Foodscape Phase 1: Complete…Mostly
The Fella and I were able to make solid progress on Phase 1 of our foodscaped front yard. We obtained our blackberries and raspberries, which look more like twigs sticking out of the ground, but I’m optimistic. We also completed the majority of our flower box. My local nursery, Buchanan’s, was out of Mexican marigold, which is a plant very similar to tarragon, except Houston heat won’t kill it. We also need to get some mulch to keep in the moisture, as this bed dries out very quickly.
We bought some inexpensive Bloem flowerpots from Lowes which I sunk into the bed to act as a barrier for my invasive herbs like mint. It also adds some visual interest to the bed while the plants are getting established. I’m very pleased with the quality and cheerful color of the pots and plan to use some more for a strawberry tower project next weekend.
Lay out your bed. 
Bury your pots to the level of where the mulch will go. 
Fill pots with potting mix and plants of your choosing.
The gaps were filled in with chard, kale, and nasturtiums, which will grow to fill the spaces. I’m excited to see what my nasturtiums look like, since none of them were blooming when I got these.
As I said before, our blackberries and raspberries are not very impressive and look as if we planted a stick in the mud. We planted them directly into the ground and back filled the hole with manure, compost, and raised bed mix. Fingers crossed that these sad little sticks flourish, because right now the weeds are more of a focal point than the blackberries. Either way, it will be another year at least before we see fruit, but a more substantial leafy twig might make our neighbors think we are less insane.
