Adventures in Gardening

I have a new hobby. And I'm obsessed.

Check out these babies!

Our baby seedlings before planting.

Freshly planted.

Boy have they grown!

Cilantro for days!

Lots of basil.

Thyme-tastic.

Two kinds of kale.

One of our free spirited tomato plants.

Our jalapeno plant finally is starting to show signs of future peppers.

Mint!

Tomatoes are coming soon!

The Food and Garden Club on the campus where I work has a number of garden plots that they let students, faculty, and staff rent out each year. For a small fee, you get to grow whatever you would like in a 4x4 plot.

I have always wanted to start a garden, but wasn't really excited about trying to build something at our apartment. We also have a heavily shaded yard thanks to some big trees, which would make it pretty challenging to grow anything that requires full sun.

So I was so excited to give gardening a shot, especially with a group of folks who know quite a bit more about gardening than I do. Lots of experts to share tips and tricks.

And, even better, I have a gardening partner! My friend Claudia also wanted to give beginner gardening a shot. We like to head out over our lunch hour and check on the veggies and herbs and do a little weeding and watering. Maybe grab a few extra salad toppings too!

We have already learned a few key things:

Tomatoes need to go in cages, almost right away. We thought we could wait on this one for a few weeks, but then our tomato plants had a major growth spurt and got all long and gangly. We had quite the adventure trying to weave them into the cages, and lost some branches along the way. We are hoping that they will straighten out a bit, because they are pretty heavy on one side.

Watering. It's a daily thing. We haven't lost any plants yet, and thankfully, we've had a LOT of rain so watering hasn't been as needed as you would expect for the summer. But we know moving forward that we are going to have to schedule time to get out there every day.

Cat hair and coffee grounds can help keep the critters away. We don't use pesticides at the garden, so we are trying everything we can to keep the bugs and the bunnies out of our goodies. Some bunny loves our kale!

Through the club, I am also trying out composting for the first time. We have a compost area near the gardens, and so I've been saving my veggie scraps, egg shells and coffee groups to take in each day. Way better than having a stinky compost area at home! Plus all of the compost that we make can go back into the gardens.

So that's where you can find me this summer. Digging in the dirt!

Do you garden? What tips can you share with us? We'd love advice!

Tiny Green World of Wonder: Part 2

So you may recall that I made a terrarium earlier this week. And it was lovely.

Not two days later, I walked downstairs where my mom and Chris said, "Something happened....and Bucky didn't do it."

My darling girl Stella has quite the curious streak running through her, which often leads to naughty things. Which is why she decided to explore the terrarium on her own, and somehow got to the top of the bookshelf and knocked it right off. Sad day. There was no rescuing the broken glass....

So yesterday we ventured over to Michael's to find a new container for my little green world. I ultimately decided on a medium sized apothecary jar. While this was quite a bit larger than the little glass orb, I felt it would still have room for the plants to grow.

And this is what it looks like after repotting everything.

Perhaps even cuter! I went with the covered terrarium, which is said to be good for mosses, and requires less care. Like a mini greenhouse, it generates its own moisture.

And of course, I cannot stay mad at this sweet tiny face.

BTW - I decided to check this off the list for #12 - Plant a garden. Because while I hope to plant more greenery once we get into our apartment, this totally counts as a tiny garden. : )

Tiny Green World of Wonder

Last week, I posted about my desire to add some greenery to our new apartment. Well I got a bit of a head start...

For months now, I had my eye on a Handblown Glass Orb Terrarium Kit from the Blithe Gardens shop on Etsy. I marked it as a favorite. I pinned it. I put it on both my Christmas list and my Birthday list. It had to be mine.

And when it didn't magically appear on my doorstep, I decided to put some of my birthday money to good use and ordered it on Monday.

I love terrariums because they are sort of their own little world, full of imagination. And according to everything that I've read, they are supposed to be pretty easy to care for.

The kit arrived today!

Isn't it fun getting packages in the mail?! I immediately took everything out so I could start to assemble my tiny world. 

It came complete with a tiny glass orb, activated charcoal (which is important for drainage), moss, ivy, lichens, rocks, and a cute little mushroom!

I decided I should probably not get soil all over my mom's tablecloth, and set up a little station at the counter. From there, it was really easy. I added the charcoal... 

Covered it with some soil...

And then added my plants and rocks. How cute is this? Answer: So cute. Can't you just picture Alice and the White Rabbit running on through this green little wonderland? 

For now, it will live on my mom's bookcase, until it's time to move. 

Whimsy. I love it.

Making a Home: Indoor and Outdoor Greenery

As I look ahead to our new apartment, I would love to bring in some plants for a little indoor (cat-friendly) garden. You may recall that I have tried keeping plants before in my last apartment... I don't exactly have  a green thumb. The orchid lasted slightly longer than the African violet, but neither made it six months.

I love the idea of an assortment of potted plants, like this...

 

(originally from here)

My only concern is that both cats like to eat plants, and would find a way to destroy them.

I have also been swooning over terrariums, and would love to make one. Aren't these gorgeous?


(from here)


(from here)


 (from here)


(from here)

By going the closed terrarium route, I would not have to worry about the cats. I love both the succulent and the moss and fern terrariums. Perhaps I need more than one?  My terrariums would look really cute next to these terrarium postcards that I just bought from Etsy.



We will have a backyard in our new place, and the landlord was open to us planting a garden. I love the idea of growing veggies and herbs. Although it would probably be smart to start small. Both of these projects require some construction know-how, and a little tender lovin' care, but I think I could do it.


(from here)


(from here)

I will not be able to do much until I can get into the space, but I look forward to seeing if I can keep some plants alive!