I garden. I garden in a small way since I live in an apartment, but container gardens still count as gardens. I grew up in a gardening family. There was gardening on both sides, but I suppose that my biggest gardening influence was my maternal grandmother (although I think I probably owe my preference for slightly wild-looking cottage-style gardens to my English paternal grandmother). Grandma kept all her own seed, and started what seemed like hundreds of flats of bedding-out plants every year. They were all kept in a spare bedroom and a covered-in but unheated porch that provided almost perfect starting conditions for the seedlings.
I helped out, and I learned.
Funny thing, but what I remember most about Grandma's bedding flats were the thousands of French Marigolds (as opposed to the Pot Marigolds that I know better as Calendula), and the tomatoes. The marigolds because there were always so many of them and in so many different shapes, and the tomatoes... well, to this day I really dislike the smell of tomato plants. I'm not all that fond of raw tomatoes either, come to it.
These days I don't save seed, and I don't start flats. I've tried to in the past (late winter brings on a pretty strong I've-got-to-plant-something-soon urge with me. I think it's hereditary), but the conditions in the apartment just aren't right and I'm not willing to invest in grow lights and the rest. Erm, especially since it'd be in a one-room apartment that already has too many houseplants in it, but that's another story. Anyway. I don't start flats, but I did seed my planters this year instead of buying bedding plants. I'll be doing that for the next few years, probably, since I came into a lot of free seed that'll be usable for a long time as long as I've stored it right. No point in it going to waste.
But.
Seeding a planter is sooo frustrating when all you want is to have nice, green, growing things that will hopefully be nice, green, flowering things all season (or nice, green, vegetable-making things. They're there, too). Our season is short enough as it is without waiting for seeds to sprout. I seeded fairly early since my balcony's sheltered, but still. Grow, dammit. I want my plants...
Yeah, I can be a bit on the impatient side sometimes. Maybe not enough to get the magnifying glass out to check the progress of the latest thing to break through the soil, but it's close.
Hurry up, already, you plants.
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Sorry for the lack of posting lately. The wrist is starting to behave again as long as I don't overdo it, so things might get a little more regular here again. It may even end up to be a two-post day today, since I'm going to try to make time to doodle for Drawing Day. I encourage everyone else to, too.
Watch this space... we'll see what I can manage.
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