A quick update from last week’s post: Just a few hours after it went up, we were notified by the garden plot coordinator that the county parks are closed until further notice. We aren’t allowed to go to our plots for the foreseeable future, and I’m not sure what that is going to mean for the state of my plans. Then, just yesterday, the governor mandated a stay-at-home policy until June 10th. So I don’t know when I’ll see my community garden plot again. Everything is in constant flux and I’m going to have to get creative figuring out where I’m going to put all the plants I already started. I’m basically bracing for the possibility that I won’t see my garden until fall. If I do get to see it, that’s great, if not, I have a feeling a lot of things will be in pots on my deck. I’m still hoping to find spots to plant extra things to donate to food banks, though. I think that part is going to be so important, and I want to stay committed to it. So stay tuned, it’s going to be an interesting ride.
Now on to the main story! While we’ve been cooped up the past couple of weeks, here in the Geekret house we’ve been…uh…shall we say less-than-good about our goals to not drink so much soda. The way I see it is this: 1) times are weird so we get a pass, and 2) at least I can put those bottles to use!
Recycling plastic bottles into useful garden items is one of my favorite ways to protect baby plants. My project this past weekend was to protect my latest round of lettuce from birds and (hopefully) squirrels.
Smaller 12 oz bottles, ready for use. 
Sans tops and bottoms.
After I rinsed out the bottles, I removed the lids and got them ready. It took some time cutting off the bottoms, and then the tops, but it turns out there is a handy little line right above the decorative part of the bottle that made it easy to figure out a good spot to cut.
I used this particular group in a deck-top trough that I’m planning to grow more lettuces in. It’s a nice sunny spot, and I can move it to the floor of the deck where the railing will give dappled shade if the little greens need them. This system works out pretty well for salad greens.
I really like using bottles in this way, because the bottles help deter some of the common critters that want to eat my plants, and removing the tops lets me have easy access for watering or for rainfall to reach the seeds. Using bottle rings like these is also super helpful for protecting tomato transplants from cutworms. If you slide them over while the plant is still small enough, and partially bury the bottle it works really well. (I got that tip from one of my community plot neighbors!) In the past I’ve used full 2-liter bottles with the tops intact (caps removed) as a sort of starter greenhouse for beans and other plants. This helps stop them from getting dug up by animals before they have a chance to sprout, and acts as a mini-greenhouse. I’ll have some more examples of those to show you when it comes time to plant the green-beans and squash!
What’s Happening in the Garden This Week?
So as you’ve probably guessed, I put some lettuces in this week! I already have a salad mix planted in the garden bed, and in the deck trough I planted some Outredgeous and some Parris Island COS. My spouse likes to use romaine varieties in salads and when we make tacos, so I decided to go with a favorite variety from last year (the COS) and a new variety (the Outredgeous).
Everything in the raised bed is coming in nicely! Soon it’ll be time to start thinning the radishes and greens, and this week I’ll probably sow the second planting of carrots. The first round hasn’t sprouted much, though, so I might hold off until they start growing more.
My seedlings are really taking off under the grow lights, and the heirloom tomatoes from last year’s seeds are doing wonderfully! The greens are starting to get true leaves coming in, so hopefully soon I can start hardening them off to move to the raised bed.
Now I’m just taking stock of my supply of pots and dirt, and figuring out where everything is going to go. My poor spouse. He was really looking forward to the pepper jungle moving from the deck to the community plot…looks like it’s not going to happen this year after all!
The Geekret Garden 
Isn’t it strange how staying at home is making us feel more connected in many ways? I read your article and was comforted by it. Here in Spain our community garden or huerto has also been closed. We had just planted tomato, pepper, chard, onion and aubergine seedlings. They were all dug up and my huerto buddy who has a much bigger garden than I do, ripped out her decorative planting and re-homed our veggies! I have begun patio and tub gardening and loved your mini greenhouse ideas. Our outside space is limited and my husband likes it to be tidy but I’m afraid that the potatoes, salad and onions in a cut down supermarket bag are here to stay! Once we are allowed out again I am going to build raised beds and keep my growing close to home . Thank you for your lovely article.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for the kind words! All of this has been such a big adjustment for everyone, but you’re right, in a strange way it does seem to be bringing us all more together!
LikeLiked by 1 person