Why, Oh, Why Wind?

Another storm, another round of ridiculously intense winds to ravage my garden. The damage from this one seems to be the worst so far.

Wind ravaged balcony

Snap
My most successful tomato plant looks a little sadder now that the clouds have passed. Super strong winds split the main stem, just outside the Topsy Turvy, down the middle. It's still holding strong for now, and none of the tomatoes came off, but it's definitely drooping.

Juicy red tomato

The winds seem to have taken out the pepperoncini, as well. I doubt my Lazarus plant will be coming back to life this time.

Poor little pepper

Winding Down
Just a quick glance at the garden is proof that harvest season is just around the corner. The stems have completely come off all the onions in the window boxes. The carrots and fennel are on the verge of blooming.

Fully grown onions

The peppers still seem to love the rainy summer. They just can't get enough. At least it's doing someone some good.

Hording water like little rat leaves

I haven't completely neglected my harvesting duties. Just the other night, the man-friend and I enjoyed a side salad topped with a homegrown tomato and a couple chopped banana peppers.

They are as tasty as they look!

I think the big reason I'm putting off picking my fruit is the fact that I'm just not sure what to do with them. Canning is scary, but I'm starting to believe I'm out of other options. If anyone has any advice for getting a good seal, do tell.

Garden Update: Lucky #13

It's getting thick out there. Everything looks luscious and green and full of life--just like I dreamed it could be last winter.

Peppers

All the pepper plants are thriving in the South Dakota heat and humidity. I will have a full banana pepper harvest, with the jalapenos coming in a very close second in the race for success.

Crazy jalapenos

As you can see, the bell peppers are a little behind the curve. This is the first to say "hello" to the garden ... and it's still pretty small. The plants themselves are considerably undersized, so I don't think there will be a big harvest from that sector.

Bell pepper

These pots are quite lucky compared to their wild counterparts. When it's windy, they get moved to shelter. When there's rain, they get pushed into the precipitation. Heck, these lucky guys get to sit in a chair.

Pampered potted plants

Memo From the Fruit

The vegetables aren't the only successful. The strawberries are getting ready to give me the fruits of round 4. When the tag said "ever-bearing" I didn't think it'd be this generous.

Freshly formed berries

Tomato plant #2 is also getting ready to produce fruit, too. A little fresh air (away from the central air vent) is doing it some good. Just look at these lovely blossoms, getting ready to become tomato-lings.

Pretty little blossoms

Growing Organic, Avoiding the "Hippie" Label

It's tough to be a container farmer without friends and family wondering if you've become of a member of the all-natural granola and vegan sort. Growing organic foods may not necessarily be your goal, but the confined space and resources may leave you no other option.

Homegrown Fertilizer

Store bought bottles of concentrated chemical fertilizer isn't an option when your garden grows in pots. Because of the limited capabilities of the soil to drain, it's easy to get too much of the chemical in the pot and have it just sit there, burning the roots and stem of your plants.

Believe it or not, Starbucks is a fantastic place to find fertilizer that won't damage your soil or plants. Coffee grounds are rich and nitrogen, and because they've already fulfilled their main goal (i.e., coffee), most of the acid is washed out, saving the plants from a nasty burn.

My first free bag of used coffee grounds. Available at Starbucks.

Coffee grounds have been my fertilizer of choice all summer, but since I don't drink coffee, I've been stealing the used filters from my boyfriend's apartment. I don't think I'll have to do that anymore after finding massive *free* bags of the stuff at Starbucks. One bag should be plenty for the rest of the summer.

There are lots of other ways to add nutrients to the soil safely. Worm poo, fish heads, and, of course, compost can renew old soil or beef-up the potential of store bought earth. I'm sticking with coffee grounds for the time being because the other options are far too smelly for me to expose to my neighbors.

Changes

Many of the plants are finding themselves in new homes out on the balcony after I did some rearranging. My gas grill has outlived its usefulness, so last week a neighbor and I heaved it into a nearby dumpster. With the extra room, I was able to move the stunted tomato plant from it's perch over the central air to the other side of the deck, away from blowing hot air.

Topsy Turvy #2, in its new location.

So far, it's looking considerably healthier. No tomatoes on the vines yet, but lots of blooms just starting to change over, so hopefully it looks more like its sister, who has a few tomatoes and lots of potential, in the coming weeks.

Mmmm--already super plump!

