Garden Update 15 May 2008

  

IMG_0810, originally uploaded by http://badhuman.wordpress.com.

If you haven’t figured it out already, I really love my cherokee trail of tears beans. Last weeks pod was not in fact a bean pod per se. First the little white “pod” becomes a gorgeous light purple bud. It took me 5-10 shots before I found one that even begins to capture the delicate color and beauty. Now if the pests would stop eating the leaves I would have more of these. I don’t know what is eating them, they are kept inside by a huge window which I’ve started keeping open for air flow. But seriously they are surrounded by brick and concrete so where are the pests coming from??

 

The strawberry plants are doing well. So far we have one fruit but I’ve read that it usually takes two years to be able to start harvesting so I’m not expecting much this year. I also learned that overwatering will create a watery fruit. Think is commonsense I know but I never really thought about it before now. Even learning about organic soil and free range grass fed animals has not made me automatically connect all the dots. I am still learning on a daily basis the myriad of things that affect the taste and quality of my produce. 

The carrots are getting more feathery and taller, indicators of what is going on below. 

Broccoli is one of my other all-stars. It has grown considerably and continues to get more leaves as the days go by. 

Lettuce has not been my friend but I have finally gotten a couple of sprouts to grow more then two leaves so even if I never harvest any I will call this a success. 

Spinach will be the first thing I can harvest and eat. Since J. doesn’t like it, I’ll have it all to myself so I’ve started thinking of what I want to do with it already. Perhaps I’ll just eat the leaves straight as a midday snack since it is growing in my office. 

The peppers are getting taller. J. and I almost called it quits on trying to grow tomatoes and peppers but pure persistence if beginning to pay off. Only two peppers sprouted but they are showing good growth and we’ve been able to get a couple tomato plants past their initial two leaves so we might have some success yet.

How does your garden grow?

Alaska Experiment Part Four

mountain goat on the run, originally uploaded by tropicaLiving.

What I learned tonight? Moose have injured and killed more humans in Alaska then bears! I don’t know about you but that was news to me. There is a lot of press about bears and how they are “encroaching” on populated areas but not a lot of talk about the very real danger that moose can present.

Tonight’s episode involved a lot more hunting which isn’t surprising. The experiment started in Fall, too late for them to even attempt to grow anything and the show gave them limited staples to live off. The intent was to make them work for their supper and work they are. Each team is taken on a hunting trip. So far I’ve seen goat and moose hunting. The first goat hunt was a success (well after two days it was) but no one taught these guys how to preserve meat. To me it seems a waste to teach them how to hunt, to take them on the hunting trip, but not teach them how to preserve the meat. If they can’t preserve it they will just get sick and the animal would have lost it’s life for nothing. 

That isn’t to say that I am anti-hunting I just don’t think it is something to do merely for fun or sport. If you are going to hunt you should do it smartly. No killing or mother’s or kids, aiming well so that you don’t injure the animal without killing it, utilize everything (meat, bones, skin) if possible. And the experts at Alaska Experiment are training the participants to do just that. Do in part to hunger but more importantly having to work for their food they are gaining a greater appreciation for the everyday things we take for granted (like the grocery store). These participants must ration what they have and hunt for what they don’t. They must scale mountains after crossing icy streams. Once they make the kill (so far two groups have successfully hunted goats) they have to skin it and gut it, all the while hoping a bear doesn’t come along to claim their kill. Once that’s done they haul the 150 lbs of meat back down the mountain. If you come home with meat to last through the winter then it’s worth it but if after four days of hiking across the icy tundra you have yet to kill a moose then you return home more exhausted then you left and have nothing to show for it.

The show isn’t all blood and guts though. It also shows how the participants can salmon, forage for berries and turn them into “jam” (it looks like syrup but flavor is flavor and beggars can’t be choosers), and build a bunk bed utilizing trees and crab nets. Even elevating yourself 12 inches off the ground can make a difference especially when it is 14 degrees BELOW zero. In  stroke of creativity the father in one of the groups plans and successfully constructs a set of bunk beds for his daughters using what’s on hand. I doubt they needed the crab net in the dead of winter anyway.  

Oh and if you are worried about the animals then you will be happy to know that the moose are 2 for 2 against the humans. 

