The good news is that Joe and I started on our garden.
The bad news is that the backyard is still a hot mess.
Our landlord has plans to burn a bunch of twigs/branches/brush and mix all that ash into the soil in the flower beds. This would be okay if the existing soil didn’t look like a mini dust bowl going on. Basically, no amount of ash or TLC is going to save the soil in the garden. It’s dry and sad, although not sad enough to keep away garden snakes.
I’m not entirely sure that the ash will add much of anything to the soil but this is how our landlord has done it for some time. My skepticism on his technique is probably a result seeing most of last year’s crops go bad before they were picked (because we couldn’t find them), as is evident from this photo taken at the end of last season.
Yep. The garden was a mess last year, too. The current state of the garden has led Joe and I to seriously start thinking about getting a planter… maybe we can hang outside one of our kitchen windows or maybe on the fire escape out back. Both are totally plausible.
But how can we start our garden if we haven’t gotten a planter yet and the backyard is still under construction?
I’m glad you asked.
Joe and I have started planting inside!
To make our temporary indoor garden we used some eco-planters (you can plant them in the soil when you’re ready to move them outside) and some potted soil mix that we’ve had for at least a year. So far, things have been going well. At the moment, we’re currently only growing basil and parsley. I’d like to take a shot at mint and maybe grab a strawberry or tomato plant we can hang in our spare room (there’s already plant hooks on the ceiling!).
We tried planting some basil that Joe had picked up from the grocery store that’s sadly no longer with us. I think it lasted for maybe 2 days before we had to toss it. We’ve also moved the garlic over here so it can get a lot of sun. Joe and I also came to the realization that we were both watering the garlic (oops) so it’s currently in recovery mode. We’ll see what happens with that…
When we started about a week ago, we planted the basil and parsley. I put five seeds in each container and kind of just hoped they would grow. I’ve also been sure to water them whenever the soil dries out which currently means about every-other-day.
Oh, and those cute little tags? I just used some extra paint swatches, my calligraphy pen, and a toothpick to make each one. It was a five-minute project but I think it makes everything look cuter, especially while we were waiting for the plants to grow.
In addition to the herbs, I also added our succulent to the window sill. This thing continues to grow like crazy (check out the first photo of our garden to see how nuts it is) even when I forget to water it. Seriously. I don’t even remember the last time I watered this guy. Clearly, I am stuck with it forever (maybe I should give it a proper name?) but my intentions were to have it be a positive role model for the herbs. Maybe encourage the garden to grow.
Hey, if talking to plants is supposed to help them grow, then maybe they’ll do well if they talk amongst themselves.
Turns out, my scheming worked. The basil, which is next to our succulent, started to grow. It was the most exciting think I’ve seen all week. It’s definitely reassuring to know that we’re doing things correctly (I got nervous we were over-watering) and at some point we’ll have an unlimited supply of basil! I’m already thinking up ways to use it all.
Some other good news is that the fig tree has started to bloom. Well, it’s more good news for Joe since he loves figs. I’m not a fan of them but i do like having a fruit tree outside. My parents have a plum tree at their house and I’ve decided that I would like a lemon tree whenever Joe and I get a house. I will be a lemonade-making machine.
Have you had any luck planting store-bought herbs? Maybe you’ve started your garden indoors, too? What are you currently growing (or plan to grow)? Any recommendations to name our succulent?
