Sowing the first set of seeds.

Thai basil to the left, and sweet basil on the right

I paid a visit to Valley View Farms in search of Thai basil seeds.  I've also started sweet basil - the pesto I made last year has been such a great thing to have. I hope to make a whole bunch more this year. It occurs to me that I could probably have basil growing all year round in the kitchen. Yes, I think I will do this.

I was so excited when I also found a package of Cherokee purple tomato seeds. Last summer I bought a variety of heirloom tomatoes from the local farmer's market and these were hands down the best tasting tomatoes. I'm not sure if they grow well in containers - but I'll just have to try. Since my wish list for this year's garden keeps growing, I have looked into getting some space in a community garden. Apparently there is a waiting list for gardens in my neighborhood so unfortunately, this may not be an option.

I also picked up some lovely smelling mint. This winter I fell in love with mint tea, so I'm hoping I can make some of my own. I'm also planning to make some mojito this summer!

So far, I've started pak choi, romaine lettuce and swiss chard. I also plan to sow beets, sweet pea (need to get more seeds) and the radish that Granny sent me sometime this week.  It is great to be working with soil again - I had forgotten how fun gardening is!

Getting ready for garden 2012!

The weather is starting to get warm and Spring is fast approaching. It is time to start getting ready for balcony garden 2012! I got lazy after my last harvest last year and my balcony is in shambles. There is a lot of work to be done!

I need to pull all the old plants and replenish with new soil. I need a sieve to get rid of all the roots, but I haven't been able to find one anywhere. I could look online, but I think it might be quicker to make one.

The rope that was holding up the wind barrier cloth was not weather resistant and disintegrated. I read that nylon rope is UV resistant and is stronger than the poly-something-or-the-other rope I was using. Hopefully the nylon rope will keep the wind barrier up. Then I have to clean up the balcony overall.

I forgot to harvest one bok choy, but now I have pretty yellow flowers on the balcony.

There are also fun things to do like starting lettuce, snap peas, basil, and bok choy indoors. I might also pay a little visit to the local garden store:)