But since last Friday the weather has finally taken a turn for the better and the entire country is behaving like we usually do when we win something with soccer (which we definitely did NOT this year).
Thanks to this sunny weather, I can finally post about gardening, because now I actually have some results.
This was the first year I've grown vegetables and flowers from scratch. Growing plants from seeds is really easy, but you need a bit of patience. You can do it on a budget, too. Seeds for basic veggies such as zucchini (we call them courgette) or tomatoes are cheap and so is planting soil. You can use any kind of container, as long as it's water-tight and not too shallow. Empty egg cartons are also good, but, put some plastic underneath to avoid leaking.
If you want a complete set, there are many available, here's my golden oldie
and a new set ready for next year. Actually, there are 4 in this package and I think I paid about 6,99 for them (I found them at the Lidl Supermarket).
Make sure you get good quality potting soil, that's what's going to effect your seedlings a lot. They need good food to taste nice.
Plant your seeds no deeper than the first didget of your index finger, then cover the hole you made with some more soil. Press lightly and water so that the soil is moist, but don't turn it into a mud bath. Cover with the lid or make one out (plastic wrap you have in the kitchen is perfect). Make sure the plastic is about 15 cm above the soil, so your plant can grow. Put the box/carton in a light and warm place, but NOT directly in the sun. Keep the soil moist. Within a week you'll see tiny two-leaved sprouts. In this stage most seedlings look the same, so make sure you know what is what. I keep the little packages the seeds come in and simply tape them to the outside of the box.
Next the seedlings will form the more distinct leaves and they will be big enough to go outside. Check the wheather forcast for frost and try and find a not too sunny, spring day to move them. Carefully dig them out of the box and plant them apart using the instructions on the seed package.
See, really easy and sooooo much fun. Why? Well, let me show you:
Here's the courgette plant I told you about, and I just followed one courgette as it was growing:
See, the courgette starts at the base of the flower. The flowers are also edible, stuffed with ricotta chees and herbs and then fried, hmmmmmm
Two days later....
And finally, this is what is looks like today!!!!!
Guess what I'll be eating tonight :). More courgette are growing as we speak, so it looks like I need to start digging up some more recipies.
Next up are the tomatoes, but they've had a bad start due to all the rain, so they need a bit more time.
I call these "the three pioneers" haha (bad ecologist word joke, sorry)
Oh, almost forgot to tell you, but you've probably seen it already: we have no real garden, only a roof terrace with big plastic planters covered in wood (made by my Dad, our neighbours and us). But it's really no different from what you would do a real garden, except you have to check on the water more and occasionally give some extra plantfood (while you're watering, easy as can be).
So don't let lack of space keep you from trying this. There are loads of websites and about small space gardening and amazing projects like This on in the UK and This one in Amsterdam (it's in English, don't worry)
I hope I've inspired you to develop some green fingers, as we say in Dutch.
Fleur
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