We are rude people and we apologize!

J. and I try to participate in as many carnivals as we can. It’s a great way to get information and selfishly a way to promote our blog. We are thankful to everyone has chosen to include us and apologize for not reciprocating by promoting the carnival.

We are on our knees begging for mercy and offering gifts of raw milk homemade mozzarella!

Are we forgiven?

 

Pug on a Swing!, originally uploaded by Dunechaser.

This week got linked in the The Homesteading Carnival #49: My Mama Edition>. It is one of our favorite carnivals to read and provides a lot of inspiration for want to be homesteaders like us Although we live in an apartment we are trying to do as much as we can and eventually when we have a house with land we can get the chickens, goats, solar panels, a garden to provide all our produce, etc etc.

So thank you to everyone that has generously included us, we promise we will not neglect to link you again. In the meantime check out the homestead carnival- you might learn something new or maybe you could offer your advice and expertise the next time around.

Truly Homemade Pizza

 

Snail Taffy, originally uploaded by radstu.

 Now you may be asking yourself what taffy has to do with homemade pizza and the answer is not much. I (N.) just couldn’t find or take any pictures that I liked of the mozzarella making so I decided to improvise. A tenous connection at best but I’ll have you know that you pull mozzarella just like taffy

I’ll leave most of the explaining and actual pizza making pictures to J. but I will say that making everything was quite fun and only took a couple hours from starting to eating the best pizza ever. 

We got the pizza sauce recipe here but then I added our organic basil and oregano from our window boxes and some red chili paste that we had in the fridge. I liked the added spice since I find most pizza sauce recipes to be too bland.

We made the mozzarella using a kit from the Cheese Queen. We used a gallon of raw milk that we get from our cow share. It was AMAZING!! Seriously I could have just eaten the bowl of mozzarella for dinner and been perfectly content. We only added 1/2 tsp of the cheese salt and it was just the right amount. Of course this meant we have been without milk for a week but it was worth the sacrifice. I had a lot of fun pulling the cheese although it does get very hot.

We won’t repeat her instructions here but you can find them on her website. We were hesitant about how is going to work about since it started out looking like this:

Thankfully after we separated the curds and whey and gave the curds a couple shots of heat in the microwave it looked like this:

It took us three trips to the microwave in order to get the shine and elasticity that tell you the cheese is ready to be stretched.

 

Stretching is the best best

The dough was also a recipe from the Cheese Queen that we used because it was a way to utilize the excess whey (and there was a lot of it). We have more in the fridge (a half gallon to be exact) and we are going to try and see what else we can do with it. 

This is basically what we did for the dough recipe:

1 Cup very warm whey (about 120 F, but not too much warmer than that, and not cooler than 110 F or the yeast will do nothing for you)
3 Cups flour
1 Yeast Package
3/4 TSP Salt
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Mix the dry stuff briskly, then add the whey and oil. Mix the ingredients until you have a shaggy mess, then knead until smooth on a floured surface. Let it sit for 10 mins or so, then dust with corn meal on the top, flip it over and roll into the shape you need.

Cook at 400 F for about 20-25 mins.

I (J.) pretty much did exactly what the recipe, and it turned out very good.

We probably used 1/4 cup of our sauce, and spread it in a nice little layer evenly over the rolled-out dough. We then took cheese and hand shredded the clump over the sauce.

In the future, I think we’ll try to roll out the dough a little thinner (ala- New York), and cook it at about 350 F until its done all the way through, though not too crisp. We’d also like to add more cheese. A lot more cheese. It’s not the most Italian thing to do, but I don’t really care. The cheese is just too good.

It might sound like a lot of work, but look at it like this: 1) this pie probably cost us something like three dollars once it was all assembled; 2) we can tell you exactly the ingredients that went into it.

If you like to try new things, and you like something that is entirely homemade then this is a really easy way to start. Give this one a shot, and let us know what you think

French Toast Sticks- No Deep Frying Necessary

 

   Red Maple leaf on Bracken Fern, originally uploaded by ER Post.

 

You know what I (J.) loved about elementary school? School lunches! While my parents were always trying to pawn off something “healthy” like an apple from the local orchards with a PB&J (that’s peanut butter and jelly) sandwich made fresh the morning it was to be consumed with a dime expressly for the purchase of a carton of milk, I was more keen to have one of the many varieties of often repeated meals prepared by the school district.