Good Growth

It still amazes me how healthy everything looks ... and how I have killed so very little in my first attempt at urban farming. I'm very pleased to say the little pepperoncini that almost wasn't, my Lazarus, is on the verge of producing peppers.

Pepperoncini, on the brink of fruit

So far, just this one white flower has blossomed, but there are at least a half dozen more on the verge of exposing their petals to the world. It's hard to believe just a couple months ago I was sure I killed the thing. It's growth has certainly been stunted, which has me somewhat concerned about its ability to support produce, but I'll save those worries for another day.

The herbs are looking good, too. I have a feeling I need to harvest this crazy basil bush that has sprung up. Next to it, but difficult to see in this photo, is a pile of parsley, which could stand to be picked, too. They've come a long way from the days of my suicidal dill.

Sweet basil, pouring out of its pot.

Does anyone out there have any tips on cooking with banana peppers? My plan all along had been to pickle them for eating this winter, but I have a feeling these monsters are going to be ready before I am. I don't want them to go to waste, so any ideas are appreciated.

What should I do with these?

Heat Wave

The summer heat is on, and it seems its here to stay. July days in South Dakota can be quite sweltering, and the plants aren't pleased (nor are many people, I might add).

Caliente Bites

Hopefully the heat helps the peppers--they're supposed to be spicy, right? I fear those plants will need help in the near future that I can't provide. Most of peppers plants are already producing an abundance of fruit, lots and lots fruit, as you can see.

One of two successful banana pepper plants

Holy jalapenos!

The thing is, though, the peppers are getting big. In no time, they'll be full grown, and I'm worried their weight will be too much for the frail stems supporting them. I'm starting to regret putting my seedlings into sand buckets--they should've had a much bigger pot so they could grow to the proper size.

Green is My Favorite Color

Luckily, my eyes could never tire of seeing green, because the balcony is covered in the color.

The Green Revolution

Everything looks really good these days, or at least their leaves do. I have a few root vegetables in a windowsill box with fantastic foliage, but potentially sad crops. I see that box and I think about what happened with the radishes. I haven't tried to harvest any of the kohlrabi, carrots, or fennel, but I have a feeling they'll tell a similar tale.

Carrots peeking through the soil

Nature's Beauty

Everyday when I walk out into my garden, I can't help but admire God's creation. He has such perfect vision, hand crafting these delicate plants that add to the beauty of our world and provide us with all the nutrients the human body needs to thrive.

Banana pepper, just a few days old

I'm so happy I found this hobby. I'm not sure how I would have kept my sanity this summer without a connection to my roots as well as those of our ancestors.

The Fruits of My Labor

It seems my dedication to the pots that dot my deck are starting to pay off. Lots of blooms and blossoms to talk about, as well as some very mini-snacks.

New Growth

As sort of an after thought, I figured I'd give growing herbs one last shot. It wasn't an overly thrilling prospect after the last pot of dill committed suicide in the midst of a wind storm. Turns out it wasn't such a bad idea, though.

Parsley, Basil, and Chives

My chives, basil, and parsley are starting to look pretty strong. I was surprised to see them sprout after I accidentally buried the seeds in too much dirt. There should be more growth coming eventually, just as soon as the seedlings dig their way out of the dirt.

I have started a pot of oregano, too. They were only seeds I could find at the store this late into the planting season. They've started to pop up, but for now they're just too small to photograph.

Old Growth

The Lazarus pepperoncini continues to look like nothing ever happened, so long as you don't notice the other pepper plants around it that are twice its size. No blooms yet, but that's to be expected. I'm still simply elated by the fact that it's come back from the dead.

Pepperoncini

The Start of the Next Step

Some of my peppers now actually have peppers. Imagine my surprise when I was watering the plants and discovered the first of my bell peppers dangling from it's branch.

The first bell pepper of the season!

After finding that, I looked around at the rest of the plants with blooms. Turns out the fruit grows directly out of the flower, with the petals protecting the pepper in its first days of existence. I'll admit, I feel like I did that day in science class when they talked about how a baby forms.

Bell peppers, in transition from flower to fruit

They're not the only ones, though. One of the tomatoes has several blooms in that transition stage, when the fruit is probably no more than a cluster of cells. I look forward to getting photos of those when they get big enough to see.

The onions are starting to look good. Turns out I didn't buy the variety I meant to purchase. I thought I picked up a bag of simple garden onions, the kind you could pluck from the ground, wash up, and munch on.

Mmmmm, very oniony onions!

