I am really struggling with things to post about while I feel like my efforts have stalled while I heal. Nearly there, I think. I just want to be careful and not blow all the work by getting crazy too soon. I hate being neglectful of the blog, and miss conversing with you. I’ll try to be better.
While I’m moving at a snails pace myself, April has rolled by like an express train. This is coming up to one of my favorite times of year in Pennsylvania: Fresh Veggie Season! I am blessed to live in an area where I can easily, and fairly inexpensively, get farm-fresh produce from local farms, farm stands, or farmers’ markets. But I dearly love to grow my own.
Now that I’m in an apartment on my own instead of sharing a house that had a bit of land, I’m trying my hand at container gardening for the first time this spring. I’ve planted directly into the ground before, and used raised beds, but that’s not really an option for me this year. Two weekends ago I started some seeds using Burpee Starter Pellets. They start out flat but “inflate” when you add water, then you plant your seeds.
There’s zucchini, poppies (just for pretty), and peppers. I also have herbs, an eggplant, and strawberries. See the space for 4 missing pellets? Those are my green beans. They started sprouting about two days after I planted them! They quickly got too big for that sort of confinment and now they are here (right), along with my roma tomato, which I did not start from seed. Believe it or not, they will grow into these containers.
(And speaking of the containers, I was quite proud of myself there. I bought cheapo plastic terracotta colored containers and spray painted them in MY colors. They came out great, and it took like 5 minutes each to spray them, if that.) It’s still a bit too chilly in the mornings to have them outside all the time while they are so little. But that’s one of the great things I’m finding about the containers. No big problem to bring them in and out. This was taken after dark, but they do have a nice sunny window.
I get excited to check on them in the mornings and when I get home from work to see how they are doing. And I can’t wait to start planning my meals around what I have growing right outside my door.
One of the herbs I’m going to be growing is Stevia, which is a natural sweetener. My next post will be how I’m going to make use of that.
Are you growing any of your own food this year?
I am so jealous! I love the idea of growing my own food, but I am a plant murderer. Seriously even when I lived in the Willamette valley- (an area so fertile it was the end game of the Oregon trail computer game), and still my plants died.
LOL @addtova, I’m an indoor plant killer! Not sure why I can grow veggies like it’s nothing, but give me an indoor plant and I’ll guarantee its demise within weeks! So weird.
Yeah, I’m not great at house plants either.
Hmmm… maybe you overwater? Not even an herb garden? Really??
I’ve got my tomatoes outside already. They’re just starting to put out blossoms. I’ve got peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, broccoli, strawberries, blackberries, grapes and blueberries. Still to come are more peppers, sweet potatoes, yellow squash and green beans. I have my herb garden in containers (oregano, basil, lemon thyme, and rosemary). Like you, I love this time of year!!!!
Yay! I want to grow more, but the initial outlay for containers is pretty expensive. But this will be the only year I’ll have to buy so many. (She says as she just ordered more on Amazon.)
We started growing some vegetables indoors with the intent of putting them out in the garden this year…. Little did we know our dog thought the sprouts were toys and he destroyed them all!!!! what a little asshole!
Ha! That’s funny! My guy doesn’t seem to have an interest in the plants. Although last year he really wanted to eat the manure fertilizer (UGH!).
We started a compost bin in the kitchen and when we throw it out with the dirt he goes NUTS!!! It’s a littlw disgusting I think… but for a dog… Dirt Heaven