Watch My Garden Grow

15. April 2010

The experiment is as stands…the experience of growing a small, or humble, let’s say, crop of vegetables to supplement the dietary needs of me, my love, and my roommates. This year, we begin humbly because our current home is of the apartment persuasion and offers absolutely nothing in the way of a yard, much less a plot of cultivatable land. So, pots, planters, and baskets it is. Our deck, which is facing east, and thus gets about six or seven hours of good morning sunlight (after about 1pm the sun is far out of reach due to our overhang), is at this point primarily minimal in its decor. We have a lovely wind chime; recently brought back from Eureka Springs, AR, a set of chairs, complete with drink cozies, and of course, the standard wooden deck table. A happy little grill keeps the stairs company, and with Mike’s (my roommate and co-worker at the Spice House) help, keeps us full of tasty BBQ and other such yummies. I tell you all this now, because I hope to be posting pictures of a lush mini jungle out there in just a few months…and I think it’s important to have a feel for our location in order to fully grasp the weight of our growing limitations. Despite how cliché and grandiose the notion may sound, I would like to attempt to make a point with this experiment (in addition to returning to the joys of growing things beyond my indoor assortment of potted plants). I would like to prove that even with limited space, as so many of us suffer from in this day and age of rental living for the middle class, it is entirely possible to cultivate a viable crop from which to derive necessary nutrients essential to human life (fooooooood!). Maybe, just maybe, it’s possible to return to a more grassroots way of life here in the United States, functioning less in the brass knuckles hold of the gods of capitalism and reconciling with the symbiotic way of life that our predecessors here once embraced. I propose that step one in that transition is food. If we can learn to remember that food can be as freely grown as the weeds in our finely manicured lawns, even in limited space and less than optimal conditions, then perhaps we can break free of big business’ hold on our existence in at least on aspect of our lives, and maybe that small shift will open doors to countless others. Well, in any case, I’m gonna give it a try and see what happens. :) Plus, I just miss having a garden.

So here is the lowdown…

I will be planting vegetables. They are relatively accommodating, forgiving, and best of all, delicious. Yes, they fit the healthy living style I’m aiming for. And, I should probably mention now that broccoli was my first word, so anyone who does not know me personally can gather a lot about my tastes based on that alone.

Anywho, the following is the list of my chosen crop for this year:

-Genovese Basil

A standard, full leaf basil. Very classic.

-Romaine Lettuce (Bionda Lentissima)

A hearty romaine, able to withstand some summer heat, so I will be planting in the spring with hopes of maintaining production as long as possible.

-Broccoli (Calabria)

Traditional, full flavored delicious awesome I am so super excited for it broccoli.

-Pole Bean (Garrafal Oro)

A somewhat rare (in the US) but apparently fantastic green pole bean.

-Chives (Cippolina)

The ever plentiful and oh so useful little green onion like chive…yay! And it will come back next year (fingers crossed)!

-Sweet Peas (Mangiatutto Carouby)

A sweet, flat pea, glad to have cool weather, and will be a refreshing treat come summer. This type is supposed to be a great producer.

This year I am starting all of my seeds. The peas are going in their 24” planter right away, as again, they don’t mind the cold. Everyone else is being started indoors, via small square jiffy pots. For anyone interested, all of my seeds were from www.growitalian.com, as referred by a good friend at work. They have a great wealth of information on their site, very quick delivery (even across the country), and I hear pretty fantastic customer service.

Here we go…wish me luck!

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