Yesterday and this morning I sowed my first seeds! I felt like a real live gardener, I got my hands dirty and all. The only thing is, I basically expected I would have huge plants already complete with fragrant oregano and vine-ripened tomatoes. Right now, everything just looks like dirt--except for my tomatoes. A little bit of background...
In early April I decided I wanted to get a jump on my project and start some seedlings in my garage so that they would be all ready for the May start date of my project. My neighbor Sara told me that the now all-organic Sprain Brook Nursery was the best place to get everything I would need. She was right. I picked up seed packets (I decided on some hybrid Burpee's varieties of oregano, parsley, basil, dill, two types of tomatoes--red and yellow--cucumbers, and lettuce), a bag of soil, and a starting tray with a cover. I was very excited. Right when I came home from the Nursery I started my garden. It was going to be a snitch, right?
Well, turns out gardening takes some work... and some knowledge. I had already bought a book called "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Ed Smith--once you take a look at his picture (just click on his name), you'll see why I trusted him so much! Turns out, while his book was informative, it was intended more for gardeners with a lot of land, some previous knowledge and experience, and a lot of time on their hands. It wasn't quite as helpful for me, but it gave me a sense of which vegetables and herbs might at least grow well here. Sara was also nice enough to lend me her book "The Big Book of Vegetable Gardening" which had a lot more helpful, more realistic advice for me. Most important, it had a section all about container vegetable gardening. I had never thought about growing vegetables in containers, but it made perfect sense to me. It allows an inexperienced gardener to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs (and obviously, flowers) in a limited amount of space. It also allows for easy transport and a unique kind of decoration. The "Big Book" had a few really helpful charts in it. One outlined the best varieties of vegetables to grow in containers with their growing/planting season and light and space requirements. While it makes sense that a corn plant might not be the most successful container vegetable, how many of us really know that Swiss chard would grow well? This chart helped me a lot. Another helpful chart if you are looking to grow a year-round container or regular garden is one that details (for a moderate climate) which vegetables to grow in which months.
Back to the actual planting. I started my seeds off in my starter tray in my garage (it was far too cold for anything to be outside--most gardeners start their seeds after "the last fall," basically right around Mother's Day but it seeds can be started indoors much earlier). I carefully followed the instructions on the back of each seed packet (they were easier to understand and abide by than the ones in books and on the web) and set up an architect's light to provide a constant, and pretty strong source of light. I diligently watered them. OK, I watered them regularly for a few days, and they actually grew! I almost felt like I was in the Little Shop of Horrors (shout-out to SHS Senior Class Play!) each morning when I went to inspect them and they were growing. Once I went away for Spring Break and my mom decided she wouldn't water my vegetables for me, things started to fall apart. I totally forgot they existed except for the few times I had to go down into the garage to grab some extra paper towels or something. Turns out, plants actually need water. And it helps if you don't leave a light bulb shining on them for days at a time. Who'd a thunk it? So, my plants pretty much died--except for my tomato plants! They remained strong and lived through the drought, I'm really not sure how. I think they're a little stunted, but they're my favorites as of now (maybe because they are the only green things in any container).
So for now, I have a variety of containers and vegetables that I am trying out to see which work best. I decided to test traditional terra cotta pots against other materials including plastic bins and old plastic soda bottles, even a half of a paper milk carton (I thought it might be convenient to have a small container of herbs that can stay on the windowsill of my kitchen). I wasn't sure of how much soil to put in each, and I'm not totally certain that all of the containers are of the right size but I feel the most important thing is just to give it a go (obviously with some plan and insight into the process) and adapt it to your own situation. I wanted to purchase as little as I needed to in order to be greener (using materials I already have instead of buying new ones reduces consumption and waste of materials) and more economical (I'm obviously saving money by not buying new containers for each plant). Look around your house and yard and you'll be surprised at how much is really at your disposal for a container garden.
Another note, I decided to start from seeds because I thought it would be the most fun, most economical, and most challenging. I may need to shift my plan if after two weeks (the germination period for most of my veggies) I don't see much progress.
