I’d say the theme of our garden this year, since this is our first time trying to grow any sort of food, would be variety. And that’s not to say we are growing a ton of different items, but that we are approaching our growing in a variety of ways so that we can experiment with what works for us.

We don’t have a ton of space, but we do have our little greenhouse, which was a total wreck when we moved in, but is now one of a few secret treasures we have discovered in our new house (it’s still new to me, even though we’re coming up on a year that we’ve been here). Picture, if you will, this little room off of our garage covered in ivy vines, both inside and out, including the floor. The glass panels were coated in mildew and some sort of bubble wrap (previously used as insulation?) that had to be scraped off. And it housed about a dozen cinder blocks that had been infested with spiders. After about 3 weekends worth of scraping, hosing, and wiping, we then had a semi-working greenhouse to be used presently as a cold frame for seeds and ultimately the home of a small container garden.

In addition to what we’ve got going on inside, we also started a small plot in our side yard - about 9 feet by 3-4 feet or so - for probably 3 rows of vegetables. We spent a few weeks in March prepping that plot (under the email direction of my Dad) by digging it up to loosen the soil, removing roots and rocks (there were TONS of rocks), adding compost and some organic soil, as well as a bag of pelletized lime. And now it’s been sitting there and marinating, let’s just say, getting ready for planting after May 10th, our frost-free date.

In the meantime we’ve gotten a bit of a jump-start on things by planting some seeds in the cold frame. The plan, like I said, is to have a sample of several systems - we’ve started germinating some seeds inside, some to stay (herbs) and some to eventually be moved out to the plot (Bibb lettuce and Sugar Snap Peas), we planted tomato and pepper plants in containers where they’ll stay, and we’ll plant seeds out in the garden in mid-May (carrots and maybe zucchini).

On the right we have our three tomato plants - 1 each of Roma, Cherry, and Yellow Cherry (just for fun:) With them on that table is Sam’s Begonia that he picked out. On the left table a red pepper plant in the container and two (one more red and one green) waiting to be planted (I ran out of soil - I’m a beginner, remember?). They look like this now.

It’s rainy today. I love having a room that smells like soil that I can sit in and garden while it rains outside.

The back flat is all Sugar Snap Peas, which we planted around the middle of April and they have started sprouting, as have the herbs in my little herb planter - Dill on the left, Basil in the center, Cilantro on the right.

In the front flat we have a few things going on. 1/3 on the left is Mint, because I love me some Mojitos in the summer, the center section is more basil, and on the right I started some of that Bibb lettuce. (Planted April 22, 2009)

Upcoming activities and issues:

• Figure out how to keep animals away from the outdoor garden once it is planted. I’ve already ordered a flat of Marigolds to go out there because I’ve been told the smell will keep some animals away (thanks, Mom), but any other advice is welcome.
• Figure out what these white things on my green pepper plant are, if they are a problem, and if so, how to get rid of them. Dad? Anyone? (click photo to enlarge and study said white things . . .) ***Edited to add: Aphids. Sprayed with some soapy water.
• Figure out why the heck all the cells aren’t sprouting yet.
• Get ready for planting day!