Starting seeds!

Gardening....

One of my coworkers asked me one day: "Morgan, why did you start gardening, and was it worth it?"  The second question is easy to answer, of course it is worth it.  You get to watch something grow right before your eyes with hopes of being able to eat some of it by the end of the summer!  We will see how the first harvest pans out, I'll keep you guys posted!  Now the first question was a little more difficult to answer.  My parents have always been gardeners and worked in the yard when I was a kid.  I used to think they were crazy when I was a teenager, they wanted to spend time shopping for plants and play in dirt, and all I could think of was how can I get out of this and hang out with my friends!  I can fully appreciate my parents now that I'm a little older and say I too, love to garden!

So to finally answer the first question, I started because my job can be stressful and there is nothing more satisfying that taking out your anger on some weeds, or carefully nurturing a plant back to health, and everything in between!  I enjoy to play in the dirt and my days off I spend either out in the back yard or shopping for things that need to go in the yard!

So to get back to seed starting...

What I did was get a seed starting kit from Home Depot.  I really liked the one from burpee, 50 cells with the watering mat.  I wanted to do all of this organic and my goal for these projects is to not pay for any water.  I ended up having to pay for a little bit of water, but otherwise I use rain barrels and collect all of my water.  I will have another post up about making your own rain barrels.

I got the seeds and I set them in the sunny spot on my dining room table and watched them grow.  It was a lot easier than I anticipated, and in the end I think I started too many plants, but then you can give them to friends and family!  I will say that starting seeds as opposed to buying "transplants" (other peoples seeds) is a lot cheaper, one good tomato plant can cost $12.  Not to mention you get to watch the life cycle unfold in front of you!

I followed the directions on the packet and I have since planted them out in the yard.  Attached are some photos of the process!  I have also learned to love Gardener's Supply, it's where all of my money goes!