Does It Count If I Painted My Thumb Green?
by Caitlin
I am a flower killer. Every year we plant gorgeous flowers and bushes and they always die.
But this year, I have hope. I did some research and planted some herbs and a tomato plant over the weekend! {I painted my nails a nice minty green to convince my baby seedlings to grow. Fingers crossed it works!}
This is all the result of a book I put off reading for a long time because I was afraid it would turn me into a crazy, high maintenance eater. I do eat differently now, but it opened my eyes to how I shop and what we eat, and gave me simple adjustments that go a long way. I highly recommend it.
One of those simple changes is to grow a few things we eat frequently. We live in a patio home community, so we don’t have room for a garden per se, but some day I’d like to have one, so I’m starting out small. Planting a few seeds to reap a bigger harvest down the road, if you will. {I truly apologize; my jokes are corniest on Mondays. On second thought, I don’t apologize. You can’t beet corny jokes.}
In all seriousness though, do you grow anything your family eats? Any tips for newbies? Gardening resource must-reads? Please share them!
greaterthanrubiesdotnet.wordpress.com 
I inherited my mother’s knack of killing plants. I’ve even chia pets. :(
*killed chia pets.
Oh no! That’s so sad :(
I know, right? At least I’ve done a MUCH better job with my kids!
LOL! Yes. That is true.
Last year my husband and I planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, and green peppers. I got to eat 2 tomatoes, no green peppers, no cucumbers and 5 green beans. We never have any luck growing anything, hope you do better then we did. I grew up on a farm, but it def. does not make me a farmer. Haha. We planted an orange tree and a apple tree too, those are doing much better. I just planted some flowers today to replace the ones that died.
Haha! Oh no. I sure hope your new flowers and my plants have better luck than last year’s garden…
I don’t usually have a green thumb either.However, I seem to be able to grow Rosemary very easily. Every year I also plant two tiny basil plants and they grow like weeds. I love using these two herbs. We also have sage and oregano plantsbut use them less often.
Oo yum! Well, here’s to the basil! I may have to add rosemary next year if these take off. Otherwise, I think it may be a lost cause :)
If you eat celery, you should try this…
http://www.17apart.com/2012/02/growing-celery-indoors-never-buy-celery.html
I just started my celery about a week ago and it’s taking off like a rocket so far.
That’s incredible! Unfortunately we don’t eat a lot of celery. I’m a texture person and the stringyness of celery gives me the heebie jeebies. Ha :)
I’m the same way. It’s sad. My husband does all the yard work/gardening. Whenever one of my students gives me a potted plant I’m already thinking, “You poor thing,” about the plant.
I literally laughed out loud. So funny!
We plant seeds in potting soil and transplant them outside into a garden once the last frost date passes. Then we water them and they always turn into plants. You don’t really need lots of books, just look up what grows well in your area and plant seeds. I recommend heirloom tomatoes because they still have some taste left in them. Just don’t forget to water your plants. It really is that easy.
Thanks for all the tips! I {luckily} did all the things you suggested except for transplanting them…so we’ll see how it goes! :)
I LOVE Michael Pollen. He is one of my favorite authors. All of his books are so good. I take his advice because I can’t see that he has a hidden agenda. He is just a journalist looking for the truth. Have you read the Food Rules? Check that one out for sure!
Good luck with your gardening! I feel so lucky to have the Internet as a gardening resource this year. I have found some really cool ideas on Pinterest for using the space in my garden more effectively.
Ooh! I will definitely check out Food Rules. Thanks Aubree :)
Agreed- the Internet is a great resource for gardening! I haven’t used Pinterest for it much yet, but I plan to. Hope your garden is going great!