Loni's Havin' SOW Much Fun
You might have noticed a little bit of SOWing has found its way into my feed. My SEWing feed. While I have a personal IG account, I haven’t logged into it in years because at some point sewing became life. At any rate, I can do what I want, so expect my sewing content to be sprinkled with some sowing now and then.
Now I’ve always had some interest in gardening. My mother planted annuals every year. I’m actually much more keen of perennials myself. I relish the spring return of old favorites without having to put in more effort.
Then came 2020. Bum, bum, bum. That summer radically changed how successful I felt as a gardener. And ALL THAT CREDIT goes to my husband. The aero/hydroponic garden system he purchased for me as an anniversary gift has been dubbed ‘the best gift ever’ and he constantly rubs in the fact that he’s a much better gift giver than I am. (He wanted me to add in here that this very domain and website were also a gift of his to me.)
Sow.
This thing came last June. And it’s a sight. I had NEVER heard of such a thing. NEVER.
The brand is LettuceGrow, and The Thing is called a Farmstand, FS for short.
our first selfie
My husband, being the human he is, usually goes for the gold in the go big or go home sense. As such he purchased the maximum number of levels, 6, for the FS and ordered all the recommended accessories.
EVERYTHING GREW WELL. Because it’s simple. You make sure it has water. You dump* in some nutrient powder once a week. In no time at all It’s covered in green goodies and it looks much less like an object you don’t want anyone finding in your nightstand.
The hardest part was dealing with a few pests. Tomato and cabbage worms mostly. But also these ridiculous Japanese beetles. They were very mean to the strawberry plants
Come fall, I wanted to keep my FS outside. We didn’t have a space in our home where I would want to keep it. Plus we have cats, and if you have cats, you know they are assholes and don’t really GAF about boundaries. I consulted the interwebs and fell in love with a sexy little greenhouse.
I can’t remember what Bernie was doing there.
Manufacturer’s product page: https://palramapplications.com/product/oasis-polycarbonate-greenhouse/.
I purchased my Oasis from Target as their price was the best among Wayfair and Home Depot.
We cleared a spot in the yard and put her up.
I'm rather proud of the bricks I laid for the floor.
Within a month, she blew down completely.
But she was easy to put back together and there was no damage we couldn’t fix. I tightened tf out of the nuts this time.
Grow lights added (which are recommended for indoor growing).
Eventually the greenhouse was named Jill (for the “in Jill” jokes) and the FS became Jeff.
My setup evolved to include a thermometer so I could keep track of the temperature and a space heater for a little help on the coldest nights (and a few days) through the winter.
Now it often happens that I find half-written posts in my drafts. And this is one of those such posts. I have plans for all the stories I want to tell and thoughts to develop (in this case, spanning over the course of the last year), but then they don’t get out into the world because …because a multitude of reasons. My coffee wears off. My children interrupt. I’d rather do other things…like talk to my plants. A dog probably vomited. The usual.
All to say. I can’t remember why I started this post and I don’t see myself blogging frequently about sowing, but I DO WANT this one post out there. Perhaps I’ll add to it from time to time. Before the stories fade. So at this point I’m going to share some current sowing scenes.
tomatoes coming soon!
Peas! The girls eat these right off the vines.
The first zucchini blossom was a female!
beans soon!
transplanted into a neighbor’s hanging basket
The nasturtium won’t quit. This same pant has been growing since October. I keep splitting it, enjoying the blooms, wilting the greens into soup, and sharing with friends.
broccoli raab
peppers or some other bean soon?
The seedling from LettuceGrow are fabulous and at $2 each are priced reasonably. You can, however, start your own seeds in grow media if you want!
Basil, I’m pretty sure, in Root Riot.
This fennel is always tickling my head. It’s probably time to eat her.
Sunflower seedlings to be transplanted soon.
Cucumbers? Mexican Sour Gherkin, I think.
A fork tonne of sage. I trimmed these plants from last year back to the soil and here they go again.
These strawberry plants (above) are the same ones from last summer. They overwintered in the greenhouse in this pot (a copper hose pot, actually!) and now are looking like they are going to produce lots of berries. The strawberries below came from the runners!
this is just pretty
gotta love golden hour
Lettuce Grow referral code- FRIEND-IMEE
Other fun SOWing stuff I’ve been enjoying.
Hamama microgreens, $10 off referral link.
Nearby Naturals ‘Shroom Grow Kits. I have a monthly subscription; and have grown Lion’s Mane, Pioppino, and Blue Oysters. They have frequent sales. Sign up for their newsletter or follow them on IG.
Seedsheets. I just ordered one for a stubborn planting bed. I’ll update with my experience.
sign was a gift from my sister
