Plant Parenthood Part 2

The little sprouts grew up.  First they became microgreens, and then finally full-fledged containers on the deck, with real dirt and everything.

Not the same sprouts from beginning to end, mind you.  These are all separate types of crops.

I’d begun growing microgreens indoors in plastic trays when we were in our other space.  I got a totally super-califragilisticexpialidocious-cool “Microgreens Deluxe Starter Kit” which came with all you see here (“From Mattel!”(TM))

• Trays with drainage holes
• Trays without holes
• A plastic dome with adjustable vent holes
• A grow light (what will the neighbors think??)
• A spray bottle (awesome in theory and worked beautifully for a while until it…didn’t)
• 10 pounds or something of specially-formulated microgreens soil (beware: the bag develops holes easily)

There was a bit of a learning curve.  Even with the “easy” varieties.  Some microgreens are indeed easier to grow than others, like the cruciferous seeds (I started with a blend), so definitely start there.  They grew for me, so they’re practically guaranteed to grow for you too.

During the learning curve, you come across weird terms like “blackout period” and start having flashbacks to working the Stupidbowl in some bar, but obvs it means something totally different here.

You also start getting acquainted with the further development of the “personalities” of certain plants (they’re all different!), because each one progresses a little further along their journey than mere sprout-hood.

Watering is trickier; drowning them is easier than you might think.  Beware the humidity levels in your household; ours are insane, hovering around 61-65%.

Some like to be taken through a blackout period.  Some like drier conditions than others.  Some need to be prodded to “go toward the light” lol.

With cruciferous seeds, don’t worry about the “blackout” part.  They don’t need it, really.  They do become excessively damp easily, though, so don’t go straight off the directions for watering or adjusting the dome vents.

I do use the grow light directly overhead, but they also grow right under a window.  This produces hilarious results, as they all lean and bend upward but then toward the window too.

Then suddenly I decided to take the plunge into the deep end.

It happened innocently enough.  We were walking into our local grocery store, with a few fresh herbs like mint and basil on our list.  Right outside the front doors, I saw pots of plants on clearance for…you guessed it…mint and basil.

I accidentally picked up 3 – one mint and 2 basil.  Lol.

On our way home, I texted my Wise Gardening Friend.  “Hey, I accidentally picked up a few plants, but I have no clue what I’m doing.  What do I do?”

She responded, bless her soul lol.  She taught me about re-potting, types of containers, and various soil.  She taught me about container placement, watering, harvesting seeds, etc.

Gardening, even in containers on your apartment deck can be….dirty lol.  Soil gets under your fingernails.  If you’re careful and keep everything contained and wash your hands right afterward, you don’t necessarily have to wear different clothes or change them when you’re done.  But be forewarned.

I also now understand why people have all kinds of gardening tools and supplies in storage sheds and shizz strewn all over their yards (we have a closet on the deck.  It’s going to need shelves.  Lol).

I now understand why people get such a joy out of gardening, why it’s such a common hobby for people of a wide age range.

It’s addicting!

Over the next few weeks, I accidentally picked up more plants.  Each plant adoption necessitated a run to the home improvement store to pick up “forever home” pots and additional soil lol.

I’m now growing:

• Jalapeño peppers (2 small containers)
• Poblano peppers (2 small containers)
• Sweet basil (2 small pots)
• Serrano peppers
• Cilantro
• Mint

My Wise Gardening friend taught me more, about plant food vs fertilizer, and helped me out of various jams I inadvertently got myself into by over- or under-watering or keeping them in the wrong levels of temperature or light.

You really do learn as you go.

It helps to Phone A Friend lol.

It’s fun – I send her pictures every few days, and for the time being these are peppered with questions about what to do about This or That, or where to go from where things are now.  She helpfully responds, and I am grateful for all of her help!  She said she enjoys my gardening endeavors, so at least there’s some payoff for her too.

Through all this, I’ve also discovered a new side of myself and a new level of existence.  I’ve begun to form more of a connection with nature, and this has helped elevate my own mental health and spirituality.  Plants have emotions (really!), and I think I’ve reached a point where I can detect some.

Plants have personalities of their own, too.  These are very individual, just like people.  My cilantro is moody and a bit of a drama queen.  She’s not very forgiving if you mess up.  But she does bounce back when you correct the error of your ways!

She hates the heat.  After a brief acclimation process, to which she adjusted very well, I moved her inside.  Lol.

My basil and mint are happy, while my peppers are in various shape.  All of the peppers came to me in poor shape (multiple issues), and I’ve been able to get one revived well.  The others will hopefully come along.

I have indeed harvested 2 peppers, some mint leaves, some cilantro leaves, and some basil leaves, to use in food for dinner that night.  I even saved the seeds from my first mature jalapeño pepper (!).

It feels really spankin’ good to be able to go out on the deck and pick something and then eat it that night.

It’s been a neat journey thus far, both spiritual and practical.  I now get what all the gardening fuss is about.  I still grow dedicated microgreens and sprouts, and we’ve saved so much money from those already.  I go outside and just spend time Being with my plants.  I do feel their love and I feel them enjoying themselves.

I’ve even started my own little indoor kitchen compost bin, as of today.

That should bring a whole new adventure lol.

Stay tuned!

Oh, and the cat “helps” 😉