Seedlings

A lot has been happening since my last post.  The plants are growing fast, and it's almost time to move some into pots.  The beans and peas are growing like crazy, so those will be the first to move to their permanent homes.  On the other end of the spectrum my peppers and mint still haven't come up. At this point I don't have any faith in them as it has been over a week since the seeds went in the ground.  The good news is that there is one lonely lavender plant that seems to be making it.

I have more plants than I know what to do with, but I couldn't help planting a few more.  Megan wanted some cauliflower, but I had used all of the soil pellets so I had to buy another tray.  Then I realized that we had a ton of veggies growing, but we didn't have any color.  So I bought a few flower seeds to brighten up the patio.  Just in time for the warm weather that I keep hearing about....

Secret Clubs and Moving Day

Almost all of the seeds have sprouted, so I have removed the covers from my starter beds, and I moved the plants upstairs by the window so they will get some morning sun.  The only seeds that haven't sprouted yet are my lavender, mint, and the red hot peppers.  Does anyone know if those seeds take longer than others to get going, or might they be a lost cause? I haven't had to water yet, but now that the plants are in the sun I definitely think I will need to water in the next couple of days.

First Light

As you might have guessed from reading any of my previous posts, I am pretty excited about my garden.  So you can imagine what my conversations with people in the real world are like these days.  Most people let me talk for a minute before wanting to change the subject.  But a few others also have gardens, and they are just as excited as I am.  I feel like we're in a secret gardening club, and only we are truly in the know about what's going on around us with respect to our food.  It's a good club to be in.  And to top it off, I already have a plant trade set up with two different people!

Sprouts!

I feel like a kid on Christmas morning when I wake up each day, as I am overcome with anticipation of what may have changed in my starter beds overnight.  The first morning after planting I jumped out of bed and ran down the stairs to check on the progress.  Nothing.  I came home from work that evening with the same feeling.  Again, nothing.  Nothing green happening.  Upon closer inspection, I noticed that some of the larger seeds I had planted weren't completely covered in soil.  After fixing that issue, I have to admit that a little doubt crept into my mind at this point.
Had I screwed up?
Why hasn't anything happened?
It's been 36 hours.  Hurry up already!

Paris Island, Buttercrunch, Pricehead

Once I regained my composure and capacity for rational thought, I realized that it would likely take a few days before seeing any sprouts.  I went to sleep that night feeling patient and calm, but as soon as morning came my excitement and anticipation came right back.  Once again, I ran down the stairs and over to the starter beds.  I peered into the first tray.  Again, nothing.  Somewhat dejected, I checked the second tray.  Row 1 - Nothing.  Row 2 - Nothing.  Row 3 - Nothing.  4, 5, 6, 7, 8 - Nothing.  But wait.  What's that I see in Rows 9-11? Do I see little green sprouts?  I think I do!  It looks the most anxious of my plants are all lettuce plants.

Is it too early for me to start calling myself a Green Thumb?

I thought that once I saw some sprouts that I would calm down a little bit, but all it has done is increase my excitement for my other plants to come.  Hopefully they will feel the positive energy.  Who knew that watching plants grow could be so exciting?  Since the lettuce sprouted on the 16th, I now have basil, onion, beans, peas, broccoli, and beet sprouts.  And while I am beyond excited about my plants, I'm starting to get a little worried about where I am going to put them....

Not your typical April shower.

JNY2R3WPE8SX

The Planting

I planted my seeds on April 14th.  The first thing that I did was number each row of my trays so I would be able to keep track of everything.  I have 24 rows of pellets, and I purchased 24 different types of seed.  Each row has six pellets, so I will have six of each plant to start.  Let me tell you how much I love the Jiffy seed trays.  All I had to do was add 10.5 cups of warm water to each tray and watch the magic happen.  After about 30 seconds or so the peat capsules started growing from 1/2 inch tall mini pellets to 1.5 inch tall super seed carriers.  Next, I used a couple of toothpicks to pull back the netting on the top of each pellet and to fluff the surface peat to prepare for seeds.

