Friday, May 21, 2010

Living off the land...I mean roof.

I planted my first vegetable and herb garden yesterday. I certainly do not claim to have a green thumb, but I do enjoy planting very much and hope to someday figure out how to grow successfully. I currently live in an apartment and although I do not have a yard I do not let that keep me from the post Mother's day dirt diggin. I hang baskets filled with petunias, geraniums, impatience and whatever else strikes my fancy that year. Some seasons I am very successful and some are a complete flop, but I keep trying. I figure if I knock out a few years of fumbles and failures while I am in the apartment I will be a pro by the time I have a real garden to tend to.

Which brings me to this years experiment, vegetables and herbs. The rooftop of the floor below me extends way past my porch and is hit with direct sunlight all day long. Perfect for growing some edible plants. I myself have never grown anything other than flowers. I purchased a few books, asked some experienced gardeners for tips, went to my Dads garage for some large galvanized tubs and just dove right in. Although I have grand ideas of homemade salsa, spaghetti sauce and fresh vegetables to eat, I do not expect to have too much success come harvest. You learn from your mistakes, and mistakes I am sure I will make. I have fun learning and experimenting with my planting and it is all to build up to the larger garden I see in my future.

Stay tuned to see how my garden grows!

2 comments:

  1. It's great that you started container gardening. My boyfriend and I have been doing a fairly successful job of it (aside from last year's copious amount of rain that did our tomatoes in) on our Philly patio. Our staple plants are tomatoes, green peppers and basil. We've done eggplant (did very well), pickling cucumbers (absolutely adorable little guys that love to cling to the fence and not the lattice we planted them on), and this year our new addition is butterleaf lettuce. Their really is nothing like the satisfaction you get from eating a salad made with your very own lettuce. It's an awesome little feeling. But I have to tell you, if you want to feel REALLY great about your green thumb, plant green bell peppers- they grow like mad!

    Good luck!

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  2. I cannot wait to actually be able to consume some of what we are growing. We planted basil, dill, cilantro, thyme, oregano, 3 different kinds of tomatoes, jalapeno, green bell, red bell and cowhorn peppers. Perhaps I was a little over zealous :-) We shall see. Good luck with your harvest!

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