Other stuff

Imagine a checklist - what you need when you want to start growing some stuff.

It would probably look something like that:

- space
- container
- water
- soil
- seeds
- other bits and pieces

I have already shared my ideas for getting hold of some free containers and building up your seed store.  Now it's time to mention the rest.  All in one post, because at this stage of my gardening education I don't really have much to say :).

1. Soil
Easy one.  In spring, available literally everywhere (I've seen bags in shopping centres, DIY centres, at greengrocer's and probably in my local bookshop too - ok, I might've overdone it here.  But only slightly), in huge quantities and for next-to-nothing prices.  Too good an opportunity not to grab it - quality of this bought compost is usually decent enough so you don't need to worry too much about fertilisers for some time.  If you think otherwise, no big deal.  Get a shovel and dig it up.  As easy as that. 

2. Space
All depending on your circumstances.  Basically, plants need space and sun to grow.  So, a balcony, a windowsill, a next-to-the-window table.  I'm lucky enough to have a balcony, so as soon as my plants sprout leaves strong enough not to get broken by water droplets, out they go.  Works so far. 

3. Water
If you're a gardener of my type, you have it the hard way and need to water your plants yourself.  No rain on the windowsill!  And not that much on the balcony either.  I don't mind, I have one more reason to have a good look at my greens and get to know them better.  One thing I've learned the hard way so far:  your life-giving water can actually kill your plants.  If leaves are still teeny-tiny and delicate, a drop of water falling from above can crush them.  I've lost half of my rocket this way :(.  Remedy - learn to aim.  Pour your water directly on the soil, avoiding contact with plants.  Takes some precision, but at least your plants stay alive.

4.  All other bits and pieces
See, I'm still a beginner, so I'm probably not even aware how many things you need to make your garden grow.  I follow the simplicity rule, give them the very basics and hope for the best.  If any problems show up, I'll improvise.  I have a funny feeling that most of the stuff you supposedly need for your garden is needed only by sales people in order to stuff their pockets, not by you.  The rest is marketing rubbish.  I'm planning to learn what I can do without rather than what I need.  If you like this attitude - stay with me!  I will share my discoveries as I go.

Where to start?

Let me tell you a secret.  First, I got the idea of starting a garden and only few weeks later I got another idea of starting a blog about it.  Conclusion - I already have the very basics covered and some plants showing green leaves.  But beginning the whole adventure was real fun, so I'm going to time travel a bit and go through it again, even if only virtually. 

So, how do you start?

The first (and probably the most important!) step is to actually decide to go ahead and do it.  Do I sound ridiculously obvious here?  Weeeell... 
Possibly, there are some illustrious people out there, who simply wake up one day with an idea in their heads, get up and make it a reality.  Could be.  Me, I'm not one of them.  I've been secretly dreaming of a garden for months.  But come on, a garden in a flat, in the middle of a city?  So I kept reading those gardening blogs, salivating at the sight of onions, tomatoes etc, and hating all those lucky people having backyards or enough balls to commit themselves to a garden. 

Took me good half a year or so to say 'what the hell' and start DOING something to actually have a garden, instead of only dreaming about it. 

Admittedly, arrival of spring in just the convenient moment helped, too. 

What I'm trying to say here is simple - if you dream of growing your own food, stop dreaming.  Get up and do it.  Whatever your circumstances are, it's much easier that it seems and it's much better than dreaming. 

I'm not saying that I'll have my own veg stall in the market at the end of this growing season, or that now I can safely forget where my greengrocer is.  Miracles are not covered by this blog.  It will probably be months before I taste any decent fruit of my gardening activities and even that is not guaranteed.  My crop is in constant risk of failing due to multiple hazards, not the least of which are my complete lack of experience or shaky sense of responsibility and commitment.  I bet I'm not the only one out there with such an attitude.

So why bother?

- for the pure fun of mucking around in soil and getting your hands dirty
- to satisfy your sense of curiosity - ever wondered why this blog has 'experimental' in the title?  All of my gardening works on 'Let's do that and see what happens' basis.  So refreshing.
- to learn.  Well, maybe my parsley won't grow once, twice, whatever, but it will eventually, right?  And even if it won't - at least I will know what kills it!
- to enjoy this wonderful feeling of creating something out of almost nothing.  My garden is built on 'minimum expenditure' rule.  Unbelievable how much of your garbage can begin new life as a planting pot.
- for the wide-eyed fascination when something you've planted actually grows, develops, thrives because of your care.  I don't want to get too cheesy or too sentimental here, so someone shut me up please.  But watching a seed grow is a powerful reminder of how miraculous life is. 

I could probably think of more, but this post has already grown into quite a lengthy story, so let me stop here.

Enough of ideology anyway, time to jump to the equipment you will need.
Which will be covered in tomorrow's post.
Promise.