Quote:
Originally Posted by SueCT
My biggest concern would be contamination of your pots with the diseases you are trying to avoid. I don't know how easy it is to spread. In a heavy down pour could there be splash back into your pots from the ground? In windy conditions is ground soil more likely to get into your pots and contiminate them? I would just want to keep the top of those pots as far above that contaminated ground as possible. Just a thought. You might also consider burrying some and leaving some fully above ground the first year and see how they each do.
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Sue, our thinking is on the same page. I did test with 5 gallon buckets leaving them on the ground. I didn't bury any of them half way. The splash-up goes up 3/4 the way. I also testing using mulch around buckets and there was no splash-up that I ever noticed.
Today, I was going to buy the rest of the No Float Cypress mulch I need, but a thunderstorm came through and a power grid went down. The store (Walmart) was closed because of that. When we got home, I looked at the buckets and the same results were obvious. The 8 buckets with cypress mulch around them looked untouched. The other 4 had soil splashed up on them about 3/4 the way up.
As for dust blowing in - I really don't have an answer.
This year is more about testing different mixes and just learning about container gardening in general. I am hoping to be able to afford earth boxes this year, but I don't count chickens before they hatch....and the buckets may work out fine? The only way for me to learn is by doing it.