I absolutely loved seeing the entries for this months giveaway! The garden walk throughs whether video or photos were fabulous. I sat grinning like a Cheshire cat for every entry. I hope you all enjoyed seeing each others gardens as much as I did. You'll find attached a video of this month's drawing for the winner of the Container Garden Planner. Check it out and be sure to congratulate our very first giveaway winner.

I am a cold climate gardener living on the Saskatchewan Prairies. I've been slowly converting to growing everything in raised garden beds and tubs over the past couple years and loving this method. Excited to be part of this group and learn more about container gardening.

[IMPORTANT READ] Wow! A huge thank you to each of you who joined The Potted Garden Society. This isn’t just a gardening group — it’s our green corner of the internet. Together, our mission is simple: 👉 Build a vibrant community of 10,000+ passionate plant lovers — from curious beginners to backyard legends — who are here to share, learn, and grow 🌼 Think of Skool as your gardening clubhouse. A space where tips bloom, ideas grow roots, and plants (and people!) thrive together. Here’s what we’ll dig into as a group: 🌱 Seasonal planting tips, tricks & troubleshooting 🌼 Celebrating plant wins (with proud pics!) 🐛 Solving pest & soil challenges 🍅 Learning how to grow food at home 🌿 Swapping advice on tools, composting & containers Our FIRST main focus as a community: 🔥 Help each other grow more confidently each season 💬 Make daily conversations about real plant wins & woes 🌍 Share eco-friendly ways to garden & give back to the earth A Few Quick Things: 1️⃣ This space is for plant newbies and seasoned growers 🌻 2️⃣ Say hello below 👋 Tell us what you grow, your zone or location, and a pic of your current favorite plant! Let’s grow something beautiful — together. Let’s grow The Potted Garden Society! 💚 – Donna

You’ve been nurturing your container-grown tomatoes, peppers, or squash with care—only to discover a dark, sunken spot at the base of the fruit. That’s blossom end rot, and it’s a frustrating problem that strikes even the most attentive gardeners. The good news? It’s preventable with the right approach. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐭? Blossom end rot is a physiological disorder (not a disease) caused by a calcium imbalance in the plant. It shows up as a black or brown leathery patch at the bottom (blossom end) of the fruit. 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 * Inconsistent Watering: Fluctuations in soil moisture make it harder for plants to absorb calcium. * Calcium Deficiency: Often not due to a lack of calcium in the soil, but the plant’s inability to take it up. * Poor Soil Mix: Using soil that lacks nutrients or drains poorly can contribute. * Overfertilizing: Excess nitrogen can promote rapid growth and outpace calcium availability. 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐬 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 * Tomatoes (especially early fruit) * Peppers * Squash and zucchini * Eggplant 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦 𝐄𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐨𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝟏. 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲 * Keep soil evenly moist—not too dry or soggy. * Water deeply and regularly, especially during hot or windy weather. * Consider self-watering containers or drip irrigation for steady moisture. 𝟐. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐢𝐱 * Choose a high-quality potting mix with good drainage and organic matter. * Avoid using straight garden soil or reused mix that may be depleted. 𝟑. 𝐀𝐝𝐝 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐢𝐮𝐦 * Mix in crushed eggshells, bone meal, or garden lime when planting. * Use a balanced liquid fertilizer with calcium if needed. * Foliar sprays can help, but root uptake is more effective long-term. 𝟒. 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐢𝐧𝐠 * Too much nitrogen encourages leafy growth at the expense of fruit health. * Use a balanced or low-nitrogen fertilizer designed for fruiting plants. 𝟓. 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞 * larger pots help regulate moisture and reduce stress. * For tomatoes and peppers, aim for containers at least 5 gallons in size.

This is my first year trying to grow anything, so of course I couldn't just try two or three plants, I had to try seven different things and try to keep up with how to take care of each one. I have three raised garden beds with legs. The one I'm posting is the 40 inch bed. For some reason, I thought it would be wise to plant 2 bell pepper plants, 3 eggplants, lavender, yellow Spanish onion, and oregano. Marigolds go without saying, right? Then as if that wasn't enough I added radish seeds. In case you were keeping count the 7th item is cilantro which is in another bed with more bell peppers. About 2 weeks ago, I moved one of the eggplants to another bed, but as you can see from the video this bed is still densely packed. Oops