June 02, 2011

Condo gardening...

I had the itch to garden on Sunday. 
It was sunny, it was warm and I had to take advantage of an extended weekend.

However, because Leah and I live in a condo with only a small deck patio out the back door, my gardening opportunity is quite limited.

I decided to focus on a flower pot, herb plants and green onions.

So...I went to a garden shop in town and purchased soil, two starter herb plants, flowers, a few pots and green onion seeds.


I love cooking with cilantro and oregano so I could not help but purchase two plants that had already began growth. How easy?! I guess how well these plants continue to grow is yet to be determined...but, I've heard (and witnessed) that the extended sun in Alaska can produce some exceptional crops.


I decided to plant the herbs in the two terra cotta pots for I purchased at the gardening store. I poured plenty of soil around the plants...


...and then watered kindly for two reasons: 1) Terra cotta is porous and absorbs more moisture and water than typical pots and 2) the directions said to water the plants liberally upon initial planting.


The extra soil was dusted and swept into...

my large pot for the green onions.

When Matt and I were in Kansas, Matt's grandpa gave us some green onions for snacking. They tasted so good so we decided we would plant some onions when we arrived back to Alaska.

Never being too fond of onions growing up (okay, I actually HATED onions and would have nothing to do with any food that touched an onion - cooked OR raw), but when I moved to Alaska and met Matt, I learned to appreciate onions, especially because Matt loved them and cooked with them very occasionally.

I went with a popular organic variety that is specifically designed for the growing climate in Alaska. Very convenient.


The seeds were planted with a few inches separating each seed. 


I anticipate great things with my herbs and onions (nothing wrong with high expectations, correct?) and will keep you posted on how well they grow throughout the summer.

Happy gardening!