the fig tree. So there’s a challenge: other than getting another dog (and keeping it outdoors, which we never did) , any ideas? NO, I really don’t think the motion animated water sprays, light-up things, or music/noise (really? we also want to sleep) work. Still, perhaps something interesting comes of this post.

Several corrections, but most pressing: motion “activated”, of course. Sometimes my fingers get ahead of my spelling brain, and lapses result.