Are You Ready to Gain Homestead Skills Now?

A key way to gain homestead skills now, before you even have land is learning how to care for plants. Now there are plenty of self proclaimed black-thumb plant killers out there, but everyone who has a thriving garden has killed a lot of plants learning how to take care of them. In the essence of saving money for your future homestead this post will show you how to grow a plant in a recycled container. Almost anything that will hold dirt and drain can be used to plant in!

Supply List

• Empty plastic container (juice bottle, coffee canister, tote with no lid, plastic dog food bag)
• Dirt (probably best to buy some organic potting soil this time)
• nail
• hammer
• Scissors or knife (needed to remove the top of juice bottle if needed)
• old tray or saucer
• aloe or mint plant ( for this first plant buy a mint or aloe plant from a small nursery or local grower)

Getting Started

First, wash out your container, this is so you do not get whatever was in it everywhere when we turn it upside down to put in drainage holes. If using a bottle with small opening the top will need to be removed so that is can be used. Carefully using scissors or knife remove the top so that it is easy to add dirt and then the plant to your container. Next turn the container upside down and use the hammer and nail to add 5 to 10 holes in the bottom for water drainage in hard plastic. If using a dog food bag use scissors to add a few small slits for drainage.

Now you are ready to turn the container right side up and fill it with dirt almost to the top. Once the container is mostly filled it is time to loosen the plant from the small container that it came in and plant it into its new larger container. Gently shake the plant and container upside down over your hand until it comes loose. Use your hand to make a hole in the soil in the container, and add the plant so that the dirt in the container is even with where the dirt is currently on the plant. Add some additional soil to the container so that it is full and the plant has support. Thoroughly water your new plant and wait for the water to finish draining out of the bottom.

New Plant Placement

Place your new plant on your tray or saucer so that drainage from future watering is contained. You are now ready to put your plant in its new location that you see often. To this day I have plants that need my attention near the kitchen sink window. Be sure to pick a location where you will regularly see your plant. Make a reminder in your phone to water it once a week. Watering is also suggested if you see it drooping at anytime. Your location or house atmosphere might require watering more often, and you can just increase the reminder frequency in your phone if needed.

Once you keep this one alive for a while try planting a different type of plant. Plants all have similar yet different needs and you can increase your skills by slowly learning to care for new types of plants.

Check out what we are growing currently over on social media.

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