Planning to Plant

Since I've all but abandoned my LiveJournal account, I haven't done much writing outside of the 250 character limit on Facebook.  I am trying a gardening experiment this year and decided to track my progress on a new blog site.  I've never blogged before, so this will be exciting.

I recently moved to Virginia and spent my first winter away from Rhode Island.  I've been surprised at how mild the winter was and the lack of snow this season.  Every major snow storm that hit the West, South and New England missed D.C.  This has set up a warmer than average spring, and I'm hoping the perfect weather for an apartment balcony garden.

I haven't grown vegetables for two summers - my last attempt was in RI.  The summers there are short and very prone to fickle New England weather.  My last veggie garden drowned in too much rain, ending with moldy tomatoes and mushy zucchini.  My friend Justin, who has been blogging about his gardens, was more successful on a third floor deck before moving to a new house.  I'm hoping to have similar success on my second floor balcony in a high-rise apartment in Alexandria, VA. 

My first venture was deciding what to plant.  I read the online catalog at Johnny's Seeds to gain some insight, as well as attending a free seminar hosted by the Northern Virgina's Master Gardener's Association.  Both suggested that almost anything can be planted in a container garden, given the right water, sun and space.  I have space and water.  Sun is still to be determined as the warmer weather arrives.

I decided to purchase a mix of seeds at Lowe's and Johnny's.  From Lowe's I picked up Carnival Peppers (an organic mix of non-green peppers), Sweet Peppers (short & mild), Lettuce, and Straight Cucumber (organic). From Johnny's I got Fairy Tale Eggplant, Orange Blossom Tomato, Valley Girl Tomato (container specialty), Shelling Peas, and Basil disks. 

I also purchased two packages of Jiffy seed soil, a package of planting cells with plastic lids, some liquid fertilizer, small plastic pots from Lowe's and a 2 inch soil blocker from Johnny's.  The last was a splurge item after I saw a demonstration by the Master Gardeners.  I later purchased two grow lights from Walmart, and yes, I hate Walmart, but none of the other stores had the lights.