My favorites? Sloppy Joe’s were always near the top, but I would have to say my favorite was French Toast Sticks. Four little golden brown sweethearts, four inches by one inch by one inch. Prepared perhaps months in advance, but it didn’t really matter. The important thing was that all of that hydrogenated vegetable oil that they were deep fried in sealed in (what had been) bread in a crunchy shell, which somehow managed to absorb a little of the syrup which accompanied it.

All of that tasty goodness, and only 110 calories. Each. These days, I don’t think I’d touch those unless I had few other options, and I certainly wouldn’t do my children (if I had any) the dis-service of allowing them to eat those.

N. and I have come up with an alternative to those little, tiny slices of heaven, and they’re great. The best part about them is that, since we purchased most of the ingredients raw, we know what’s in them. Somehow, that makes them a little tastier.

We got this recipe from Joe at Culinary in the Country; a fun little blog with all kinds of good things to try.

We’ve made these twice, and they’ve been very good both times.

Without further ado:

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
12 slices day-old white bread, each cut into thirds to form sticks
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, divided
confectioners’ sugar
additional pure maple syrup, if desired

In a shallow dish, whisk together milk, syrup, cinnamon, salt and eggs.

Melt half of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

Dip half of the bread slices into milk mixture, quickly turning to coat both sides. Remove from the milk mixture and place the slices into the pan. Cook until each side is lightly browned, about 2 to 4 minutes per side. Remove from the skillet and repeat with process with remaining butter, bread and the milk mixture.

Serve with confectioners’ sugar and warmed pure maple syrup.

Makes about 4 to 6 servings.

We used our cast iron skillet, and it seemed to want them to come out perfectly. If you have one, I recommend using it with these.

Give these a try, and let us know what you think.

Swetsville Zoo

 

     

IMG_0686, originally uploaded by http://badhuman.wordpress.com.

 

Going through the interview process kind of reminds me of the picture above But since J. and I were going to drive to the interview and we had never been to that town before I wanted to do a little exploring and we stumbled on the Swetville Zoo in Fort Collins.

The name is a bit deceiving because it isn’t really a zoo, rather it is a private collection of metal sculptures created from odds and ends and set up in what looks like a rather large backyard. All the houses have signs just in case you get confused.

It’s a really amazing place to walk around and there are a ton of sculptures handmade by a local man who has never had any welding or sculpting training and doesn’t charge people to walk through. He does ask for donations and should you get to visit I’m sure you too will be moved to donate whatever you have in your pocket.

There are about 100 different sculptures in a variety of sizes but some of the coolest are those set up in little vignettes like the ant above.

There are a couple that only adults are going to get.

But most of them the whole family will enjoy and I highly recommend that you check it out if you are going to be in the area. If you are moved to try to do this at home he even offers a kit

These are just some of the pictures that I took. Unfortunately my battery died and I wasn’t able to play with the various setting on the camera.. You can see the other pictures on my flickr account.

Job Searching- A Very Un-green Process

 

rings, originally uploaded by S. Balcomb.

I’m (N.) currently in the market for a new job and I have to say it’s not exactly an eco-friendly process. In addition to being personally frustrating because I have to repeat the same information three different times, filling out three seperate applications for the same position is a bit much.

When I started the job search I created a resume and for each job I apply to I tailored it a bit to fit that job description. Since the file is kept electronically and submitted online usually it doesn’t involve printing anything out which is nice and eco friendly. I’ve applied for dozens of jobs and if I had to print a resume and cover letter out for each in addition to sending it in I would have wasted a lot of paper and money.

But when you get a first or second interview the company (who is already in possession of your resume) will usually send you their application. Which, FYI, is a regurgitation of everything you have already listed in your resume. You then are expected to bring hard copies of both your resume and the companies application with you to the follow on interviews. If you interview with six people you are expected to have ten copies handy. (It seems a general rule of thumb in the job search process is to always have extra copies of EVERYTHING)

Why? Most companies now have electronic databases so that anyone in the company that needs to can access your resume and application online. Do they need duplicate hard copies? Why can’t they just pull it up on their computer and look at it while they speak to you?

