How Does My Indoor Garden Grow?

Well, well! The plants are coming along just fine. The tomato plants are about six inches high with well-developed leaves. I need to transplant two of them badly. They would be done already but I ran out of potting soil and haven't had a chance to buy some more. One of the plants was already transplanted and is enjoying its new home on the windowsill. I gave up on the basil seeds and bought a plant from the grocery store. It was about 4 inches high when I bought it and now is about 8-9 inches high and is growing into quite a bush! Basil always seems to grow well, though it does need a lot of water. I also planted lavender and marigold seeds. The lavender never sprouted (sigh) but the marigold is up and has adult leaves, so it will be moving to a new pot soon. The pineapple mint is also growing very happily, especially when I moved it out of direct sunlight. I read somewhere that they actually will thrive in partial shade. I'll retry the lavender and basil seeds again, but I don't have much hope for them. Unfortunately, the strawberry seeds that came with the planter didn't sprout either. Too bad. Pictures will be coming soon.

It is so much fun to grow food indoors. It makes me feel so self-sufficient!

Starting My Garden

My little garden is finally in progress. I made a trip to K-mart which had a sale on seeds, and chose tomato, basil, marigold (I just like them, plus they have some insecticidal properties) and lavender to be used for aromatherapy purposes. After doing some research on the Web, I decided to put the planted seed flats on a heating pad kept on low. I planted some tomato and basil seeds only, due to not having a lot of seed flats, then managed to mix them up before labeling! However, doing a quick Google search, I just found a fantastic website, www.reneesgarden.com, which has some great tips and photos on growing tomatoes. So, it looks like my tomatoes (Brandywine) are growing wonderfully (three out of four have sprouted) and my basil seeds flopped, literally. One sprouted up and then fell over. Another sprouted but doesn't seem to be growing. I'm trying to decide if I should give up on the basil seeds and buy a plant at the local grocery store or try again. I want to get the flowers started. My strawberry planter has been seeded, but according to the information on the package it will take quite a while for those seeds to germinate. I check it often and keep the soil moist. I also have a store bought pineapple mint which desperately needs to be transplanted to a larger pot. Maybe tomorrow.

My little sunroom seems to be just the trick for growing plants. At least, the tomatoes and mint think so. It is getting full sun for a large part of the day - well, when it's sunny. I live in Chicago and snow is predicted for this weekend! Aaarrrggh. I like cool weather, but this has been one long winter. (We broke a record a while ago of the longest expanse between 70 degree weather days.)

While searching for writing jobs, I found a couple of good sites for us urban gardeners, with a wealth of information on growing food. The first one is www.urbangardencasual.com and the second, which has a more intensive approach is www.pathtofreedom.com. Both are worth checking out and have multiple links to sites about many different subjects. I even found out how to make a very simple food dryer (www.backwoodshome.com/articles/shaffer58.html).

Growing food indoors, or on a rooftop or patio -what can bring you back to the country more than that?

Moved At Last!!

Well, I finally did it! I'm all moved in to my new place. It took longer than expected, and I still have a lot of unpacking to do, but I'm here! Hooray!

One thing that I love about my new place is that there is a small sunroom with a great southern exposure to explore all of my gardening desires. It has been a frustration for me to not have good plant capabilities these past five years. I did manage to grow a few plants at my old place in my west-facing kitchen window, and even had a basil plant that did fine during the summer but died away in the winter. My kitties found a new home, so maybe I can grow a few plants without worrying about them being eaten! They really liked my chives plant, much to my dismay. I can't wait to start growing some more herbs, flowers, etc.

I bought a strawberry planter a few months ago. It seems that now is the time to start planting. Mmmm, fresh strawberries! My daughter will love it. Even better, my new apartment is across the street from a garden center, which is a pretty rare commodity in the city. I didn't even know this garden center existed. The local K-mart has seeds on sale this week, so it's time to get started! (I once grew a marigold plant from seed. It must have thought it was a tree, because it grew to about 3 feet tall, but died when I moved.)

