Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last blog post? Sorry for the long silence over here. I haven't forgotten about you, I promise. It's been a busy April so far, but the most interesting thing is that Drew and I got a garden plot! Our housing complex has 50 garden plots for student use. The nice thing is there is really no start up cost, as gardening tools are available for us to use.
For many reasons, Drew and I have decided to try our hand at gardening. For one thing, it does seem like it could be fun. I hear that gardening can help relieve stress, and well, we could use some of that. There are also environmental reasons to try growing some of our own food. I can't think of a better way to eat local, and when food doesn't have to travel across the country, it tastes better too. I always hear about how home grown tomatoes taste far superior to the off season ones in the grocery store, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into one straight off the vine (well, sort of. I'll wash it off first). Plus, Drew wants to make loads of marinara sauce, I want to can salsa, and we're tired of paying $2 for a red pepper at the grocery store.
So for many reasons, gardening seems like a good idea, but I'm not certain that it's the best hobby for me to take up. While Drew has demonstrated an ability to keep plants alive, I have managed to actually kill a cactus and there is a succulent on the porch that's not looking too good. Our herbs are sad and wilted, but I just transplanted them, so I hope they perk up. We were trying to grow lettuce on the porch, but 2 of the 6 died. We tried to blame it on the fact that our porch gets very, very little sunlight, but when we moved the remaining 4 lettuces to the garden, it wasn't long before they joined the other 2 in lettuce heaven.
So far, gardening has proven to be a great workout. I had heard that gardening qualifies as exercise, and before trying it out, I was skeptical. Not anymore. Before we could plant anything, Drew and I had to go out and rip up the soil and stir in some compost. This was no easy task. We're in a desert here, so the soil is actually clay, which is more suitable for making pots, not growing vegetables. Clay is what gardening books tell you to cross your fingers and pray you don't have.
Today, I went out to plant our pepper plants and tomato plants (Drew was at a wedding; he wasn't being lazy here). So far, I think we're off to a good start. Check it out:
For many reasons, Drew and I have decided to try our hand at gardening. For one thing, it does seem like it could be fun. I hear that gardening can help relieve stress, and well, we could use some of that. There are also environmental reasons to try growing some of our own food. I can't think of a better way to eat local, and when food doesn't have to travel across the country, it tastes better too. I always hear about how home grown tomatoes taste far superior to the off season ones in the grocery store, and I can't wait to sink my teeth into one straight off the vine (well, sort of. I'll wash it off first). Plus, Drew wants to make loads of marinara sauce, I want to can salsa, and we're tired of paying $2 for a red pepper at the grocery store.
So for many reasons, gardening seems like a good idea, but I'm not certain that it's the best hobby for me to take up. While Drew has demonstrated an ability to keep plants alive, I have managed to actually kill a cactus and there is a succulent on the porch that's not looking too good. Our herbs are sad and wilted, but I just transplanted them, so I hope they perk up. We were trying to grow lettuce on the porch, but 2 of the 6 died. We tried to blame it on the fact that our porch gets very, very little sunlight, but when we moved the remaining 4 lettuces to the garden, it wasn't long before they joined the other 2 in lettuce heaven.
So far, gardening has proven to be a great workout. I had heard that gardening qualifies as exercise, and before trying it out, I was skeptical. Not anymore. Before we could plant anything, Drew and I had to go out and rip up the soil and stir in some compost. This was no easy task. We're in a desert here, so the soil is actually clay, which is more suitable for making pots, not growing vegetables. Clay is what gardening books tell you to cross your fingers and pray you don't have.
Today, I went out to plant our pepper plants and tomato plants (Drew was at a wedding; he wasn't being lazy here). So far, I think we're off to a good start. Check it out:
I'm currently sowing eggplant seeds and more tomato seeds. If all the seeds hatch, we'll actually have too many plants, but we'll cross that bridge if we come to it. Stay tuned!
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