Growing My Own

After months of allowing assorted plants to languish in too-small containers and fall prey to aphids and mischievous squirrels, I'm finally putting together my home garden.

Above, the materials for my self-watering planter, per the instructions in Fresh Food From Small Spaces. A plastic container and its top, a plastic basket, and a small length of pipe was pretty much the extent of the planter itself. Also pictured: organic fertilizer(mm, chicken manure!), spade, seed packets.

I put it together about a week ago and recently introduced it to some plants. Transferred my strawberry and squash plants, and planted some carrot and lettuce seeds. However, I did end up overwatering a bit and need to make some modifications to my planter. I'll be working on that this weekend.

I'm really excited about the prospect of growing my own food, even though realistically it won't replace a significant percentage of our consumption anytime soon. My grandparents always grew a lot of fruits and vegetables and no matter how fresh things are at the farmers' market, there's just something about a fruit truly just off the vine. Plus, I'll be gaining at least some knowledge for possible future WWOOFing.. and the plants will create a nice layer between our small balcony and the building's driveway.

Strawberries in their seedling pot

And now some pictures of food!

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20-Minute(ish) Veggie Shepherd's Pie
Improvised this a few days ago when I was hungry and tired, and it turned out better than some things I've spent way more time and effort on: mashed potatoes + sauteed mushrooms, peas, carrots + veggieburger. Maya Ik hot sauce. Done.

Tonight: fish and chips!

I can't take credit for cooking this one- thanks Trader Joe's frozen section!