Ok, maybe not . . . I wish it was . . . Only, we don't have a yard . . . kind of a set back, if you asked me a few weeks ago. But, then, I read an article in the Ensign on gardening with what you have (check it out here - it's really good). I got really excited. So, I'm doing it. I've wanted a killer garden for a long time. As a kid, I used to look through Mom's Better Homes and Gardens magazines looking at the cool gardens and houses. Now, I'm actually doing it. Not that I have a lot of time, expertise, or skill, but I'm going to do it. If nothing else, I'll have a patio full of boxes with dirt in them. Right now, there's a rusting bike on our patio and a bunch of dead ladybugs. Anything is an upgrade.
Here's our list of fruits and veggies we want to grow:
Raspberries
Lettuce
Green onions
Zucchini
Tomatoes
Basil
So, if anyone has any suggestions on gardening, I could use it. Growing plants in California was fairly straightforward - you could plant just about any time of year. Here in Illinois . . . it's still well below freezing at night. Apparently, we have to plant at certain times in the year, use specific types of dirt, etc. etc. etc.
So, I will keep you all informed on our progress . . . I may or may not succeed, but it will be interesting.
Good luck! When Brenda and I were married only about a year, we had a large and very productive garden. It was very satisfying to eat things you actually planted and grew yourself. Plus, it tasted so much better than store bought because it was picked ripe. One advantage you will have over planting in a yard is you will not have trouble with those pesky squirrels that plaque us at home. They are cute, but sure a nuisance! Have fun!
ReplyDeleteDad Moffat
John,
ReplyDeleteCheck out motherearthnews.com for advice on patio gardening. It's a great site for other things too! We just planted a few strawberries (we can totally get away with that in New Mexico...probably not in Chicago yet).
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI was just reading my Sunset magazine and saw a link to this site - sunset.com/container-garden. There are some good ideas there, plus some links to other related articles. The comments at the bottom said it may not be healthy to grow food in a galvanized container, so you might want to take note of that. I wish you well in your gardening adventures. The other day I bought some asparagus crowns to plant. This will be my first attempt at growing asparagus, so I'll need some luck as well.
Happy growing,
Mom