What are we talking about today?

I'll get back to theme days once I find a groove of posting regularly. In the meantime, most of my posts are about some variation of books, bikes, buses, or Broadway. Plus bits about writing, nonprofits, and grief from time to time.

This blog is mostly lighthearted and pretty silly. It's not about the terrible things happening in the world, but please know that I'm not ignoring those things. I just generally don't write about them here.

30 December 2011

Seeds for a New Year

I wanted something New Year-related, or at least something that could tie everything together or be a bit of an inspiration for my end-of-the-year green post.

Yeah. Not so much.

Source.
So, here's a bit of what I have planned for Chez Cheeky this year. Chad & I have been composting for a year now, but thus far have done nothing with our compost, which is sitting on our back porch, getting all nice and crumbly for when it is called into action. That's going to change in a couple months' time, when...

... I plant things. Yep, this year I will finally have that container garden I've been thinking about for my entire adult life. Hot-weather plants do really well down here (naturally), so I'm thinking we'll have some tomatoes and peppers growing on the porch. And probably some potatoes, too, for no other reason that they're extremely easy. I don't think you can mess up potato-growing. And some herbs. I've never used fresh herbs in my life, and I think it's time for that to change.

I had some inspiration the other day from one of the books that I'm reading for my undergrad research: Apparently, marigolds attract pests that might otherwise decide to feast on my tomatoes, so I think I'll have some of those, too, just to give the pests something to look at. Besides, there is no way that I'm getting any kind of anti-bug chemicals anywhere near my asthmatic husband, so we have to look for chemical-free alternatives. I've heard that spraying soapy water on the leaves works too, with the bonus that--once again!-- it's not harmful to us who already eat off of plates that are washed in soapy water. Nice.

Do you have a garden? What do you like to grow? Any other suggestions for a pest-free balcony?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would love a kitchen garden but only if someone else plants tends and harvests it.

J E Fritz said...

I like to grow peas, which is interesting because I don't like canned peas, but grown ones are awesome. I'm not much of a gardener, though, so this is the first I've heard of the soapy water thing. Sounds like a good idea.

Su said...

@Delores: Let me know when planting season begins in your neck of the woods and I'll be there!!

@JE: You are so right about peas. Green beans have the same characteristics: fresh good, canned blech. I can't remember where I heard about the soapy water thing, but I'm totally going to give it a try.

mshatch said...

I had a garden one year but it didn't do very well. Then I grew tomatoes on my porch which worked out much better. I got tomatoes until the frost came :)

Su said...

Excellent. I definitely hope for the same result!