containers Archives - CheerCrank

Fruits You Can Grow in Containers

CheerUp — Thu, 25 May 2017 14:28:26 +0000

Not only they will look nice in your garden, but they will also serve their main purpose – you can eat fresh and organic fruit straight from your garden! Planting and taking care for fruit trees is generally easy, although there are more details to it.

Read along to see which fruit will suit your needs the best!

1. Lemons

via thespruce.com

There are many reasons why you need to give this one a try – first of all, lemons are very healthy and you can consume them after they’re grown; they are very easy to take care for and last, but not least, these can make your garden way more charming and better scented.

To grow lemons, you need to give them full sun, well-drained soil, regular feeding and to keep them away from cold weather, strong winds and to not overwater them.

2. Figs

via palmers.co.nz

One of the best things about figs is that you can eat them right away from the tree, or you can later use them in cooking. To grow fig tree in a container, make sure to grow them in soil-based potting mix and add fine bark chips. Figs need full or partial sun and they have to grow in well-drained soil. Water them regularly until they’re well-established and prune them a little bit. During the dormant season, remove all the dead, diseased, or weak branches to encourage growth.

3. Dwarf Peach

via bakker.com

Dwarf peaches are the best choice if you want to grow peaches, but you don’t have enough space in your garden. Besides this, the dwarf peach tree can give fruits sooner than other fruit trees and it grows very quickly. There are few varieties of dwarf peach trees that you can choose from, but no matter which one you choose make sure to see if the tree is all healthy. To ensure the best growth, plant them in later winter or early spring.

4. Sugar Baby Watermelon

via bonnieplants.com

What’s better than having a fresh, juicy snack on a hot, summer night? This is just one of the good reasons why you should give a try to the watermelons. They require full sun position and need to be positioned 36 to 60 inches apart from each other. Plant them in a well-drained soil that is rich with organic matter and water the soil regularly until the watermelons are about the size of a tennis ball – after this, just when the soil is dry.

5. Cherries

via gardeningknowhow.com

Cherry trees grown in a container need to be treated the same way just like an in-ground tree. They need a good fertilizer with organic nutrients – you can find fertilizers that are made exactly for cherry trees. During fall and early spring, you will need to take care of the tree with chasing bugs away. This can be done with sulfur spray, but you should be careful with the usage because too much of this spray can kill the greenery, and the tree in general.

6. Pineapples

via lsuagcenter.com

Unlike the cherry trees that are prone to bugs, the pineapple is a tough fruit and it isn’t prone to insects and disease problems. However, this one also takes such a long time to produce fruit – it will take you about two years from the moment you plant it until the harvest. The pineapple requires warm temperature and full sun position, so during cold winter nights protect it from freezing temperatures.

7. Strawberries

via lifeisagarden.co.za

Unlike other fruits, strawberries have small root ball and that means you can plant them even in very small containers. No matter what kind of container you choose, it’s important for strawberries to be planted in well-drained soil. They need full sun position, at least 6-8 hours and make sure to rotate the container every 3-4 days, if the sunlight is coming from one directions. To ensure the best growth, feed the strawberries every 3-4 weeks with a liquid fertilizer high in phosphorus.

8. Apple Red Spur

via jparkers.co.uk

In order to get the best apples, it’s very important to plant the tree in the right soil. Apple trees require very fertile soil, so it’s recommended to test both the soil and the pH value of it before you do the planting. The ideal range for apple trees is the one where the pH is 6.0-7.0, however you should avoid heavy or poor-drained soils. You can plant them anytime of the year, but if there is hard frost, it is better to wait for warmer times.

9. Pomegranate

via naturebring.com

For pomegranate it’s important to be planted in warm and arid areas. However, even you leave in a place where the climate is cool, you can still grow pomegranate indoors with the right conditions and outside while the weather is as recommended. Pomegranates are self-pollinating, which means that you just need to set the fruit. They need full sun and need to be watered deeply once in a week, or more if the weather is really dry.

10. Blueberries

via espoma.com

In order to grow blueberries in container, the most important thing is to plant them in the right soil. The blueberries want an acidic soil and most garden soil don’t come close to the required acidic level, so most likely you will need to buy. Unlike the strawberries that could be planted even in a small jar, the blueberries must be planted in a large pot and also get at least 6-8 hours of sun. However, growing blueberries means being patient as well – it might take them a year or more to produce any fruit.

The post Fruits You Can Grow in Containers appeared first on CheerCrank.

How to Repurpose Kitty Litter Containers

CheerUp — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 15:12:56 +0000

1. Painted kitty litter planters. Artist Cassie Stephens shows you how gorgeous a simple plastic litter tub can be with the help of a coat of paint and some flowers! Making yourself custom planters is as easy as you are creative. Remove the lids and paint the tubs however you please, then use them to display your favourite flowers on the porch!

