We lost our Big Lots last year.i sure hated it too as I found all kinds of goodies in that store.I bought a BIG pot today too.Its 24 inch pot at Freds on sale,was 7.99.so not too bad for a BIG pot.I use all sorts of things for pots,like a couple years ago I bought some big plastic tubs with rope handles on them and drilled a bunch of holes in the bottom and used them for pots.I have 3 I been using for the last 5 yrs to grow a tomatoe plant in.Have used the half gal ice cream containers to plant seeds in,just drill holes in the bottom. Jean

ROTFL*** Oh my gosh I have to tell that one to my Husband - a crazy group of jug-lovers...oh my gosh that's funny!!! :) Congrat's on your sprouts! I'm a newbie over here too and this is all so exciting to me as well. Can't wait to see them BLOOM! :)

I tried Straw one year but didn't like the mess it made or the cleanup required the following spring. Leaving it was not an option as it looked bad. I did run it through a chipper shredder one year. The smaller pieces were better. Free is good though. I'd never pass up free.

I'm picky about the varieties I plant, so I've only planted two so far, Caspian Pink and Koralik, about ten days ago. I resisted buying any seedlings during the warm spell in February, and waited until we had a week of sun in March. Both are in walls-o-water. I'll probably plant a dozen more (including the ones I'm growing from seed). Bahia wondered why do it...To push the limits of what can be grown when, of course. And also because, having grown my own tomatoes and raspberries and cucumbers and strawberries, I can't eat store-bought versions any more (and rarely eat the farmers' market versions). The difference in quality is so astounding that I don't eat these unless I've grown them. Last year, I planted 2 plants in mid-February and a bunch more in March, despite the rain and cold. The year before, I planted a bunch in late March, even though it was an especially cold and rainy year. Both years, I used walls-o-water or bubble wrap, plus sheets of plastic to protect from rainstorms and morning frost, and I was out there in the wind and rain securing and replacing the protective covers. But I can eat homegrown tomatoes in June! IIRC, last year I got a couple by the end of May. This year I've also planted some tomato seeds outdoors using the "wintersowing" technique pioneered (or publicized) by some east-coast gardeners: Poke air and drainage holes in some some small plastic containers, fill with soil, plant seeds, and transplant (with protection) even before the plants develop true leaves. I just had to try this to see if it really works. A few of my seedlings are reaching the top of the containers so should be ready to plant out, though they're only a couple inches high. Last year I waited until the soil was warm to plant beans, and I could have planted a lot earlier. I saw some beans producing very well at the beginning of July at the community garden. So this year, I'm going to plant beans by April 1. Or maybe earlier -- I saw another garden plot that just put in some transplants last week.