First we had to get approval from our apartment complex to have a garden on the balcony.
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Then we had to make the gardening plans – ok, we faked this step We rarely plan anything except on the fly.
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We did pick up this book which was promptly plowed through by the voracious new reader in the house – now the in-house expert on gardening of course:
Onions in My Boots – Catholic Heritage Curricula
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We got our bins set up and ordered our seeds… We kept forgetting to get some rocks to use as drainage. Finally managed that one, 3 days *after* the seeds arrived and on our return trip from purchasing soil (purchasing soil??? Yep. When you live in an apartment complex; not many people appreciate you digging holes in their yards so you can have some free soil…. $1.50 for a 40 lb pound isn’t bad – and I didn’t have to dig it up myself – just carry it upstairs and out to our balcony!).
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Our seeds came from St. Clare Seeds who specialize in non-GMO, non-hybrid, non-treated heirloom and open-pollinated vegetable garden seeds…. and worm poop!
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I’m NOT kidding. My son LOVES the worm poop. We use it in our compost bin now and it is just the coolest thing ever for him!
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Ok, ok, ok, so it’s actually called worm castings. But when you’re a 6 year old boy, what is cooler than worm poop in a bin of rotting food that will become soil and compost to make the food that you will be eating, some of which will be turned into…. well, I won’t go there. I’m not a 6 year old boy.
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We wanted <a href="http://www.outdora.com/lawn---garden-composters.html">these compost bins from Outdora.com</a>, but money being what it is, we'll have to wait. So our makeshift compost bins are thriving (one is full and sealed up to finish up its business; just got the second started yesterday).
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And our other bins are full of rocks, soil and seeds.
Oh… did someone ask,
So, what did you plant in each of them?
Oops.
We’ll get back with you in about 2-3 months.
Good for you! I'm so glad you will have a little garden! I'm just trying to catch up on life right now after having been away for a while with my fathers sickness and funeral. We are now trying to get ready for the new baby to arrive (#6 and our 5th home birth!), and get ready for the new school year while having our bathrooms under construction!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're doing well! God Bless!
-Susana
Susana, Your family has been in our prayers!
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