Disappointed that I will be finishing my PhD at the end of the summer (I had hoped to finish by May), I've decided to make the best of it and carry out one of my (not-so-secret) desires to have a garden. Unfortunately, I live on the 5th floor in an apartment and have no yard or garden. What I do have is a small iron patio outside my kitchen. It's not a proper fire escape, as there is no ladder or stairs, nor is it truly a patio, as the only way to get out on it would be to stand on my stove and crawl through the window. I'm not sure what purpose it has ever served. But this summer, I plan to use it to grow (in my mind) a treasure trove of delicious fresh herbs and veggies.
I first went to Target, unsure if they even have a garden section. They do, but it's two small aisles stuck between the barbecue and patio sections. It has a disappointing selection and also assumes that all gardeners must grow plants in bulk, a strange assumption given that this particular store is quite close to central Boston, not known for its large backyards or gardening spaces (although I have walked by several community gardens that look lovely, and I can only dream that I would have the time to devote to such an endeavour). Despite their slim pickings, however, I selected five seed packets of "organic" seeds for various herbs (two types of basil, chives, oregano, and thyme) and two trays of seed starters. Both claimed to be eco-friendly, which appears to mean that they can be planted directly into the soil and the "cup" will degrade. One tray claimed to be self-watering (upon closer inspection this simply meant it was capable of not being watered as often, which in reality is quite different), so I bought it, hoping that at least some of my seedlings would survive my inability to judge when things should be watered.
My next stop would be Home Depot, but by the time I got out of Target (it had recently expanded to include groceries, so I felt compelled to walk down every aisle and buy more snacks than I could ever consume), it had closed. I put it on my list for another day and headed home.
Thanks to my good friend Melissa (of Researching Paris) and the book The $64 Tomato by William Alexander for inspiration - the former for the blog, and the latter for the garden!
I first went to Target, unsure if they even have a garden section. They do, but it's two small aisles stuck between the barbecue and patio sections. It has a disappointing selection and also assumes that all gardeners must grow plants in bulk, a strange assumption given that this particular store is quite close to central Boston, not known for its large backyards or gardening spaces (although I have walked by several community gardens that look lovely, and I can only dream that I would have the time to devote to such an endeavour). Despite their slim pickings, however, I selected five seed packets of "organic" seeds for various herbs (two types of basil, chives, oregano, and thyme) and two trays of seed starters. Both claimed to be eco-friendly, which appears to mean that they can be planted directly into the soil and the "cup" will degrade. One tray claimed to be self-watering (upon closer inspection this simply meant it was capable of not being watered as often, which in reality is quite different), so I bought it, hoping that at least some of my seedlings would survive my inability to judge when things should be watered.
My next stop would be Home Depot, but by the time I got out of Target (it had recently expanded to include groceries, so I felt compelled to walk down every aisle and buy more snacks than I could ever consume), it had closed. I put it on my list for another day and headed home.
Thanks to my good friend Melissa (of Researching Paris) and the book The $64 Tomato by William Alexander for inspiration - the former for the blog, and the latter for the garden!
I think that's a wonderful idea! We hope to visit in July so you should be reaping the fruits (vegetables?) of your labor... Are you already filing away some recipes?
ReplyDeleteOooh, that's a great idea! Although in some ways, what can you NOT do with fresh tomatoes? :)
DeleteI ended up with some strawberry plants (I went to Home Depot yesterday and went a little crazy, second post coming later about that), they may be yielding some fruit by July!
Thanks for the shout-out :) Let's keep each other going in this endeavor. Am excited to see that you are branching out (so to speak, hah). Congrats on creating a space for you to *not* think about science :)
ReplyDeleteHow are you finding the herbs to be surviving? And do you have direct sunlight? We don't and I worry that if I try and grow herbs they won't take.
ReplyDeleteSo far the herbs and plants have been doing great, although my seedlings are starting to concern me. But the plants are getting almost exactly 6 hours of sunlight, which is the minimum suggested for the vegetable/fruits, and I think for herbs as well.
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