Cabin fever and garden deprivation can get really intense by this time of year up here in the frozen north country.A sunny day that isn't too cold comes along and you just itch to go outside and plant something or pick something or do something besides stuff wood in the stove. However, the ground is still frozen and will be for a long time yet, the wind is still biting and it isn't even maple sugaring time. Sometimes, I can kind of ease through the no-dirt, no-greenery, no-gardening doldrums by puttering with the houseplants....repotting Amaryllises, cutting down gangly geraniums, picking off spent flowers and such, but really I need to grow something new and interesting. Most years I grow a few geraniums from seed, and maybe some lobelia, moon flowers or other things that require a bit of fussing. This year I am out of dirt and need to go buy some....which kind of goes against the grain.
Anyhow, I decided that we needed some lettuce that I knew came from a clean, fresh, not-in-another-state source so I decided to plant some in the living room. I used compost from the buckets I grew tomatoes in last summer and threw in some perlite and put the whole mess in a Styrofoam cooler left over from toting soda and Bologna sandwiches to the fair last summer. It has been slow going because there is so little sun, but it is beginning to come along quite nicely now. I nip off a leaf every now and then just to sample and I think we will be able to use it in sandwiches pretty soon.
I think that deserves the clever idea of the month award. I never would have thought of that!
ReplyDeleteI agree with flo! I would love to do that, but I think my cats would want to play in it.
ReplyDeleteI have already felt the same degree of "garden deprivation" and cabin fever. I never considered lettuce, though! I have some onions, catnip and "flower pot tomatoes" started! I also planted some flower and bonsai/tree seeds. My daylily seeds have a couple of sprouts sticking out. There aren't many flowers I would struggle with, but daylilies are one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteThat is so cool! My mom misses gardening since she moved into an apartment 3 years ago. She is hoping for a house soon...
ReplyDeleteFlo, thanks for the kind words. It was sort of an accident. I grow lettuce in containers in the summer and a couple of years ago I brought some in when frost threatened. It lasted quite some time before becoming infested with white flies. It takes a lot of light though.
ReplyDeleteLaurie, they might. I have it up on a bench that would be an easy jump
Caroline...I have to get going with more stuff soon. I bought some banana tree seeds, but I think it is too cold in the house to germinate them. Got to get some soil too. Usually I make my own, but this snow thing has it all covered up. lol
Cubby, if she has a bright window she can do amazing things. Or grow lights, which are something I am going to invest in one of these days. It is wonderful what you can do in a window box or flower pot.
it's a very good idea. so far we only have orchids and flowers...
ReplyDeleteI may have to try this, although I'm farther north than you are, so it might be even slower growing. ;)
ReplyDeleteHi terra, I am enjoying it, but one thing I would change is to perhaps use a plastic windowbox or a large, stout flower pot, as the cooler is breaking down very rapidly making it a bit hard to keep it watered well enough. Anyhow, good luck and thanks for visiting.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great idea! I've never thought of using the styrofoam conatiners. I have an old one in the garage that would work for this. Although I'm in Florida, where it is warmer, container gardens are great for helping to keep the bugs and worms off of our vegetables.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, I'll pass the idea along to a friend of mine who lives in Canada. Might be a cure for her cabin fever, too.