Green Thumb

I'm not sure if it's the lovely weather we've been having here in Seattle (NOT!) or what, but I have been in a garden-researching frenzy!! Maybe this happens to me every Spring--I can never remember--but this season in particular I am feeling the urge to grow something and this time, grow it successfully. Growing up, I was in active participant in my parents' quite large vegetable garden. I had a pretty green thumb, if I do say so myself, and I earned a good chunk of my spending money by entering my produce in the county fair.

My townhouse gardening experience has turned out to be drastically different, making me question my gardening abilities entirely. Where once I could grow carrots, lettuce, potatoes, beans, corn, dahlias and strawberries almost effortlessly, I am now faced with the sheer limitations that result when all one has is horrible soil filled with rhododendrons (which is what my home owners association chose as our landscape). So I've resorted to container gardening which is a whole new ball game in and of itself apparently. I thought it would be so easy but four summers of more or less of failed crops has convinced me otherwise.

Needless to say, I've tried to grow some rather "odd" items in my containers: carrots, bell pepper, eggplant, cucumber, rhubarb, lettuce and mixed greens, tomatoes, herbs and blueberries. I think in grand total, we've maybe enjoyed 2 salads and one eggplant dish as a result of my efforts in all four years combined--a pretty sorry record if I do say so myself.

So this year, I'm taking advice from my cousin (in-law) Kari and choosing varieties that grow well in the Pacific NW (not just random seed packets that look enticing) and I'm going to keep it simple. My plan at present is to grow arugula, mixed greens and lettuce from seed, sage, basil and thyme from starts, and cilantro and maybe a couple other herbs from seed. I also am getting a little "crazy" and am going to attempt a couple of hanging upside down tomato plants as well as some upside down strawberries (all from starts) to save space (I've run out of pots!!!) I'm going to allow these to be my "experiment" this season as I feel I always have to try at least one new thing. I already have a potted rhubarb plant that came back with full force this year but my blueberry plants were not so lucky. I'll give 'em another week before officially pronouncing them dead. Boo hoo. I got those bushes and Graham got our flat screen tv (see old post here).

I'm hoping this will be "my year" and that we'll enjoy some delicious summer salads, homemade herb dressings, fresh tomato sauce and fresh strawberries!! I feel my thumb getting greener.