Texantiff

new growth

Well, what a lame blogger I’ve been!  Today is a great day to pick up where I’ve left off, though!  Just this morning I did a little growing.  Personal growth has been a theme of my life for the last 6 months, and I’m hoping to just keep on walking down that path.  Went to the Houston Arboretum and Nature Center today to do the Orientation and basic training to become a volunteer there!  I feel really guilty saying this, because it truly is one of my absolute favorite places in Houston, but I’ve not really been back to visit since my wedding there!  It’s so full of life and growth, even in these cold gray winter months.  So, soon hopefully, I’ll have lots of new and exciting things to do!

I remember taking wedding photos here almost 5 years ago!

Surrounded by all that natural goodness, I was inspired to get started on my own natural home.  I have been wanting for years to have a nice vegetable garden, and this year I’m finally going to do it.  For certain.  I went by my favorite nursery on my way home from the Arboretum and picked up a bunch of organic seeds and some good seed starting soil.  I’m going to start with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers – all of which should be easy enough to start from seed.  The lettuce likes cool weather, so I need to hurry up and get started so I’ll do those later today.  It’ll be summer before I know it.  I also picked up some eggplant seeds, but the expert at the nursery told me they have to be heated to germinate.  That means I have to set up my heating pad under the soil of the seedlings and keep em warm.  Odd, I’ve never heard of doing that, but I’m excited to try something I’ve never done before.

Growing my own salad!

I’m also starting some morning glory seeds.  The 1950s ranch house we live in has this ugly metal work at the front, and I’d love to get morning glories to grow up and all over it.  MGs are a lot more needy than most flower seeds.  Not only do you have to nick the seeds and soak them in water overnight, but they also hate being transplanted.  I’m going to try a little trick my mom told me about, though!  See those empty egg shells?  I’ve been saving them for weeks, and they are going to be the first home for my little seedlings!  Perfectly organic and FREE!  When the seedlings are ready to go in the ground, I’ll crack the egg shells a bit so the roots can easily grow through them, and place the whole thing in the flower bed!  I’ll follow up on that later.  I only nicked about 2/3 of the MG seeds and I’m saving the rest to sow directly into the soil in 6 wks or so when its warmer.  I just want to see if there’s any difference in how well the plants grow.

what's the story morning glory?

The nursery was packed with folks getting their seeds and lots of conversations about what to start now, indoors and what to wait and plant later on.  It was just abuzz in gardener activity.  This is the first year that I’ve really had the time to get started this early, and I plan to take full advantage of it!  Most of the seeds are going to take at least 4 weeks before they’re ready to move outdoors, so I’ve got that long to get a raised bed assembled in the backyard.  Researched lumber prices today, but I think I’ll keep looking on heavy trash days and freecycle.org for materials I can reuse and keep out of landfills!  I also have my eye on some honeybee boxes and am toying with the idea of building a chicken coop and getting a few laying hens.  Just need to decide if it will annoy my landlord or not!

Off to plant lettuce!