Green Daily

Sorry it's been a while since my initial posts on our project. But we've certainly been busy. The lasagna is laid out, most of the seedlings have sprouted and are enjoying a few hours a day in the outdoors and we'll soon have the last frost safely behind us so we can plant the garden.

Jennifer has been pretty successful with sowing seeds. Some never germinated, but we expected to lose a few. We learned that beans look like piles of mold before they become true seedlings. We learned some seeds preferred a roomier environment than the little pods provided in the miniature greenhouses. Jennifer moved them to terra cotta pot saucers and they began to thrive. Some liked more light. Some liked less water. In the end, we have quite a few healthy tomato, melon, beet, and lettuce seedlings, just to name a few. We'll probably supplement our supply and purchase some actual plants this weekend at the annual Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival.


I've been research companion planting lately. My mom told me about planting marigolds to keep bugs away. I looked up the details and was introduced to the concept of companion planting and the myriad plants that can be grouped together to achieve natural pest control for organic gardening.

It's also clear that we'll need some sort of fence to divide the garden from the rest of the yard as dogs, both ours and visitors', as well as kids, seem to think it's fun or cozy or both to burrow in the compost. And I don't think the vegetables would enjoy that kind of companionship.

The next Neighborhood Garden Project post will appear in two weeks. I promise.