2. Labeled toy boxes

Are you looking for easy storage solutions for the kids’ play room to help them keep things organized and up off the floor? Take a leaf out of Scrappin’ Danielle‘s book by helping your kids decorate the outsides of the boxes with construction paper, wrapping paper, paint, or crafting plastic, then make labels for each tub. The more fun the tubs look, the more likely your kids will be to actually use them!

3. Bicycle baskets

Do you like to ride your bike most places rather than paying bus fare or gas? Bike riding is a great idea environmentally and health wise, but it’s not always practical for things like grocery shopping. Lifehacker, however, has a solution for that! They show you how to attach a kitty litter tub on each side of your rear wheel to give your bike extra storage space that’s great for shopping or carrying your work clothes.

4. Travel cooler for tailgate parties

Do you love throwing impromptu patio parties in the summer and often find that it’s easier to set out coolers than to have people traipsing back and forth through your kitchen repeatedly to grab a cold beer? Largo suggests painting a kitty litter tub with a fun pattern, picture, or logo and filling it with ice to give yourself an extra drink cooling station for those occasions when your guests bring a few extra friends!

5. Automatic pet feeder

Do you free feed your cats and prefer that they always have a good supply of dry food on hand for when you’re at work? Lifehack shows you how to turn an empty kitty litter tub into an automatic feeder that, as long as you keep the top filled, will make sure your pets always have a snack ready, even if you have to work late one day this week.

6. Recycling bins

Are you quite meticulous about the way you sort and recycle your family’s waste? Whether you do it because your city has certain requirements or because you like to live as green as possible, kitty litter tubs with lifting lids can help you out! Choose as many tubs as the number of recycling categories you want and label them with stickers or a patch of chalkboard paint and some chalk, just like Family Handyman did here. Even just the act of reusing your littler tubs is an act of recycling!

7. Fabric bins for sewing projects

There’s No Place Like Homemade suggests using tall kitty litter tubs to store yards of fabric in an organized way that keeps them unwrinkled and neat. Consider cutting a strip of each fabric to tape to the outside of the tub it’s stored in so you can find things easily.

8. Stacking garage storage

Garage shelving is often affordable and easy to set up, but you’ve probably noticed by now that we’re big fans of anything that can be made from recycled materials in the place of buying something new. Instead of heading over to Ikea to buy a shelf for all the bike helmets and rollerblading knee pads cluttering your garage, build a series of cubbies from saves kitty litter tubs! Get the full instructions for it on Instructables.

9. Litter jug yarn and craft storage

UpcycledStuff suggests using kitty litter tubs to store craft supplies of all kinds, including yarn for knitting or crochet! These tubs are especially good for storing yarn because the size of most skeins is perfect for stacking inside the standard tub size.

10. Nautical tote bucket

Do you feel like really transforming your latest empty litter tub into something much cuter? We absolutely adore this nautical tote bucket from The Kim Six Fix, made by wrapping rope around the bucket from top to bottom and stenciling an anchor on the surface. This nautical bucket is perfect for things like magazine storage in your home or taking food on the go that has to lay flat so it doesn’t spill.

11. Stacked chicken nesting boxes

Savvy Housekeeping knows the value of being able to upcycle for money saving purposes when you live on a farm, so they suggest tipping kitty litter buckets on their sides to make chicken nesting boxes! The more litter boxes you save, the more of your chickens will have a cozy place to sleep without you paying for more expensive options.

12. Recycling and composting tubs

Think of It As An Adventure knows that buying fancy composting tubs for underneath your sink isn’t always a good investment. All you’re going to do is get it dirty, and no one will ever see it anyways! Kitty litter tubs work just as well.

13. Cute fabric covered storage tub

Sometimes you just need a tub for organizational purposes. Perhaps you need somewhere to put all your makeup or a small box for your kids’ drawing supplies to go in. Using a kitty litter tub is a great idea, but just because you’re upcycling doesn’t mean you have to use it regularly with the logo and brand name sticking out! Check out how Dunmore Crochet Corner covered this box in cute scraps of fabric and buttons to make your storage a little cuter!

14. Outdoor “on the go” toy box

One of the best parts of upcycled kitty litter tubs is that they almost all have a sturdy handle that’s used to bearing a lot of weight. This makes it perfect for upcycling in ways that involve hauling it around a lot. Upcycled Stuff suggests labeling an empty kitty litter tub as an outdoot toy box for more heavy duty toys that your kids might want to use in different places, like their toy cars and trucks.

15. Wire or cord spool

as15 suggests cutting down the sides of a kitty litter container and fitting a large cord spool in the top so that it sits horizontally. This helps keep the cord (or hose, because it would work well for that too) in place without letting it unravel or get tangled.

The post How to Repurpose Kitty Litter Containers appeared first on CheerCrank.