I've really loved having a vegetable garden the past few years. Nothing fancy, mostly tomatoes, peppers, giant squash, an eggplant and such. I didn't even like tomatoes until I tasted one fresh picked from the garden. You realize how gross and flavorless everything is from the grocery store.
The past few years I've bought plants from the nursery, Lowe's, Home Depot, or Walmart...and they worked out fine. But I've always looked longingly at all the beautiful displays of seeds. Considering my track record with killing countless poor, potted plants, I didn't think I could pull it off.
I realized that I was letting my fears hold me back from doing something potentially very enjoyable and fulfilling. And fears of what...spending a few dollars on seeds, not getting any to grow, then going out and buying some plants like I usually do anyways??
So I bit the bullet and went for it!
I may have gone a little overboard..I got a little seed-happy considering they are only $0.20 to $1.00 each. I got them all over the place...Home Depot, Walmart, and a local Garden Center. Walmart had a lot of choices for $0.20, so might be a good place to start.
And...I've got seedlings now!!!
I got a few seed trays at Home Depot. Best place I found for them.. Walmart and the garden center didn't have the ones I wanted, the kind I can use again next year. Although I was there again a week ago and things were already picked over.
I'm trying all kinds of goodies..3 kinds of tomatoes, couple of peppers, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, beans, peas, broccoli. I'm also trying to get some herbs going from seeds: basil, rosemary, tarragon, dill, cilantro, chives. So far everything has sprouted except some lavender. The broccoli is kind of toppled over and not looking so great. I'm also looking to get a raspberry, blueberry, and strawberry plant.
You can see in this picture how all my little guys bend towards the sun. Isn't that so amazing??
I rotate them everyday to try and keep them straight.
I got these "Jiffy Pots" at the garden center. You can plant them directly in the garden. Not reusable, but fairly cheap..$0.10 for the small ones, not much more for the big ones.
Once I saw how good my veggies were doing, I decided to get even crazier and start some Annual flowers from seeds (the pretty kinds you plant every year) and some Perennials (the kind that come back each year). Perennials are usually $5-7 each, so I figure even if I can get one going, it would more than pay for the seeds.
It's hard to see, but I've got little seedlings already. I'll let you know how it works out and if I get anything I can actually use.
You can see I'm putting my scientist skills to good use, keeping a gardening notebook. I've got maps of my planters and notes like when the plants were started and some of the info from the seed packets like how long until harvest, how big the plants are supposed to get, etc. I'm hoping to keep it up so next year I know what works or not.
So you can see, we don't have very a very high-tech operation going on over here. A card table and dog crate. I don't even have seed lights. Maybe next year.
Side note..this is my poor dining room/green house right now. A good "Before" picture. We sold our table set to friends and repainted. I'm still trying to figure out what I want to do in there. It's kind of fun being able to start from scratch, but also a little intimidating. I'll be sharing some ideas and the progress I make.
My husband got excited about the garden, so he offered to build me a "raised bed". And boy did I get one! He wanted to make sure it was high enough so the dog doesn't go tearing through (which he totally would). This should keep him out! :) I love it though.
Even if I get one that I can get one plant to the garden and get one veggie from it, I would consider the work and experience more than worth it. I'll share my garden progress through the season and what I'm learning along the way. I'm planning on trying my hand at canning this year too...maybe try some spaghetti sauce, salsa, or pickles. Keep your fingers crossed that I actually get some things to grow!!
