Getting all this for next to nothing... Priceless

I know the picture is hard to see, but if you click on it and open it in a new window you'll see it a lot better. I took this a few days ago, I was going to wait and post it with a whole bunch of other pictures and just do a video. I'll probably still do that, but I've been itching to post this.

This is going to be the bulk of my seed starting supplies this year. I was quite proud of myself. It's a mish mosh of things because I'm planning on doing transplanting into bigger things, but also because I want to see which is going to work best for what I'm wanting to do. I've decided to not buy the bulk of the plants I want but to use the seeds I already own. I bought them for a reason, and gosh darn it I'm going to do it and if they fail THEN I'll buy the plants I need. Either way, it's still cheaper than buying all the produce in the grocery store.

So here's my plan. I'm going to make some seed starting things on my own. I have a few shot glasses so I think if I can use the concept of the seed blocks, I should be okay, and be able to get them started and then transplant them to the disposable plastic cups, and then from there transplant them to the different sized containers I have. My biggest thing is the tomatoes, hence the big buckets. I'm determined to get the ones I'm most concerned about the biggest chance.

I still have to add the draining holes and air pruning slots to them, then wash them to make sure they're clean, then dry, and get the rest of my seed starting supplies together. My goal for tomorrow is to finish up the laundry and make myself a spot in the garage tomorrow cleared a way for the project, and get it set up. I still have to buy the soil to do my seedlings, but I can get that on Friday, and I'll have to because I'm broke.

So then on Wednesday I'm planning on doing the dirty work of getting the containers prepped, getting my buffet table set up in the dinning room with my grow light, setting out my baking trays (they're so I can have a little bit of water for the "self watering" feature), washing all the containers, and getting the seeds together that I'm going to plant. That will be exciting to finally get them all off my coffee table. When all of this is done I'll be a happy camper.

Thursday is my day off, Friday I'll go out and buy the seed starting mix and start filling up my containers as well as making my little seedling starters, Saturday will be the day when everything begins and the day when I'll really start my progress! I have to say I'm super excited.

I will try my hardest to take pictures of everything while I do it for documentation. Let's face, a picture can sometimes better explain things. I probably won't do another post until at least Thursday, though I hope to do a post on Wednesday with my "shopping list" of things I'm going to be getting to expand my garden.

Til the next post . . . Arrivederci!

March Madness

Well, as if February wasn't busy enough, March brought on a whole new term of stress. My Mom and Dad (step, and that's the last reference to it I shall make) came down to help with a kitchen gut job and redo. Time was short, one week to be exact, and it was even more hectic since my helper wasn't able to come over and help due to snow. So a lot of prep work didn't get done that should have, but we went through it like champs the four of us (and our helper even came over to help with painting for a few hours), and we now have a fully functional, and mold, moisture, bug free kitchen. Complete with snack bar (finally)! It's almost 100% done. We still need a tile back splash of some sort, a few more pieces of molding, caulk the tiny nail holes, and the biggest thing to get done is a new floor.

My seedlings were pretty much all but forgotten the first week in March. Without their grow light, and not being watered as it wasn't high on the to-do list. Some of them suffered, others flourished, not all sprouted. The beans and peas are huge, a melon or watermelon is trying to find it's way outside, and a few tomato plants are getting bigger and bigger every day. They are all now out of the dome, but still in the sponges, and under the light on top of the fridge where they should be. All is well so far.

Shipments have been coming in while they have been available. I seem to have misplaced an Upside Down Planter I wanted to try, I have no idea where the blasted thing is (it came during the remodel). A Garden Support Set has arrived, Garden Grids (I received two sets, lucky me!), two Raised Beds (self-watering, woot), three Self-Watering Planters, and a partridge in a pear tree.

I've even received a few of my back ordered seeds from Park Seed, but I guess Burpee just doesn't even give them to you at all. I can't wait to plant what I have, though some of my seedlings seem to be not doing so hot, we'll see what happens later.

Ciao!

Christmas in Februbary?!

You're damn right. Our friend Dustin came to visit during our Christmas in February. Why in February you might ask? Money my dear friends, money. We decided to make a trip back to Wisconsin since it had been almost two years since I've seen them. So we used our Christmas money for each other to fund the trip and used tax money (woo!) to celebrate Christmas and Valentines Day. This is actually the second time we've done this, and I have to say I prefer doing it this way.

On to the gardening aspect. I started my seedlings after Dustin left. I used Park's Double 120-cell Bio Dome to start what I could. Not all of my seeds came in on time, I had many on backorder from Park Seed as well as Burpee which I have to say I'm not to please about. I would have liked to been informed while I was in the check out process, then I could have ordered things that were in stock. I was ordering a bit late I realize, but still, keep up the website people.

I will put up a sidebar link to the seeds closer to Summertime. Why? I don't feel like listing them all here, plus, I would only like to list the seeds that I actually own. No use crying over seeds that I don't have. I will be able to start those next year, so it will all work out in the end.

Ciao!

The First Post

So, this is my first official post. Yay! I have been planning this garden for a long time now and it's finally going to happen. I've ordered all the seeds and stuff that I'm going to need to start them for the most part. I shall post more on that later. I still need to order my actual self-watering gardens and other things, but for the most part, I have everything I need, except for the soil.

But, I am tired, and I'm still futzing with this place, so I shall post more as my orders come in.

Ciao!