In reality, my garden is filled with white onions, so instead of adding a little extra crunch to my summer meals, I have to just let them grow and wait to enjoy them this winter. On the bright side, they're adding a potent punch to the aromas of my garden. It's hard to forget that they're growing.

This strawberry plant is leaps and bounds more productive than its predecessor. If you look closely, you can spot a few baby berries nestled in with the leaves and blossoms. It always strikes me how delicate and pretty this plant looks when it's at its peak.

See the baby berries, all cuddled up together

All in all, this deck is definitely starting to look like a jungle. Friends who come visit say it's pretty easy to pick out my balcony when they drive by because of all the green leaves peaking through the slats. I can only imagine how crazy the growth will get at harvest time.

All the pretty pots, lined up in a row

The End of the Line

Sadly, the paper lanterns that served as icing to my outdoor paradise are no more. This is what they looked like between storms that wreaked havoc on the whole area.

The last days of the paper lanterns

The holes were pretty convincing evidence that they wouldn't survive the summer, but I didn't think they'd be gone in a matter of days. But, alas, 70 mph straight-line winds and pounding rain are no match for paper. When the clouds cleared, I began the process of unstringing the lights and squishing them into the trash can.

It's probably for the best this way. The tomato plants were beginning to rub and catch on the decorative additions to the great outdoors, and it would have only been a matter of time until the peppers plants began pushing up on them.

A Sight to Behold

It's so strange to think that just six to eight weeks ago, none of my greenery existed. Now my humble balcony is covered with living, growing things. See for yourself!

Coming Soon: Tomato Soup

My crazy tomato plants are growing like weeds. They were pretty big when they came into my possession as mere sprouts (thanks to a friend who co-oped them for some of my spare pepper plants). Now I have no idea how much more growth to expect.

One of my two tomatoes, brushing the lanterns

Clearly, I'm going to have to raise their hanging position before they bear fruit. Judging by the beginnings of blossoms forming on the plant, that will start to happen soon. I need to find someone tall and without a fear of heights in the near future.

Tomato blossoms

Return of the Pepperoncini

My Lazarus plan lives again. Everyday now, the sole surviving pepperoncini shows remarkable growth as it recovers from what I thought was certain death. I'm having a hard time putting my excitement into words.

Pepperoncini, on the mend

This specific type of pepper is what I was most excited about harvesting (and eventually pickling) because they're my favorite to snack on. Now I now I can save some money this fall/winter by eating my own peppers instead of the delicious variety found at my neighborhood grocery store.

"Full Sun" Means Full Sun

My root vegetables are teaching me good lessons for next spring. The radishes, specifically. I pulled a couple up last week because the stalk appeared almost ready to go to seed, and my gardening book said to never let them do that. But, I made a curious discovery: the fruit beneath the soil was by no means good growth.

The tall, tall stem on the right is a radish plant

A very knowledgeable source says it's their growing location. While the enclosed balcony is a blessing in foul weather, it's been trouble for gardening. They're not getting enough sunlight, so all the energy the plant has goes into creating more greens--leaves and stalk--to collect more of the sunlight, leaving the product lacking.

I'm not sure what I could've done differently with these pots to give them more sunlight. I really thought this would've been enough. The source says another reason for the strange growth could be the small pots themselves. This type of vegetable should have enough room to spread out and grow. Maybe next summer these seeds will stay at the store.

Other Fun Pictures

Not every aspect of my garden requires in depth analysis. Sometimes seeing positive results is enough to share.

One of the peppers, with it's rudimentary popsicle-stick support system

Fresh strawberries, just beginning to grow

My latest attempts at herbs, just peeking through the soil

SD Weather Doesn't Like My Garden

So sorry for the absence--I've been busy reporting on the news, which has actually been the weather this weekend. My plants have been through a lot the past few weeks ... but few things have been as damaging as the rain and high winds we've seen in the past few days.

Soggy Stalks

My pepper plants have grown to new heights, looking quite promising with their full leaves and tall stems. Sadly, though, those same qualities made their more susceptible to wind damage.

I was very disappointed to see them all slumping in their pots Friday morning. One of the bell peppers did not survive. It's stem broke at the base, leaving it attached to the soil by one lone root. It's pot will soon house a second pot of fennel (and maybe some flowers--we'll see). The white lanterns will also have to go soon. Big, fat rain drops didn't mix well with their paper covering.

I should consider myself lucky. People in town just a few blocks from me lost vehicles, garages, and at least one person is now homeless because of the same storm. 75 mph winds wreaked havoc in Sioux Falls thanks to two micro bursts. Still, loss is loss.

