Aerogarden Report

I am happy to report that I have several seedlings beginning to show through my Aerogarden domes. I had doubts about the Genovese Basil, but it's coming up. I will post some pictures as soon as I can. The thyme and dill seem to be coming up as well, but the mint seems to be giving me trouble again this year. Growing mint from seed is a really hard thing to do and it's often very unrewarding and fruitless. Mint doesn't breed true from seed, so it often takes several generations when growing by seed to find a plant with optimum taste and other factors, such as leaf and seed production. I only keep trying because I'm stubborn. Well, very stubborn...,

The jury is still out on whether I will see any Lemon Basil this year, but I hope so. Last year's plants were so leafy and aromatic. I have to buy some soil to set up my raised garden beds but I have a few new types of peppers I'll be trying this year as well as some salad greens and spinach.

Planting Season!

I started up my Aerogarden 6 today with a selection of aromatic herbs I can't wait to cook with. I have Thyme, Genovese Basil, Lemon Basil, Mint, Dill, and Oregano. I think I will be planting some salad greens in my Aerogarden 7. I love growing as much of my produce as I can. It gives me a real sense of accomplishment knowing what I am putting on my kids' plates, and knowing that it's healthy and chemical free. In the meantime, here are some pictures from my wildflower garden in my front yard.

Setbacks

Lately, it seems that my whole universe has been flipped on its ear. I think it started going to hell when Danny died. I went even further into depression and my diet and exercise commitment suffered greatly. I am only now starting to feel better emotionally, but now the arthritis in my knee is flaring. I am going to try to work out regardless.

I haven't really had a chance to do much gardening yet, and my amaryllis was coming up nicely until the caterpillars discovered them. Now they are in pieces. Literally.

The poppies are coming along nicely, and I have a slew of beautiful visitors beating a path to my front door. It cheers me up to see them. I have several different species of butterflies coming to the flowerbeds. I wish I knew what this one is..it's so pretty!

Here is a close up of the poppies: The poppies are slightly windblown thanks to our lovely Texas wind, but I think their coloring is absolutely gorgeous.

As far as my relationship with my sister, I have come to the realization that the only course of action is to amputate that relationship. She and I are very different people, and I am at a point in my life where I can no longer tolerate the stress and negativity of being around her. This relationship has become toxic to me, and so, I'm giving up. I'm tired of being dragged into situations that I do not want to be involved in.

This weekend, I am planning on starting up the Aerogardens with some herbs and vegetables, but I am saving one of the Aerogardens to plant with flowers. I haven't decided what kind of flowers yet. Any ideas? Leave your flower suggestions in the comments. My oldest son is trying to get me to plant bluebonnets, but I didn't have any luck with them or the forget me nots I tried to grow last year. I also learned last year that growing mint from seed is a very frustrating and ultimately fruitless experience.

Hello, Starshine!

Today has been a fabulous day for many reasons, and this was just the icing on the cake.  When I came home this afternoon, I found this on my back porch: my first ever bulb that I grew myself! Presenting: For your viewing pleasure, my Amaryllis!

Going Green

My efforts this Spring have been rewarded with better results than usual. I started my plants way early and have been rewarded with a rather bountiful crop of herbs. I have Lemon Basil, Italian Basil, Globe Basil, Lavender, Sage, Oregano, Thyme, and Mint. They say it is not a good idea to grow mint from seed since it does not breed true, but I am hoping to breed out any issues once I get more plants established. These plants are growing inside thanks to my AeroGardens. Outside, I have a tomato plant along with cherry tomatoes, two different varieties of peppers, salvia, tulips, hyacinths, and strawberries. I managed to pick up a lovely white geranium for the front of my house. I think it will set off the rustic flowerbed my son and I put in in front of our porch. In an effort to show my kids how what one my family does can affect the enviornment, I have also started a compost pile. The kids have responded well to this and are excited to see all the different materials that can be composted and how the materials break down over time. They want to try vermicomposting next, but I want to see how our first batch of compost turns out before making any commitments.