urban farming continues
I know it seems a bit too soon to post about how the garden is doing, but things have changed so much so soon, I feel like I should share with you about our (ahem KS’s success) and greenies’ progress. Well, I am happy to report that everything is going swimmingly and things are growing like there’s no tomorrow and they’re just gunning it down. It’s like a race to the harvest line out there.
We have a new addition to our “family” so to speak – the squashes. They’re a peaceful and quiet family that’s growing in a window box they will very soon outgrow. We are in the process of finding the appropriate real estate as not to make them feel improperly housed. They are cute and little and have just emerged from the soil all at once it seems. I suppose they’re a tight-knit bunch.
I’ve dubbed myself as the absentee mother because a few days might pass before I take a look at our garden, sometimes too busy with work and sometimes cognizant that KS will water them. I’ve felt pangs of guilt in the last few days and have made a resolution to spend more time with the plants – giving them their much-needed love.
But as you can see from the pictures, things are glorious, green, and growing! And while I am treasuring each new day of this beautiful weather, a part of me just wants to fast forward to see what our harvest will look like.
We need more “stuff” for the garden. Larger window boxes, pots and perhaps a more environmentally friendly bug spray – ours is some kind of an organic soap that makes them slide off, but I want to find something really truly safe. Something I could make at home, but don’t have to make at home.
All in all, this garden is making me and KS realize a few things. Like our love of the land and soil and enjoying the ‘farming’ process – if you can call it such at this point in the stage. What does this mean about us? I’m not sure. But the garden continues to provide this elusive feeling of zen – there is something about this process that is so calming and grounding (pardon the pun) – that it is difficult to put into words. Sure we giggle with glee at the sight of a new leaf or a new flower, or seeing that little tomato grow bigger and bigger, but there’s more to it. I am, for one, amazed at the thrust of life on our deck. The push, the need, the sheer fortitude of these plants to procreate, grow, get bigger, produce fruit – it’s the strongest force of life I’ve ever observed – and perhaps this all sounds trite and sugary, but I really don’t mean for it to be. I am just excited that a month ago, we planted the seeds, potted the plants. And today we have a thriving little garden growing on our roof in New York. Urban gardening at its inception stages – who knows where we’ll take this project of ours?
Radish’s note: Even though I have just posted a few days ago about the garden, the pictures you saw were at least 2 weeks old. The pictures in today’s entry were taken by the insomniac me around 6:30 in the morning – yes, I know, I should sleep at this time, but who can sleep with such glorious sun pouring its rays everywhere?
It all looks great, and everything will taste so much better when you know you produced it yourself…but please, please pinch the tops off your basil! If you don’t, your plant will stop producing and will die prematurely.
Those look outstanding. My brother’s living in waaaay downtown Chicago and just started growing a little garden on his outside stair. A pepper just sprouted from one of the plants and he was positively gleeful–now I have a better understanding why!
I’m so jealous that all your stuff is blossoming!
I have on strawberry that’s just ever so beginning to blush…. I’m so proud of her :-)
I totally understand your zen-like glee with your garden. I only have herbs growing in pots indoors, but I’m also thrilled on a daily basis with their growth and can often be caught just staring at them in amazement that I helped something grow. Have you tried TerraCycle’s worm-poop plant food? It’s completely chemical-free and they package it in recycled soda bottles–a very cool company. If you spray it on the leaves, it’s supposed to repel bugs (though I can’t vouch for its outdoor repellent abilities since I’m just a windowsill gardner.)
What a beautiful urban garden. Your basil looks so healthy — much more advanced that what I have growing in the ground! And what fun you’ll have harvesting your own herbs and veggies.
jkd – thanks, the tops have been pinched and the plant looks all the better for it!
Jim – as silly as it sounds, and it’s pretty inexplicable, there is an amazing sense of accomplishment and almost pride when you grow something you can eat.
ann – how is the strawberry doing? I promise, if i have a nice harvest, i’ll share!
Lisa – THANK YOU – i was trying to remember what that stuff was called – i saw it online one day and thought ‘eureka! worm poop is the key!” so i’ll be looking for it. thanks for the suggestion!
Lydia – my boyfriend and I are lamenting that we don’t have a backyard, because we’d be planting up much more. We wanted to grow watermelon, but realized we don’t have the space :(
i really need to rent a plot in the city. i have a few flower pots outside my window, but it just doesn’t cut it. your veggies are looking marvelous. and that basil! wow.