We starting bell peppers, ancho peppers and heirloom tomatoes indoor in our seedsnow seed pods. Seriously, these things are amazing. I just soaked them in warm water for 5 minutes and they plumped up nicely. In goes the seed and viola until I transfer them (stress free!) into the raised beds. I started them on February 16th, and they take 7-14 days to sprout so every morning and evening we've formed the habit of checking in on them, monitoring their sunlight and the room temperature, misting them a bit and maybe whispering a few words of encouragement.
Aside from our plans for an outdoor, raised bed garden, we've also committed to starting an indoor herb garden in several large pots. These pots, plus our trays of seedlings are currently taking over our big wooden dining room table. Whatever, just a good excuse to eat our meals on the couch :) So far, we've planted thyme, basil and dill, with tarragon, rosemary and a few others still to go. I was disappointed to read the other day in one of our gardening books that tarragon rarely grows well from seed for the average gardener (developed seedlings purchased from a garden store are best supposedly) but we're going to give it a shot anyhow....we shall see.
We've also begun filling our garden beds with a good quality soil we purchased online from a website here in Korea called gmarket. Once we had some of the soil in, I realized the neighborhood strays may begin using our beds as a very large and ideally located litter box, so the order for tonight is scavenging some wood to cover the beds. Seriously folks, I'm a cat lover, but these cats are so feral and fearless not even I would venture to touch them, so I'm hoping they aren't too enamored with our setup. Will there be a few "presents" for us up there on the roof, if not tonight then inevitably? Here's hoping not.
Aside from covering the soil, we also need to begin mixing in a bit of compost to condition the growing environment. As we've mentioned in previous posts, a lot is riding on us being successful this growing season. Yes, we live in an urban area, so we can always rely on the grocery store and our weekly CSA share box, but it's more a matter of pride and principal. For anyone who knows either of us, we're stubborn, prideful, creative and energetic people....this equates to a fair bit of disappointment when a project we've started (and really believed in) goes South. If we've taken the time to order seeds (and, ahem, "arrange their entry" into the country via a package including clothing and such from home), plan the garden, fret and grow our plants from tiny seeds, as well as make compost and condition the soil, well SOMETHING had better grow! Also, while we tell ourselves we're looking at this as an experiment only, there is a matter of wanting to prove the viability of our future here. If we can't grow something on a comparatively tiny scale as a hobby, I wonder (I think with good reason) how successful we'll be at homesteading. Only natural right? So, it has also quickly become a matter of building ourselves up with a somewhat productive garden here in order to have confidence in ourselves to really dive in once we get to Canada. In the process I admit to having become a "helicopter" Mom, just as I know the other half has. We are constantly hovering over our tiny green babies, watering, fussing and recording/taking notes diligently. We keep telling ourselves just wait, be patient and see where this goes, but that's not really how we operate.
Okay, so now to the creative endeavors of the other half. While we have a small patio table immediately outside our door, the Hisconcretecabin has begun foraging for materials in order to build some furniture for the rooftop/garden area specifically. Think more rustic, colorful, non commercial pieces that are more in keeping with the greenery. So far we have a bench made from scavenged pallets and logs we found while hiking up on Namsan, as well as a stool made from logs and old hickory drum sticks, which we had laying around the house. Both are really amazing pieces, and I really can't believe what Hisconcretecabin is able to do with a hacksaw, screws, a drill and a healthy sprinkling of imagination. We're thinking we may make the top of the stool into a chess board as well, which would only involve some tape and a bit of paint, so we shall see. We'll be sure to share pics of both pieces once they're finished. Can't wait!
Lastly for now, we've signed up for an online growing seminar called "Food Growing Summit". They'll provide access to interviews and lectures by all sorts of key folks in the growing/real foods community including Vandana Shiva and Joel Salatin, with many more spread across a few days. I'm sure we'll enjoy listening in and getting some ideas for growing, composting, and just living a real/slow food lifestyle. Can't wait! Here is the link if you're interested. Cheers until next time :)
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