The bottomless pot was an idea I had for tricking the seeds to sprout even though the ground just didn't seem like it was warming up. In all cases, the first ones to sprout were inside the pot so I think the idea is sound.
The reason I thought they might need help was that the
peas were slow in sprouting. Initially, I tried this with a hill of yellow crooknecks. Where I planted, the ground stays soggy for a long time in spring and the subsoil is clay + it's shaded in the morning until about 10AM. I'm still doing the sheet mulch ground prep in all cases, but I put down a shovelful of half finished compost, set the bottomless 1 gal pot in it, 1/2 filled with more compost, then with potting soil and planted 3 seeds inside, 3 outside. At the time, I was getting REALLY spotty germination from peas, which I interpreted to mean that the ground just wasn't warming up.
I sowed the seeds on 4/22 (avg. last frost date). Here's a photo from 5/3 when first one sprouted:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6838.jpg[/img]
I think I put the sand layer on top because it wasn't draining well and planted the seeds in that. To compensate for the light color, I put the cut-off black plastic bottom of the pot on top of the sand for the first 3~4 days.
We did have frost warnings in the beginning of May and I put a WOW (closed into a tee-pee shape) over the YC's for a while since they already had grown true leaves.
Here's a photo from 6/2. YC is in the back between the Milkweed and the Monarda:
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/Image6998.jpg[/img]
I think there are two growing inside the pot and one outside. It doesn't look like it in this photo but there's about 24" square space behind the monarda. The YC is SUPPOSED to *not* swallow up the Monarda but grow through the weedy gap between it and the Milkweed and then take up the additional mulched open space if necessary.
I plan to leave the pot rim in place, but pile more compost around it and then mulch with hay so the vines won't kink on the rim of the pot.
So you don't think they're too close together? I'm not out for the biggest of the biggest, just bigger than usual and fun for all.
