Last time I posted about my garden, it was still pretty young and I wasn't sure if the plants would survive, much less thrive. Boy, did I underestimate the power of nature.
After the seedlings were large enough to move, I transplanted them into pots out on the balcony. Not yet having much faith in my own seed-to-vegetable growing skills, I hedged my bets with some additional starter plants. I added two larger tomato plants and a strawberry plant that I bought.
A week or two later and some of the plants had doubled or even tripled in size.
I was so excited about the progress. I had lost a plant or two, but the vast majority continued to grow.
Not long after that I realized that if the plants continued to thrive, I'd have to make the decision to weed them out myself, instead of letting nature do it.
The jalapenos were getting crowded fastest.
So I decided to share them with my coworkers. I found a really great idea for newspaper cups. They're economical, readily available and biodegradable. Plus it's just a cute idea.
I took a single sheet of newspaper, folded it in half and set a regular soup can on it.
I wrapped the newspaper around the can and then folded down the top edge. The newspaper is taller than the can, but we need that for the next step.
Then I turned the can over and slid the paper up so it hung out the other side and folded it down to create the bottom of the cup. I never did this part very neatly. It just needs to be completely covered so dirt doesn't fall out the bottom. I used a little piece of tape to hold the bottom together, which I'm sure negates the biodegradable part. Oops.
Flip it back over, remove the can and there's a newspaper cup. Pretty nifty little thing.
I was giving away 5 jalapeno plants, so I made 4 more cups. And kitty was very interested in what I was doing, as always.
In goes a little dirt...
... and then the jalapeno plant. I added more dirt to stabilize the plant and then watered it a little bit, which, of course, soaked the newspaper.
I ended up having to set the water-soaked cups into plastic cups, but it worked out great to transport them to the office.
I took the jalapenos to work for Cinco de Mayo. It seemed fitting. :)
About two weeks later I did it all over again with my tomato plants and bell peppers because I was running out of room on the balcony.
Now my coworkers can have salsa too!
Six weeks later and my garden is thriving! I ate my first cherry tomato yesterday. I have several more riping on the plants. There are more than a few baby jalapenos growing and the bell pepper plants are getting ready to flower. The strawberry plant continues to grow, but I haven't seen any signs of flowers or fruit yet and the same with the lime tree, although I'm not expecting fruit from it for a year at least.
I've seen more growth than I ever dreamed I could and I'm so pleased with the garden! Hopefully the salsa isn't too far in the distance. :)
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