On the brighter side, the bent and broken stems forced me to get creative. Leftover popsicle sticks (my homemade tags) came in very handy this evening as I made a crude support for each plant. I stuck a stick into each pot, right next to the stem, and then tied the stem to the stick with sewing thread to aid the plants in reaching their potential.

I have no idea if my stick-system will do any good, but I figured it couldn't hurt. It's working at my parents' house, where the only reason Mom's pear tree isn't growing horizontally is Dad's tie-down straps. I guess the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree in this case.

Survival Instincts Strong

I should've known that most of my babies wouldn't succumb to the storms. They survived my vacation.

The man friend and I spent a few days in Las Vegas after he finished graduate school to unwind and get ready for summer insanity. It was in the desert, but not as gross as it was back home. Somehow, though, every single one of the vegetables made it through ... with some even growing excessively.

Miracle Growth

Many weeks ago, I thought all my pepperoncini plants had gone the way of the 8-track. Still, I planted one in a sand bucket and kept watering it. I'm not sure why, but I guess I held out hope that one of them would be okay.

A few days ago, I noticed the sprout was standing a little taller, a little stronger. The next day, it looked even better. It's come back from the dead! In fact, it survived the weekend weather better than any other pepper.

Whether or not there is any harvest from the pepperoncini is another story. Growth-wise, it's far behind it's brothers and sisters, several inches shorter, and still with only two leaves. Still, it's pretty cool that I am a nurturer.

Catch Up or Ketchup?

Hopefully in the next few days I'll get some fresh pictures up here. There's been a lot of growth in the garden, and it's truly starting look like a jungle out there. I can't wait to show it off :)

First Harvest

Ah, harvest time ... just a few weeks after planting season. Gotta love those onion sets for quick turn around. Sadly, though, I may have jumped the gun. Take a look.

Peppers Not So Poppin'

The strongest of the bunch have each been planted, but things aren't all looking up. The banana peppers are looking quite strong, read jalapenos y to bear fruit. The bell peppers look like they'll pass with a solid B, but the others are iffy. The look a little sickly, but I have faith they'll pull through. The pepperoncinis, though, are still quite sad. My faith is not as secure there.

Fruit

There are some pleasant surprises in the garden. My blueberry plant has blossoms--there is hope that this season will be a success after all. Granted, it's still early, so I may be wrong, but I feel pretty good about this one.

The strawberry plant is looking good, too. There were some berries on it when I bought it, so I don't even have to have faith in this one. As they say, seeing is believing.

Changes, Changes, Changes

Life goes on in the garden, despite my absence from the blogosphere. Let's take a look--here's a video tour of what can be found in my future produce section.

Not All Sunny Here

Life on my balcony isn't all good news these days. I was out of town for a couple days last week visiting my parents and littlest sister. I had a great time away, but sadly, my plants had a rough weekend.

Wind speeds reached gusts of up to 30 mph those days, and while my deck is mostly enclosed, the breeze was too much. Two of my herb pots, one of the dill and the cilantro, decided they needed to buy the farm, and took that final leap off of their home on the patio table.

The pepper seedlings didn't fare well either, although I don't necessarily blame the wind for that. When I arrived home, several sprouts had shriveled up to the point where I don't think I can rehabilitate them. Their pods were incredibly dried out, like they hadn't been watered in a couple days.

Moving On

Not all the plants' futures are in question. The two strongest pepper plants of each kind moved into their new pots this evening. The bell peppers now live in medium-sized terra cotta pots, while everyone else lives in a brightly colored sand bucket, courtesy of Target's dollar section.

The decaying strawberry plant has been replaced. At Wal-Mart, I stumbled upon an ever-bearing strawberry plant that already had some fruit on it. Hopefully this means that, for the first time, one of my fruit plants will actually give me tasty results.

Still to Come

I promise, I will get to the story of the pigeons' revenge, as well as my reasons for believing it's not over between me and the birds. In the next few days, I should be able to harvest my first onions. Trust me--there will be lots of photos from that momentous day! Plus, we'll see if the pepper plants that aren't already in a pot survive the next week.

Sprouts!

My thumb may be green after all--stuff is sprouting up all over the place on the balcony.

Herbs

So far, my miniature herb garden may be the biggest success story (comparatively speaking, of course) so far. They're growing like crazy. I need to start researching when to harvest, how often it needs to be done, ways to dry the fruits of these plants, and, well, basically all the basics of growing on herb garden. To think I thought the growing would be the tricky part!

