Buckle Up Rupert, Cuz I've Gone Pro

Raised bed in backyard-North facing

That's right, I've decided it's time to take my gardening to the next level.  Obsessive blogging about it!  I've spent three summers now in my new home attempting to garden.  I don't want to "attempt" anymore.  I want to garden and be proud of the amazing garden and bountiful harvest I bring in.  So I decided to start this blog to organize my thoughts and keep detailed notes of everything I do.  Every variety I try, every weird planting idea I have, every misstep in watering, and how my plants end up doing despite all my wacky notions!  

Not much now, but it's gonna be! South facing

I live in Maryland in a suburb of Baltimore and my garden has three main parts.  In my back yard I have a raised garden bed.  This parts main problem is shade, it's surrounded by trees, but I think gets at least 8 hours of full sun.  Then in front of my house (southern facing) I have a large patio where I put my container garden.  The patio is fenced in, and on the other side of the patio I tried last year (unsuccessfully) to do a wildflower garden for clipping.  You'll have to stay tuned to see the grand plans I have for it this year!

Indoor Edibles, Seedlings

So where do I stand right now?  Well, I planted my first seedlings this weekend!  I started with these lovely flat seed pods that you water until they expand with a little hole in the mesh covering that you pop seeds into.  So much less mess than just dumping potting soil into the planters.  I also got a $30 3-tier greenhouse with a plastic cover from Big Lots to start my seedlings in.  I have the hope that year round I can use it for herbs and other edibles.  The only herbs I currently have growing in my kitchen are a giant planter of mint that has done amazing since I brought it in at the end of last summer.  I also have a basil plant I got from the grocery store that came in a bag of water.  Apparently sticking it in dirt for the first time was not smart, and it probably won't make it.  But it was worth a shot!

The seedlings: in one long window planter that I'm hoping to keep indoors if possible I planted some Burpee Black Seeded Simpson lettuce, Burpee Baby Leaf Hybrid Espinaca spinach, and Burpee Gourmet Blend lettuce.  No, I'm not sponsored by Burpee (I WISH I were).  In my dirt pods I started Burpee True Lavender, Burpee Mariachi Hybrid pepper (I like a miiiildly hot pepper), and Burpee Sweet Pepper Carnival Hybrid Mix.  I'll post pics of each seed packet once I do my low down on each plant.  

Planter on Left has Peas In-A-Pot!

I also started an outdoor container pea called Burpee Peas In-A-Pot.  I've never tried peas before so I'm very excited to see how container peas will work out.