I really was born with a green thumb, and I am finding it really hard to keep this a short post as I could blog all day about my love affair with gardening. As soon as I could walk I would sit outside with Dad and watch him work the garden, when I was old enough I would help in whatever way I could. We moved house when I was 10 and a year later I decided I was ready to do some gardening all on my own. Dad carved out a bed for me and away I went. I was constantly expanding the bed to make way for more and more plants. We always had fresh veggies and flowers and each year I would try new things. It is no surprise then that for my Year 10 Work Experience I picked a nursery.
This love affair continued until mum decided about 4 or 5 years ago to move into a townhouse in a attempt to get my brother and I to move out (I'd already moved out twice by this stage and returned both times). That was the end of gardening. Had a few pots a mum's but it wasn't the same.
Since I met The Boy and we moved in together, the intention to start with some pots was always there, but it never happened, because something always came up. However, I tapped into my desire to totally re-vamp The Penthouse and took The Boy to the nursery on Saturday morning for some seeds because we were going to start from scratch. We have been slowly eating more organic food, it is expensive though, so the only organic stuff we buy is fruit or veg that requires you to eat the skin, such as apples and zucchini. Of course it would be much cheaper to just grow organic produce ourselves, and until we get our dream acreage and can plant anything we want, we have to make do with pots.
The Boy had to stop me from buying every packet of seeds on the shelf, telling me we need to start small, so we only bought some heirloom tomatoes, capsicum and basil. We eat a lot of tomatoes in summer, so these were a must, and you cannot have tomatoes without basil, and the capsicum came in seven different colours, and I am a sucker for cool stuff like that. We also bought some lavender because I love the smell of it and want to eventually make some lavender wands for gifts and for my clothes.
Yesterday the planting began, we had a seed germination tray and seed raising mix and put the babies in. As I ripped open the seed packet The Boy peered over.
"They look like the seeds you actually get from the vegetables."
I looked up at him and laughed, he was being serious.
"Yes sweetie, that is because they are from the vegetables and are not genetically engineered."
He has so much to learn (just like I have so much to learn about engineering, he is trying to teach me but I find it a little boring).
A quick spray with water, and the anticipation begins. Waiting for those first shoots to spring up from the soil and then for those first leaves to open. I remember it all now. And of course in three months time we will have lots of lovely organic tomatoes, basil and capsicum. I think I will be inviting everyone I know over for home made organic bruschetta. Could there be a more perfect summer food?
This love affair continued until mum decided about 4 or 5 years ago to move into a townhouse in a attempt to get my brother and I to move out (I'd already moved out twice by this stage and returned both times). That was the end of gardening. Had a few pots a mum's but it wasn't the same.
Since I met The Boy and we moved in together, the intention to start with some pots was always there, but it never happened, because something always came up. However, I tapped into my desire to totally re-vamp The Penthouse and took The Boy to the nursery on Saturday morning for some seeds because we were going to start from scratch. We have been slowly eating more organic food, it is expensive though, so the only organic stuff we buy is fruit or veg that requires you to eat the skin, such as apples and zucchini. Of course it would be much cheaper to just grow organic produce ourselves, and until we get our dream acreage and can plant anything we want, we have to make do with pots.
The Boy had to stop me from buying every packet of seeds on the shelf, telling me we need to start small, so we only bought some heirloom tomatoes, capsicum and basil. We eat a lot of tomatoes in summer, so these were a must, and you cannot have tomatoes without basil, and the capsicum came in seven different colours, and I am a sucker for cool stuff like that. We also bought some lavender because I love the smell of it and want to eventually make some lavender wands for gifts and for my clothes.Yesterday the planting began, we had a seed germination tray and seed raising mix and put the babies in. As I ripped open the seed packet The Boy peered over.
"They look like the seeds you actually get from the vegetables."
I looked up at him and laughed, he was being serious.
"Yes sweetie, that is because they are from the vegetables and are not genetically engineered."
He has so much to learn (just like I have so much to learn about engineering, he is trying to teach me but I find it a little boring).
A quick spray with water, and the anticipation begins. Waiting for those first shoots to spring up from the soil and then for those first leaves to open. I remember it all now. And of course in three months time we will have lots of lovely organic tomatoes, basil and capsicum. I think I will be inviting everyone I know over for home made organic bruschetta. Could there be a more perfect summer food?
