Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

How does your garden grow? If you're in our family the answer is, "Not very well." I pretty much kill everything I plant, and yet every year I try, try again. Sadface.

But this year will be different!!!

Yes, that is a dead orchid in the background.

Why? Well, I guess I have no real answer honestly, I just can't let it happen again. We've lived here for almost 2 years and it still feels like we haven't unpacked 100%, and actually we haven't and our garage looks like one of those "OMG come quick!You HAVE to see this!" episodes of Hoarders. Another Sadface. I am one of those people who likes to live vicariously through my ridiculous fantasies in my head about my "dream home" and although I do not have a board on Pinterest (yet) I have a really good idea about what it would be like. In my dream home fantasy I live on lots of land, with livestock and a little farm so we can live off our land in a sustainable way that makes Martha Stewart, with her perfect garden and everything, insanely jealous. That is why this year has to be different.

Home Depot was having a really great garden sale a few weeks ago, and against my better judgement, I went, completely unprepared and filled up a cart with strawberries, jalapenos, tomatoes, and a bunch of herbs.

My "starter" garden!

My mom and I went foraging in an old abandoned flower nursery and picked up some pots that I plan on hopefully painting and re-potting these into in a few weeks. So far they are doing really well and I even used some of the parsley and rosemary in our dinner last night. We're also trying to start some Avocado trees from seed since they take up to 7 years to bear fruit. I figure I have time.

Avocado seeds, and garlic greens.

Audrey got some seeds in her Easter basket, so we planted them in some extra pots we had on hand. We also planted some spouted garlic bulbs and pruned back my English rose bush that I thought I had killed last year. Turns out it was just "sleeping" over Winter.

English Roses, Forget-Me-Nots, Daisies, and garlic.

We don't have much room on our 2nd floor balcony for a garden, so I am in the need of a good sized baker's rack to put over our AC unit and build a vertical garden on it. I'm waiting for a good deal on Craigslist, or until Target has a sale.

The tiny balcony garden.

Since we are so low on space and I am trying to live a greener lifestyle, I repurposed an old milk jug into a watering can! It's an easy recycled project that kids will flip over! Just take a plastic gallon milk (or juice jug) poke some decent sized holes on top, and VOILA! watering can!

Green watering "can"!

Check back often to see our tiny plant corner turn into a lovely apartment vertical garden. And please pray and cross every finger, toe, and even your eyes for us. It's going to be a bumpy ride!