Another note on pots
Jane McGary (Sat, 30 Oct 2004 09:17:43 PDT)

Dave Brastow wrote,

filled plunge beds, but my >ability to build beds outpaces my ability to
plant seeds, so there are always those waiting in the >sun for their more
permanent sites (currently there are about 180 ... yikes).

I have my plunge beds in frames, which I pay somebody else to build because
I cannot construct so much as a doghouse without it going crooked. However,
if you really need to plunge a bunch of pots quickly, all you have to do is
call the local quarry and order a truckload of builder's (concrete) sand
and have it dumped in a berm form. Even in the heavy Northwest rains, it
stays in shape over winter. Sand, if coarse and sharp, is far better for
plunging pots than sawdust is because it does not attract earthworms,
slugs, fungi, fungus gnats, and other organisms that can harm bulbs, nor
does it decompose and require replacement.

Of course this would not work well if you have a property not accessible to
a dumptruck or tractor with a loader bucket, or if you are fussy about
having everything well contained.

Jane McGary
Northwestern Oregon, USA