Growth updates!

I love this time of year....things really start getting off the ground (literally)!

It was a little cool recently, but a big rain came through and today was much warmer.

All the seedlings have been moved outside and have been transplanted to

small pots (or in some cases, small pot-shaped things I could find!)

I have tomatoes, either basil or thyme (forgot what I planted), and I believe two types of

peppers (of three possible, either banana, bell, or jalepeno). This is a hodgepodge of seedlings because I planted them whilst finalizing my thesis (defended yesterday, hurray!), so hopefully I'll figure out what's what :) Can't figure out how to get the pic up correctly, else someone could help me!

Two of the planted tomatoes are slowing growing....the sole remain

ing planted cuke is not long for this world I believe though....

....and a few carrot sprouts, finally! I think I'm also going to plant

some bee balm in this pot soon, so I don't have to hand-pollinate everything!

The other two tomato plants aren't moving much and are a little yellow, so I'm worried. The chives and parsley are exploding though! Maybe putting some leaf lettuce or radishes in once the tomatoes get larger and shadier.

Lime buds and flowers!!!

Pepper plants...I read that peppers "sulk" when it gets too cool, so I'm guessing that's what happened with these bells, not much growth.

Finally, my amazing mint plant. I love this

plant--nothing like it to boost a novice gardener's morale!

Beautiful April Sunday

This weekend has been amazing--75 degrees, mild humidity, pure sunshine. Great time for me to get some pics of my balcony garden up.

the view from inside

cuke seedlings

sage plant that I grew from seed--v. proud of this plant, I've never gotten an herb to grow from seed before!

seedlings getting some fresh air

aloe plant that I use more than any other plant I've ever had--also just repotted

bonsai lime tree--all the leaves dropped this winter (which is normal?) but it now has tons of baby leaves and some flower buds--first flower of the season!

mint plant, one week later! Apparently it loves the shade

baby tomato plants and a cuke that probably won't make it...hasn't grown in a while, maybe I transplanted too early? Also some carrot seeds sown in here that haven't sprouted

tomatoes (hidden in the center) and herbs--garlic chives & parsley

Finally, bell peppers!

I really want to plant more, but with the big move coming up soon, I'm trying to work with plants that can be combined in large pots and will hopefully not be so big that the move will jostle them a ton.

Mint's Alive!

One of the reasons that I started this blog is to share my trials and joys of gardening as a complete novice. I usually do pretty well with my plants, but I've definitely killed several in my time. So when something goes well after I've written it off as a goner, it's a thrill :)

This happened recently to me with my beloved mint plant. Virginia got a cold spell in January/February, and the hardy mint was left outside on my balcony in snow, ice, and freezing temperatures. I've left it out in winter before and it's died back but not died all the way, so I both didn't bother to bring it in and actually forgot about it in the midst of writing my master's thesis this winter. When I started gardening again in March, the poor mint looked like a goner. I don't have a picture, but believe me, what was left was hard, brown, and didn't make you think of life at all. I watered it anyway, and promptly forgot about it for two weeks (luckily for all my balcony plants, it rained a lot during these weeks!).

Huzzah--the mint is alive! This is less than two weeks' growth, amazing!

Of course, anyone who knows much of anything about gardening would know that this "weed" would grow back, but I adore this plant and was so scared that it was gone forever. Phew!

As you may also notice, this pic is from inside my living room, not on my balcony. The apartment complex is pressuring washing buildings this week, so my living room is *crammed*. Once everything gets back outside, I plan on doing a full update of all my lovelies!

Blogable? Eatable.

I've always loved plants, but in a subconscious kind of way. It runs in my blood--my grandmother always had a garden, and I have cute memories of me helping. Ornamental plants never did it for me though--I like having a few around, especially in the dull, blue winter months, but I've always been a function-first kind of girl. Fast-forward to about 1.5 years ago, when I started a master's degree program in southern Virginia, and got a one-bedroom apartment (finally, no roommates!) with a 4X8 foot balcony. This was in August, and my few late season tomato plants yielded little. The next summer came and I was able to grow tomatoes, cukes (which died from too little watering), beans, herbs, and hot peppers.

Now, I'm newly married and moving to California in June to start my PhD, and am addicted to the idea of growing edibles as simply as possible on my tiny space. My thought process is, if I could make it, why buy it? This year I'm growing everything (except for plants I already have) from seed, but also moving in the middle of the growing season. Thankfully, I'll be able to bring all my planted containers with me on the move, and I'll be heading toward a longer growing season :)

This blog is my attempt to document my trials and tribulations with edible gardening on limited space. I welcome any helpful comments and hope that my silly accidents and lucky outcomes will aid in other newbies' attempts.