Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Lesson Learned: If first you read, you will succeed.
Rosemary.
I have attempted to start it from seed. The same day that I started the rosemary, I planted some tomatoes, red/green/yellow peppers, cilantro. All have several sprouts growing happily and heartily... Except the darn rosemary. Today was the day I hoped it would have sprouted. Alas, again today there was no sign of life. After scouring some random container gardening blogs, I discovered that rosemary seeds have very low (5%) average success rates. This is very disheartening, but... This is MY garden, and I want rosemary. I will have rosemary.
A few of the tips I seem to be finding on numerous blogs:
- Sprinkle seeds on top of soil, then water. Do not cover with soil.
- Plant seeds as usual, water, then set off to the side and generally "forget about them". Rosemary apparently enjoys neglect.
- Slightly cooler than room temp is best (60-65 degrees).
- Allow seeds (once planted) to be in the dark until they've sprouted.
- Do not water once sprouts come up: only water between dry downs.
Monday, April 25, 2011
I'M WITH GOULET.
*Nature, anyone?*
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, you'll be hard-pressed to find a person willing to argue against the flavor of a home-grown, fully ripe, fresh-picked strawberry warmed by the sun. Living in the third largest city in the country, I have access to fantastic farm fresh fruits and vegetables almost all year... for a price. Though some of my favorite garden-grown nibbles and bites can be found for a super low price some of the time, it can get quite costly to nosh on nature's finest every day of the week.
I grew up in Northern Wisconsin (way-up-by-Canada-kind-of-Northern-Wisconsin), where trees, fresh water, and wide open spaces are difficult to avoid. I begrudgingly spent season after season outside with my mother in her gardens, helping to erect fences, pull weeds, etc. Of course, the countless hours in the dirt always paid off when it came time to enjoy bits of the first of the year's pole beans, berries, tomatoes... Nothing comes close to the smells and the flavors that all that hard work produces.
These memories (along with my parents well-taught skills for being frugal) are what have officially forced me to give in. I'm swallowing my pride and accepting that while I live in a beautiful city, occasionally work the runway, have fantastic fashion photographers and clothing designers offering modeling-based fun and glitz... I never have been (nor will I ever be) too good to get my hands dirty.
After arriving at this point in my life, I think to myself , "Wait. I have no yard. Crap. This sucks".
I do, however, have all the Home Depots I could ever ask for. And a flat roof on the condo unit that my fiance and I inhabit. We also have gobs of sunny window sills and a small amount of top floor deck space. Making do with what I have is what I'm best at, thanks to Mom and Dad.
This. Will. Work. I will have fresh vegetables that I grew all on my own, without my mother's guiding green thumb to assist. I will narrate via this blog my ridiculous journey to a beautiful bounty of tasty awesomeness. I will have greens and peppers and basil and rosemary and cilantro and beets and zucchini and beans and... Most importantly...
I will have tomatoes.
When it comes to fruits and vegetables, you'll be hard-pressed to find a person willing to argue against the flavor of a home-grown, fully ripe, fresh-picked strawberry warmed by the sun. Living in the third largest city in the country, I have access to fantastic farm fresh fruits and vegetables almost all year... for a price. Though some of my favorite garden-grown nibbles and bites can be found for a super low price some of the time, it can get quite costly to nosh on nature's finest every day of the week.
I grew up in Northern Wisconsin (way-up-by-Canada-kind-of-Northern-Wisconsin), where trees, fresh water, and wide open spaces are difficult to avoid. I begrudgingly spent season after season outside with my mother in her gardens, helping to erect fences, pull weeds, etc. Of course, the countless hours in the dirt always paid off when it came time to enjoy bits of the first of the year's pole beans, berries, tomatoes... Nothing comes close to the smells and the flavors that all that hard work produces.
These memories (along with my parents well-taught skills for being frugal) are what have officially forced me to give in. I'm swallowing my pride and accepting that while I live in a beautiful city, occasionally work the runway, have fantastic fashion photographers and clothing designers offering modeling-based fun and glitz... I never have been (nor will I ever be) too good to get my hands dirty.
After arriving at this point in my life, I think to myself , "Wait. I have no yard. Crap. This sucks".
I do, however, have all the Home Depots I could ever ask for. And a flat roof on the condo unit that my fiance and I inhabit. We also have gobs of sunny window sills and a small amount of top floor deck space. Making do with what I have is what I'm best at, thanks to Mom and Dad.
This. Will. Work. I will have fresh vegetables that I grew all on my own, without my mother's guiding green thumb to assist. I will narrate via this blog my ridiculous journey to a beautiful bounty of tasty awesomeness. I will have greens and peppers and basil and rosemary and cilantro and beets and zucchini and beans and... Most importantly...
I will have tomatoes.
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