..:grow things::....

i had wondered what effect travel would have on my gardening habit. turns out, it wasn't too bad. We were gone for six days and had family come in three times. i think all i lost was a tiny parsley seedling. two dill seedlings look a bit droopy but we'll see how they do.

i did a seed swap with someone on a web forum called allotsments for all. i got some bordeaux spinach from suttons and some joan organic swede (rutabaga)! i've planted a few pits of each to see how it goes. the packet says you're supposed to direct sow the swede but i'm starting it in newspaper pots so it shouldn't disturb the root too much. worst case i have enough seed to sow again. it was 10°C today in the sun, so i'll have to wait a bit longer. i've noted how many seeds i planted in each pot and will be able to note how well they germinate.

i wish i had more space! this balcony gardening business can be fairly frustrating when you have only two wondow shelves to work with.

someone in our apartment building was mooving so i ended up with lots of nice gardening things. several large glazed pots, a tall shelf for the balcony, a grow box (two layers with pvc pipe down to water chamber), a smaller shelf, two balcony flower boxes, a large bag of potting soil, and bag of kulor... not sure what they're called in english but they're the little balls you put at the bottom or top of your containers to help the plant retain moisture. nice!