Act 4: Sowing the Seeds of Hope

All winter I've been planning to have a vegetable garden.  For the first time in my life I really want to grow some of my own food.  Seems noble enough, but my track record with plants is pretty bad.  I'm probably a black thumb if there is such a thing.  Need proof?

Evidence #1 - A couple of years ago my sister gave me a Christmas cactus and everyone told me that it should go in a south facing window.  Six months later it was dead.  Lesson learned:  Don't keep a plant in a room you never go into.
Evidence #2 - My flower garden last summer was a disaster.  Apparently it's necessary to weed and water your flowers in order for them to grow.  Oh, and find a way to keep your dogs from eating them. 

I figure with all this knowledge in my pocket now, my chances of success this summer have gone way up!

This weekend I went to the garden center and got myself some seeds.  I also got Planting 101 from the friendly garden center worker.  Tomatoes and peppers need to be started inside and transplanted outdoors in early May when there's no chance for frost (though I've seen it snow in the Midwest on May 15th).  I went home armed with planters, seed starting soil, and seeds.  The directions on the back of the seed packets are pretty self-explanatory and I don't think I messed that part up.  Fill planter with soil, put a couple of seeds on top, cover with a little bit more soil.  Check!  I planted slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, and pepperoncinis.  Eight of each.  That's 36 plants!  I figure a few of those have to live... right?  Also, the little seed starting planters come in trays of eight :-P

They don't look like much now, but hopefully in a couple of weeks they'll have sprouted.

 

My roommate (and partner in crime in all this) and I also picked out a house plant while we were there.  It's a Charmed Wine Shamrock and the leaves are a deep red/purple.  Some day it should have white flowers too.  Did you know (at lease some) shamrocks fold their leaves down at night?  I actually thought we'd killed it in a matter of hours after getting it home!  It's so cheery though... I love it :)

"Despite the gardener's best intentions, Nature will improvise."  ~Michael P. Garafalo