Gardening

I finally got around to starting some seeds (in almost-mid-freaking-June!).

My able assistant, a 3-year-old El Burrito, spent the whole time asking me what I was doing, proving he's hit preschooler-hood. And I found out, as I started, that the seed-starting soil mix is apparently do-not-touch: the bag warning recommended using gloves. Which I don't own. Fun.

So, I've got 2 larger pots with 4 sunflower seeds each, and 3 peat pots each of mint, marigolds, lemon balm, and 4-o'clocks. The marigolds and 4-o'clocks are going to be planted in the square of bare dirt between the "porches" downstairs. The dirt there is pretty lousy, but hopefully they'll be able to tough it out. And I'll add some potting soil and fertilizer when I transplant. It's my stab at "guerrilla gardening" for the year. I may also accidentally toss some mint and lemon balm seed into the ditch between our building and the next, along with some more marigold seed. The lawn guys never mow it or otherwise touch it, so it's bare dirt and weeds where the vinca hasn't managed to take hold. Not a lot of sun, but it gets run-off when it rains.

For the next round, I'm going to try to make some starter pots out of newspaper. Then I'll start catnip, zinnias, pansies, petunias, and whatever else I have running around. And the Christmas cacti need to be pruned back, so the cuttings are all going to meet some newspaper pots. Whatever I don't keep will be given away or Freecycled. (Or sold at a yard sale, but once again I haven't been invited to join the "family" yard sale that Least Favorite Sister-in-law is having.)

Yeah, if we manage to get a house, it'll be a pain in the rump to move it all. I'm hoping that this will be the mojo that gets us a house. It's the same principle as every move I made into or out of the dorms - every time I moved, it was the hottest day of the week and usually of the month. It's the corollary to a rainstorm hitting the day after you wash your car.