Forays into Container Gardening

So, last week I got a cherry tomato plant, basil, rosemary, and a small Japanese type eggplant, all good for container gardening. They are all doing well, and I even have a tiny tomato on my plant! Today I planted seeds for green onions and cilantro, and I have seeds starting inside for parsley and spearmint. I've never managed to keep basil or rosemary alive before, but so far so good.

I need to find more containers for planting, and I need to find a place with optimal sun for the tomato and eggplant, especially. I also have a bush cucumber to start, and some catnip and a few other seeds.

I think I need to build a shelf on the back porch to raise the plants to get more sun. I could even move the plants to the front if I needed to, but I like to have them where I can keep an eye on them. I don't trust those guys that come through here every week with the leaf blowers.

I think if I manage a successful container garden for a few seasons, I will feel more confident about regular gardening in the future.

I wish, I wish, I wish we could just get a few acres of land right now and I could start my larger garden and goats and chickens, but starting on a smaller scale is probably for the best.

Sharon at Casaubon's Book made a post yesterday about dealing with her 2 year old toddler and 8 year old autistic child in the running of a household, gardening, farming, canning, etc, and the trials that go along with it. It reminds me that sure, at this point the kids are at an age where everything is relatively calm and I can get as much done as I need on any given task, but come the end of the summer this is going to change again in a major way. Having a new baby means a few years of constant struggle to get things done and it's probably ok that we don't have the money or credit yet to pursue the land and farming, etc. A few years from now will probably be a better time to jump into that anyway.

I will continue to live in my nice all bills paid urban apartment for now and be happy with what I can grow in pots.