I really wanted to start this blog earlier this year, since this is the first year that I am actually growing everything from seeds. I was set up for time lapse videos, daily pictures, instructional videos of the process etc. However, as usual, I ran short on time. Next year I’ll do a better job documenting. For now, I will just give you a quick update in words up to today and hope to have more frequent updates from now on.

The whole operation began in the basement around mid February. I got several fluorescent bulbs and hang them from the ceiling in a pulley structure so that I could raise them as the plants grew higher. This system proved to also be very convenient for watering the plants. Well, with a little TLC (tender love and care) we got to today and we just harvested our first romaine lettuce and radishes this past week.

This year is also the first year that I built beds. I got tired of trying to work with the clay we have for soil here, so I made four 10’ x 5’ beds and filled them with a top soil, peat moss and pearlite mix.

Again for the first time this year, I installed a drip irrigation system, complete with a timer, pressure regulator and fertilizing unit. I made sure I can easily reconfigure the hose network and dripers based on plant requirements and placement.

Talking about plant placement, I am planning on growing several batches of plants in the same bed spot this year. I started out with romaine lettuce, carrots, onions, radish, swiss chard and cabbage. As soon as something gets harvested, the soil gets fertilized and replanted immediately. At some point, as the weather gets warmer, romaine will be replaced by zucchini or cucumber and swiss chard by green peppers.

I also already have tomatoes in the garden and keeping an eye out for the cold nights. Talking about cold nights, again for the first time this year I got a small greenhouse for $39 from Lowe’s. It already has saved me many dead plants and my neighbor is using it as well. It has a lot of space for how small it is and I am very happy with it.

So, that’s all to catch you up for this season and I’ll try to be more consistent with updates. Enjoy the pictures...