Hot mess.

My babies

I got it into my head this summer that I will be a gardener. Yes, I already realize the irony in this, as I have yet to keep more than two plants alive my whole life. And one of those plants is still on the fence. But I get a ridiculous amount of sunlight on my patio, and I spend a ridiculous amount of money on tomatoes every summer, so why not….right??

I was all set to buy a bag of dirt and a plant and throw it together when my fellow chef friend Tom pointed me to this website: www.growbetterveggies.com

Hmm. Fish heads. Bone meal. Egg shells. I became completely overwhelmed and sat around idle for two weeks trying to decide if I was up for the task. This morning I bit the bullet and planted, more or less following his instructions. Ok, more less than more, basically because I have to work at 2:00 today and OSH looked like the day after Thanksgiving with frantic gardeners running around.

I skipped the fish head and went for shrimp shells. I was scared of what sort of critters might be attracted to a large fish head. Although the website claims they never had a problem, urban gardening strikes me as a little different then life on a farm. I then added the crushed egg shells and an aspirin. Then I fell off the wagon and added organic soil and called it a day.

My goal is to grow actual EDIBLE tomatoes, 100% organically, have enough to sustain my household for the summer, AND hopefully have enough left over to can for the winter season. A bit lofty, I realize, but I figure I can dream big.

Day 1: Here is what we are looking at so far…

Early Girl Tomato

Cilantro

Yellow Brandywine Tomato

Sweet Basil

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