Traveling Garden

As is tradition in my life, it is time for me to move again. I do not yet know my address, but if you want to send me any congratulatory gifts, you can contact me personally and I will be happy to accommodate.

Moving also means that my little garden must survive the journey. I seem to remember a roadshow from long ago, and in it was featured the character "Captain Recycle", or something to that effect. After that we as a family started doing things to be more earth-friendly. It was my job to rinse out the milk jugs and put them in a large garbage bag until someone had time to take them to the magical center for recycling. I don't actually remember any of those jugs being recycled, but I remember the concept and that I thought it was way neat. I know there have been many other influences on my life since then that have caused me to choose the way I live, but this was my first memory of consumer responsibility and it has kind of stuck.

You may remember that back in January I sowed some tomato seeds because I was craving living things in my world which was covered in snow. Some of the plants came up quickly and grew rapidly (bottom picture). Some sprouted much later and have only grown as large as the pots I keep them in. Here is featured the "re-use" of my half gallon milk jugs. I have since adopted out many of the unexpected sprouts, but the plants below are the last of the late bloomers and I decided to put them in containers with handles so they will be easy to move in and out until it stops freezing at night. Also (and this is where I tell you how my garden will survive the journey to my new temporary home), these pliable and handled pots should be able to make it through my sometimes questionable driving habits.

Yes, this is a gallon milk jug, handle intact. As I was packing some of the things in my bedroom, I found some old seeds which are believed to be from last years Morning Glory vines. I really hope this is the truth, and like it or not, I will probably write something about them if they ever sprout. You have been warned.

As mentioned above, here are the first plants and they contain the first fruits of the season. I don't know if house spiders do much good in the pollination process, so I have been assisting with paintbrushes. You may have noticed that these pots do not have any handles, but don't be fooled, I am pretty cleaver and will surely come up with a way to move them regardless. The two little pots on the seal are Sweet Basil. Not features in this photo is a newly potted cluster of Thyme seeds. I have decided I really like cooking with fresh herbs, so I will try to grow them.....again (I have tried to grow them before with not much success).

And lastly is a photo of my Crocuses. I didn't know much about bulbs when I started so I did not learn until later that bulbs must be weathered before you can force them in the preseason.....and by preseason, I mean indoors and in the dead of winter. Apparently they need to get cold at some point before they will bloom (does anyone know why?), so these are the first two flowers out of 14 bulbs. I finally put them outside about a month ago when it was still cold. Until last week, I had a really great pot (and as Tracie pointed out) full of really long grass. Not bad, but not quite what I was going for.

The moral of this story is that molly is cool.

The other moral of this story is that even if you don't live in a garden- or earth-friendly place, you can do what ever you want, because I said so.