Idea Hamster Tip #1

You know what an Idea Hamster is, don't you?  That throbbing little area of your brain that's always running, generating ideas?  Over the years, my husband has developed a kind of nervous tic—an involuntary cringe whenever he hears me utter the words, "I have an idea..."

(The scary thing is that it seems to be hereditary.  My granddaughter Abigail has one, although at age 6, her hamster mostly generates goofy jokes and riddles.  Here's the latest, and to get the answer, you have to try to think like a 6-year-old, or any boy: "What do you get when you combine a turtle and a bird?"  Hint: The answer is a word of one syllable.)

Anyway, getting back to the truly bright idea my hamster generated a couple of years ago:  We have a Trex deck, which, as advertised, is fairly low-maintenance.  But in spite of raising the pots up on feet, over the course of time it still gets stained where water drains onto it from the large containers in which we grow flowers, herbs, and (occasionally) edibles.  What was needed, I decided, was some kind of tray that would collect the water and channel it over the edge of the deck or into the spaces between the decking.

And lo!  The idea hamster came through with a simple, inexpensive, readily-available solution:  Black Rubbermaid dish-drainer trays.  They're perfect:  slightly angled with channels on the top to encourage water to drain away, with flanges on the underside to raise them above the counter (or deck) surface.  They're fairly unobtrusive—I barely notice them now.  (My Inner Martha sniffs disparagingly at this comment—she notices them, all right—but I seldom listen to her.)  They're large enough to accommodate the bases of most containers, and they've withstood two full seasons now without cracking or fading—our south-facing deck collects plenty of heat during the summer, and since it's at the bottom of a low hill, is a cold-sink in the winter.  (Bonus Tip:  Note that in the upper photo you can see the drip lines that provide regular irrigation to the containers ... because the idea hamster is usually so preoccupied with other things that she forgets about watering the pots on a regular basis.)

Take heart, web-footed and mossy-fingered Northwest gardeners!  May is just around the corner, and believe it or not, the start of our dry season is coming.  Next post:  The Middle-Aged Guys Tomato Club, meeting in secret at a garden center near you:  How to spot them, and how to achieve success (a little bit of success, anyway) growing tomatoes no matter what kind of summer we have!