Peppers A Poppin'

Just because the herbs have the best growth at this point doesn't mean I can't brag about the rest of the garden. My peppers are wasting no time in introducing themselves to me. So far, every single starter set I planted has a plant peeking out of the soil. Now I just can't kill them.

Jalapenos, Banana Peppers

Pepperoncinis

Not All is Good News

My strawberry plant appears to be dead. Very, very dead. Granted, for all the things I did to it and forgot to do for it last summer, it probably should be. I was a bad gardener then.

I've been holding out hope that my refreshed dedication to urban farming would bring it back to life, but, alas, it seems I'm wrong. If no green appears by next weekend, I'm buying a replacement strawberry plant for that pot.

The blueberry plant appears to have a slightly brighter future ... or at least a more alive one. I'm still skeptical about how this one will fare, but, this whole thing is really one big experiment. It makes sense that I would have some really wild things mixed in with the practical pots.

Name Tags

I have a problem with plants. Once they actually start growing, I can't tell them apart from weeds. Especially plants in the same family, like the pepper tray. Initially, I tried using a paper tag taped to the outside of the tray, but a necessary evil known as water keeps splashing onto the ink.

I tried it on the outside of the herb pots, too, if you remember (see photo from original entry), but that lasted only a couple of days before the tape refused to stick. Luckily, I may have found the solution-popsicle sticks!

It makes sense--they're big enough for big writing, and they're tall enough to keep themselves dry when shoved into wet soil. Plus, I've had enough room left on the sticks to mark their birthdays (or the date they were planted on). Plus, they're kind of fun looking inside their homes.

A multi-colored pack of Sharpie's makes color coding super easy. My garden wasn't really big enough to do that with, but I'm sure someone out there in the world has a big enough balcony to need such a clever organization trick. I can only hope to have that myself someday!

Still to Come

Keep checking back for an update on the pigeon situation. Let's just say things have taken a dramatic turn in the battle for territory. Plus, some of my more adventurous seedlings are starting to peek out in their trough.

Successes and Struggles

The garden's growing well so far--lots of little wins to report on, as well as a few roadblocks, too.

Cheers!

My vision for an outdoor paradise is starting to come together. All but three of the lanterns that lit up the summer night's sky last year still work after a rough winter outside. Sadly, the hooks they hung from did not fair as well, so now they hang from the railing instead.

I actually think this will be less annoying than the old system. Every time a storm blew in the lanterns came down. Besides, I don't see how a little more light could hurt the plants.

If you look closely, you can see some new containers hanging out on the balcony. They are the new homes of my root vegetables. The closest container holds two rows of white onions while the far container is incubating carrots, fennel, kohlrabi, and radishes.

I'm having doubts about the viability of some of the goodies in the far trough. The seed packages were pretty specific about giving the plants more room to grow than the planters allow. Let's just say I'm already bracing myself for one failure.

Boos!

My project hasn't gone as smoothly as I wanted it to. When I finished planting the non-onion trough, I tried to move it off of the patio table and onto the ground. But, in the process, I accidentally tipped it over ... and everything inside spilled onto the table, chair, lanterns, and floor.

It was such a mess! I meant to take a picture for proof, but I moved into cleanup mode a little too quickly. Luckily my man friend was here to help me calm down and sweep up the dirty, muddy mess.

In the process, though, we found something bad. Behind the central air is a pigeon's nest, complete with three eggs. It would explain why a pair of those crazy, dirty birds keep hanging out on the balcony during the day, but I'm not pleased about the whole thing.

As much as I hate to hurt baby animals, that nest has got to go. I don't care that I'm wrecking a family--they're going to wreck my garden. I haven't quite figured out how to do it yet. Basically, I have two options. I can just shove it off the side of the balcony, onto the ground below. Or, I can scoop it up, put it into a trash bag, and throw it down the garbage shoot.

Either way, I need a partner in crime to get the job done because of how precariously close to the edge of the balcony this nest is. And I need gloves, because, as we all know, pigeons are dirty and carry diseases.

Keep Reading

I have some seedlings starting to sprout, but it's just too dark to take any photos to show them off. I'll put those up later on and share more about their progress. Also to come, fun ways to label seedlings so you know what's coming up where.

Sun and Fun

Sunny spring weather finally seems to be here for good, which means it's time to get dirty.

