A gardening slide show

I'm taking a multimedia journalism class, and one of the simpler tools we're using is slideshows. Here's one of photos from my garden.

How to start seedlings

In honor of spring, I take a break from writing about writing to write about gardening. I'm starting vegetables from seeds this year for the first time. Throughout the (long, long) winter, I did research and ordered seeds for plants found in a basic vegetable garden, including 3 different kinds of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, parsley, and lettuce.

Now that we're about 6 weeks out from the last frost around here, I'm starting those seedlings indoors. Before the seeds sprout, they need warmth more than light to germinate, so their temperory home is atop our dryer, which I will try to use once a day for the next seven days so the seedlings get some heat.














I bought a few peat cups, which you can plant directly into the ground when you move the plants outside. This helps not disturb the fragile roots that have formed. I also learned that you can make your own peat cups using egg cartons and toilet rolls, so I did that as well.













I bought seed starter mix, which I've heard is essential:














And lastly I labelled the containers so that I wouldn't mix up a sun-loving tomato with some shade-loving kale.





I'll post more pics when the seedlings sprout, and I move them under the plant light, which I plan to install in another part of my laudry room.

I love the feel of dirt beneath my fingernails!

Sunday Scribblings: Rooted

Since lovely spring weather has finally befallen Boston, I spent a few hours in the garden yesterday. I planted some bulbs, and fertilized the buds that are emerging. I don't know what it is I love about gardening. Being outside is one thing, seeing results of my efforts another. And, though of course I could explain the way plants root and sprout and grow through science, there is a bit of magic there too. I put something that looks like a clove of garlic in the dirt and a few months later yellow and purple and blue flowers wave to people passing my house? Magic I tell you.

(No, that pic is not from my garden. It's not that warm here yet!)