The Set-Up

Once you decide to grow a few things, it's important to a) decided what exactly you are wanting to grow and b) what is required. 

For me, I am interested in growing vegetables, but I also am keen to try my hand at flowers. The latter I will focus on in a future post. The former however, involves a little preparation. 

Being as it's only the beginning of the growing season, and I live in an area that still has risk of frost well into May, I decided to start a few of the crops inside. This may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually relatively easy. At most, it just takes a little effort, and hopefully a space where you can let things get messy. For me, that was outdoors! 

To start the process of seed germination, all you really need is whatever seeds you'd like to grow, soil, some empty egg cartons (or planting pots), a little water, and, if you prefer, a pair of gloves! I'd also suggest maybe wearing some old clothes, as it can get pretty dirty, pretty quickly. From there, all you have to do is place the soil into the egg cartons, plant the seeds into said soil (as per the instructions on the seed packet), and add a little water - just enough that the soil is moist, but not so much that it's soupy!

Now, I'm told that if you're using egg cartons, keep them closed and in a dark area. This helps the seeds to sprout a bit faster, because they are in search of the light. And, it's amazing how quickly this can take place too! I also had the use of an indoor greenhouse, which helped to maintain the moisture of the soil. Below are a few shots of the indoor green house containing a number of the seeds I planted. 

After planting, it really becomes a waiting game. It's really fun to watch the progress, and even more exciting to see how overnight things can happen! 

Just a few of the newly sprouting seeds!

For anyone interested, I plants a variety of things, including: several varieties of tomatoes and peppers, cucumber, green and yellow beans, brussel sprouts, kale, beets, carrots, turnip, peas, red and green cabbage, a variety of herbs, spinach, and mixed greens. I have no idea how they will turn out, but I'm pretty excited to find out!