Planters Found

My internal struggle to decide what containers to plant my food in seems to be over (for now). I found plain terra cotta planters at (where else?) Wal-Mart for cheap, so I've stocked up. If all my seedlings sprout, these probably won't be enough, but it's a good start for now.

New Kid on the Block

I may have gotten too brave. I found a blueberry plant on sale in the Wal-Mart Garden Center. It didn't seem any more difficult than my strawberry pot, so I bought it, and now it's joined the collection. It adds a nice layer to my own produce section since I really don't grow a lot of fruit. Hopefully it doesn't die.

Not Just for Eating

Not everything I'm growing has a practical purpose. I'm growing two pots of tulips (one yellow, one white), and two pots of yellow/orange daffodils. So far, these are by far my most successful specimens. Just this morning, a yellow bloom said 'hello' to the sun for the first time.

Patio Party

It's not quite warm enough out to leave my babies outside 24/7, but today was nice enough to give it a whirl. Everybody spent a good hour and a half or so sunbathing on the patio. It'll be nice when that can be their home. Right now there's a lot of pots strewn about my living room, as close to the windows as possible. It's tough to get outside to enjoy the fresh air or grill.

On the Hunt

My seeds on the verge of sprouting, and as excited as I am to get this garden growing, it'd be okay if they waited an extra day or two to say hello. My current challenge is finding things to grow my plants in.

Material Girl

My book recommends not using plastic because the chemicals could leach into the soil and inevitably my veggies and, you know, cause cancer and stuff. The book is probably right, but non-plastic planters are a little spendy.

My next thought was coffee cans. They're easy enough to scrounge (as long as you know coffee drinkers), are sturdy enough to hold plants when they become voluminous and heavy with fruit. But, alas, my affordable alternative does have its flaws. The metal cans can get too hot if placed in full sun (which is where most garden vegetables are supposed to be planted) and can scorch the essential roots.

Glass jars don't seem like a bad plan. They've got that cool see through thing going, so you could keep an eye on the root systems. They're everywhere--mayonnaise jars, pickle jars, mason jars, etc. But, I worry they'll just be too small to support my peppers and other plants.

It seems all that's left is the old stand by: terra cotta. Sadly, though, I have very few of these, and they're currently occupied by tulips and herbs. The best prices I've found so far are at Home Depot, but for the size I need, it's still about $8 per pot ... and I need quite a few pots.

Prowling for Deals

I've been trying to keep my eyes peeled for containers to use that I hadn't thought to use before. 5-gallon buckets have come to mind ... but I don't know where to find those. The man friend has suggested looking at garage sales, but my work schedule doesn't permit that kind of fun. So, I've put him to work scouring Craigslist and other websites to find a retired gardener's supplies.

Sadly, though, I'm starting to come to the conclusion that I may have to shell out more money than I planned to for this endeavor. If anyone has any ideas I haven't considered yet, I'd love to hear them. The peppers should be popping soon, after all.

Welcome to My Garden

Planting Season 2010

If you stumbled upon this blog, I'd like to welcome you to my new adventure. I've lived in the Midwest my entire life. One would think that growing a garden shouldn't be too difficult here--it is the bread basket of the world, right?--but, it's tougher than it looks.

My apartment is in the middle of Sioux Falls, SD. While the city does offer residents several different community gardens around town to test their green thumbs, sadly, there is only a finite number of plots available. I missed out this year, but I'm not giving up my plans to garden just yet.

Urban Gardening

I am going to try growing my goods on my balcony. Compared to other apartment complexes in the area, the balcony on this one is quite nice. It has quite a bit of room, a roof, and slats in the front covering, so plenty of sun will shine in during the afternoon/evenings.

I'm not doing this completely alone. My sweet wonderful man friend bought me a book with tips on how to do it and what kind of containers to use called Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces. The author, Gayla Trail, seems to know what she's talking about, and some of her ideas are so wild there's no way they couldn't work. I guess the coming months will be a good test.

Getting Started

Tonight I started my seeds indoors. This tray is full of different types of peppers. There's so many different types, and I have yet to find one that isn't fun to snack on (unless it's a habanero, or something like that). It seems my bell peppers may have been started too late, but we shall see.

I'm a little concerned that I'm too eager for this. Nothing is supposed to go outside until after the danger of frost is gone. April has just begun, and who knows how this spring will actually go here in SD.

I'm also growing herbs. So far, just two pots of dill and one of cilantro. There are plans to add chives, parsley, and basil to the mix, too. Keep checking in--hopefully I have pictures of sprouts to add soon!