Bring some country into your city apartment today by investing in some good plants to bring some nature indoors.

Some great and informative links: www.garden.org, www.kitchengardeners.org, www.helpfulgardener.com

In The Bleak Midwinter

Ah, winter! A great time to curl up by a fire with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate. There is nothing quite like firelight - the flickering, ever-changing light, the warmth, the smell of burning wood, the feeling of a connection with simpler times. But how many of us who live in the city have access to a working fireplace? Very few, that's who!

If your dream house has at least one fireplace, but you're stuck in an urban apartment, don't despair. There are several decent substitutes available.

One trick I've seen is placing candles in a non-functioning fireplace. If several candles of various sizes and heights are placed in the hearth, the soft glow of firelight can be very soothing. Some candles are even scented to smell like burning wood (http://www.vat19.com/dvds/fireplace-scented-jar-candle.cfm).

Another option available is a gas fireplace, though this would not be as popular to a renter as it would be to a homeowner, since it needs to be vented to outside through the wall. It looks very real, though if you are sensitive to gas you might not care for this choice. A freestanding gas stove that resembles a woodburning stove is also an option (http://www.regency-fire.com/).

Electric fireplaces are also available. These are a great option for renters. since they don't need to be vented. A few months ago Target had some on sale, though I have not checked their listings recently.

If your budget does not allow for an artificial fireplace and you do not have an artificial fireplace already built in, a nice low-cost option is a fireplace video or DVD. Pop one of these in your player, light a fireplace-scented candle, and enjoy your book and hot cocoa.

These options probably won't ever completely replace the charm of a wood-burning fireplace. The links above are ones that I found through a quick Google search. There are many products and price ranges available. Enjoy your search and discovery of the products that fit your budget and lifestyle, and enjoy the romantic glow of your firelight.

Gluten, Gluten Everywhere And Not A Crumb To Eat

Oh, dear, it seems I've neglected my blog for quite a while. I've been yearning to get back to my writing, but I'm in the middle of finding a new place to live, which is quite time-consuming, to say the least. I'll be glad when it's all over!

Anyway, after signing into the Blogspot dashboard, I saw a blog of note and immediately clicked on it. Why? Well, the title is Gluten Free Girl, and it's here on Blogspot. I've been on a gluten free diet for over 10 years, and it relieved me of chronic anemia and irritable bowel syndrome.

So maybe you're asking what is gluten, and why does it matter? Simply put, gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye or barley. And this matters because approximately 1 out of 100 people in the U.S. cannot digest this protein, but don't know it. Inability to digest gluten is called celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Symptoms include fatigue, headaches, bloating, nausea and/or vomiting, among others. The only "cure" for celiac disease/gluten intolerance is lifelong avoidance of gluten.

Fine, you say. I'll just stop eating wheat, rye or barley. If only it were that simple! Gluten is often hidden in foods. Anything that says malt or barley malt is off the list of acceptable things to eat. OK, you've just eliminated most packaged breakfast cereals. Soy sauce, which is usually brewed with wheat, is out. Some soy or barley milks are made with a barley enzyme, so they are out too. Wheat can be added to canned soups, seasonings, or processed meat. Beer is made with barley hops, so goodbye to that. And sometimes candy can be dusted with flour to make it less sticky.

The gluten free diet is complicated and requires constant vigilance, but it's worth it if that's what bothers you. The Gluten Free Girl has so much more information on her blog, plus a list of other gluten-free blogs, which I plan to check out ASAP. So give her site a look and let her know if you like what you see, and tell her where you got the link!

Blogging for Money

For all of you hoping to make a little money while blogging, www.blogsvertise.com seems to offer a good deal. Sign up at their website, and once your blog is approved, they will send you a "task" - a website or product to check out. Then you write about it in your blog, mention it three times and link to the website. It doesn't matter if your opinion is negative or positive - you just write what you think and submit it for review. Payment starts out small, but can grow based upon certain conditions.

It may not be a way to get rich, but some revenue is better than none! And if nothing else, you'll be supplied with various topics to write about.

Check it out!!