green(ish) thumb

I have a vivid imagination, which has a tendency to make me envision pretty ridiculous scenarios. So when the stock market started going down and jobs were hacked all over the country, I thought long and hard about how I could sustain without working -- just in case. The first and most obvious step was to have a garden for food (and Ted Nugent as a friend for some bow-hunted venison). I've always wanted to have a garden, having grown up with two green-thumbed parents. My dad was a pro at gardening, often taking pictures of the peppers and tomatoes compared to my softball, and he always shared the fruits of his labors with members of our church.

But I know next to nothing about gardening. If it weren't for Google, I'd be outside right now tossing seeds about my yard chanting some magic spell. But apparently, that's not how it works. So I headed to Territorial Seed Company last week and bought:
"Ring of Fire" Sunflowers - chosen for their name and appearance,
Bush Baby Hybrid Squash,- chosen because they squash grows small (won't have a bunch leftover to waste), but has a very high yield,
Copra Onions - chosen for their long storage capabilities and hardiness,
and Golden Star Hybrid Peppers - recommended.

I started by putting the pepper and onion seeds in a 6" pots with Territorial's seedling soil, and then I set them on my windowsill, where I have been periodically spraying them with water.

Today I went to Home Depot and bought a shovel, trowel, Morning Glory seeds, a trellis for those, and potting soil. I had a complete Amelia Bedelia moment when I asked the attendant if I could use potting soil in the ground. Her look of incredulosity answered my question. I'm a dumbass.

Since it was raining when I got home, I did a bunch of research on germinating seeds, etc. Good thing! Turns out the germinating soil for peppers needs to be warm, so I've put my heating pad under that. And I read that nicking and soaking Morning Glory seeds in Hydrogen Peroxide/Water solution helps them germinate. As I was messing with the seeds I've planted, I noticed the onions have already started to germinate! Victory so far on that front!! Yay! I'll wait until they're a little bit longer before I move them to the ground. I've got my sunflower seeds in a wet paper towel in a ziploc bag as well. I'm hoping for the best!






<-- The soaking morning glory seeds, onion seedlings and pepper seeds on the heating mat on my windowsill.













Well, I've got to get the house tidy for some friends coming over tonight. I've got a headache, and I'm sneezing a lot; I hope it's just allergies. And for those who are wondering, I won't be participating in the Lights Out tonight, unless my friends don't mind hanging out and gabbing in candlelight.

Luna is unamused by my attempts at gardening.