I can't believe how small some of the seeds were!  Mint, Basil, & Green Beans (Smallest to Largest)

I talked about how my seeds were organized in a previous post, but they were basically organized into three groups:  Herbs, Veggies, and Lettuce.  The Jiffy instructions said to sow 2-3 seeds in each pellet, but I realized after the first tray that I am going to have my hands full enough without ending up with close to 500 plants.  So I only planted a single seed in each pellet of the second tray.  Once the seeds were in, I covered them with a little dirt, put the covers on the trays, and called it a day.  Hopefully within a couple days we will see some sprouts shooting up!

Tray #1.  Freshly planted and full of potential.

The Beginning of My Urban Garden

My Setup

I mentioned in a previous post that we rent a townhome.  There are other units on all three sides of us, so we only get sun on the east side of the two-story house.  We have a small patio where most of the plants we are growing will eventually call home.

The Plan

I have never planted a garden before, so I had some learning to do:

• What's easy to grow?
• How much space do I need?
• What grows well in Minnesota?
• What supplies do I need?
• Can I grow anything on the east side of my house?
• What will grow in a pot?
• Where do I even start?

As I started researching, I quickly realized that one could easily get sucked into the gardening information rabbit hole.  Not wanting to get bogged down in details, I decided just to go for it.  All I needed were some seeds, some soil, and some starter beds.

Starter Beds

Jiffy Professional Greenhouse

For starter beds, I ended up with two Jiffy Professional Greenhouse trays which hold 72 peat pellets each.  I chose to go with these because they were cheap and easy.  I didn't have to dig in the dirt at all.  I simply added water to each tray, let the pellets expand, then planted.  Simple and clean.  144 plants is probably way too many, but I should be allowed to get a little carried away from time to time...

Seed Selection

When I was picking out seeds I was looking for a few different things.  I wanted an herb garden for inside the house, I wanted a variety of my favorite vegetables, I wanted enough greens be be able to make a salad, and I wanted to try growing something that I don't typically care for.  And that was pretty much my criteria.  I didn't worry about sun exposure, and I didn't let the fact that I am getting a late start get me down.  I just picked seeds that gave me the variety that I wanted, and I am hoping for the best.  The only thing I kept in the back of my mind the whole time picking seeds was my limited space.  So no Watermelon, and I really have to be careful with the Tomatoes.  So here is what I ended up with.

The Herb Garden

Lavender

• Longstanding Cilantro
• Rosemary
• Oregano
• Sweet Basil
• Sage
• True Lavendar
• Mint
• Garlic Chives
• Tokyo Long Bunching Onion

Veggies

Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea

• Tendergreen Bean
• Romano Bush Garden Bean
• Dwarf Grey Sugar Pea
• Roma Tomato
• Beefsteak Tomato
• Chantenay Carrot
• Waltham 29 Broccoli
• Detroit Dark Red Beet
• Grand Bell Pepper
• Red Hot Pepper

Greens

Buttercrunch Lettuce

• Giant Nobel Spinach
• Paris Island Cos Lettuce
• Buttercrunch Lettuce
• Pricehead Lettuce

And Hale's Best Cantaloupe for good measure! (I know cantaloupe's are big, but I couldn't resist!)  In my next post, we finally get these seeds in the dirt!

Forks Over Knives

My girlfriend and I watched the documentary Forks Over Knives this past weekend.  Actually, she was already watching it when I came home one night.  I remember putting up a fuss and saying something to the tune of, "Do we really have to watch this?"  But what an experience it was!  I was hooked as soon as I sat down, and I felt a whole range of emotions as I continued watching.  At first I felt threatened by the ideas presented in the film, as they are contradictory to what I have always been taught to believe about food.  Next I felt duped, tricked and swindled by government and industry who have used money, power and influence to push their food agenda.  I also felt disgusted, unhealthy and frightened with regard to what must be going on in my own body.  But the good thing is that the studies and data that was discussed in the film has also inspired me to rethink the way that I eat.



I knew I needed to make a change, but we rent a townhome which limits my potential to garden and really take what I eat into my own hands.  So this blog will be dedicated to answering the question:  How do I create a bountiful garden, in a small space, that I don't own, without digging in the ground?  In the end, this should be a guide for anyone who has a patio or balcony and who has the desire to grow some food.

My following posts will discuss seed selection, supplies, planting, harvesting and many other topics.  I welcome any questions, criticism, advice, and comments as we watch my plants go from seed to the dinner plate.  I know I'm going to learn a ton.  Thanks for joining in on the fun!