Also what is the deal with resume paper and resume envelopes? Honestly? Do we need to kill more trees just to have special paper to list our accomplishments on? I couldn’t find recycled resume paper instead what J. found was “100% cotton unique air-dried crispness. Nothing equals the rich texture of XYZ’s 100% cotton paper. The unique air-drying process provides it with a substantial feel, durability, rich color reproduction and distinctive crispness, like a new dollar bill.” I suppose the implication is if you don’t use this special paper you aren’t going to get ourself any crip dollar bills because you will be unemployed.

I guess in retrospect this means I’m not killing any trees I’m just utilizing pesticide laden cotton products processed with who knows how many chemicals for this special “air-drying.” And no I couldn’t find any organic cotton resume paper either. Perhaps had I searched online I could have found some and had it shipped to me but I’m doing this somewhat last minute so my options were limited.

Cotton Buds?, originally uploaded by T-Newland.

I have a second interview for a job I would really like and it’s with a company that specialiazes in products that measure and test water levels and water quality so it’s a fairly eco company. That’s cool but they don’t just have to have my resume, they want my resume in digital and hard copy format for each person I am interviewing with, they also want an online application filled out AND a word document application that I must fill out, print out, and bring with me- in duplicate. As frustrating as this is since they all say the exact same thing in slightly different formats it’s not like I can refuse. Well I could but then we get back to the whole unemployed piece… I filled them all out but I am taking a small stand. While I did print out ten copies of my resume on my 100% cotton paper I refuse to print out ten copies of my application on that same paper. I made two copies of it on 100% recycled paper along with two copies of my reference list and one copy of my college transcripts and previous performance evaluations. I figure if they really need it then they can make copies themselves or the course of action I prefer is that I can email them electronic copies- again.

All of this makes me think of a “If I ruled the world” scenario I wouldn’t do this. I would have people submit their resume electronically and if there was additional information needed then I would have an application that only covered that information. It would all be kept in an electronic database accessible by all those involved in the hiring process and they would use those electronic copies to conduct interviews. Nothing would be printed out and no duplicate work or information would be required. It amazes me that we live in a day and age full of technology which in most cases causes us to be more wasteful but in this case wouldn’t and yet we either don’t utilize it at all or we only half utilize it because we are all stuck in our ways. We want what is easier- three copies of the same information printed out multiple times and given to us multiple times so that we don’t have to worry about accessing it in advance.

Yes, as you can guess this prospect of finding a new job is not only daunting but terrifying. I am giving up a career path that gives me great benefits and absolute job security because the prospect of doing that for the rest of my life makes me want to gauge my eyeballs out with a spoon. I know in the long run I will be happier even having sacrificed some of those benefits and job security but in the short term it’s daunting to try to pick a whole new career path and then having found what I want to do I have to figure out how to convince the people doing the highering that I’m THE ONE when I know they have numerous qualified applicants.

All is not doom and gloom though! If you are trying to find a job there are ways to green up the process. The internet is an awesome tool both in researching job opportunities and companies that you could work for. When you are starting your search you will find a plethora of resources telling you how to write a resume, a cover letter, interview tips and tricks. You will find places like Monster that you can upload your resume to and use it to apply for multiple jobs and you won’t have to print anything out.

You can also go to your local library to check out books on the subject. I highly recommend Knock’em Dead the 2008 edition by Martin Yates. I have read it cover to cover and then reread multiple chapters numerous times to prep for interviews. It covers every step of the job search process from resume to negotiating the job offer and leaving your current employer gracefully. More importantly it gives you tips to handling the resume. It teaches you what all employers are looking for and how to translate your experience into that coveted job offer even if you don’t meet the “minimum qualifications” listed in the job description. If your library doesn’t have it you can search for used copies and then sell it when you are done. Unless you plan on making multiple job moves in a short period of time there is no reason to own the book longer then your job search.

As for that resume and special paper, personally I think it’s unavoidable right now but I have hope that this is changing. Most companies have websites where you can electronically submit your application and resume and unless you get called for a face to face interview you don’t need to print anything out. When you do have to make sure you store them carefully so that if you don’t end up handing them out you can keep them for the next interview. If in the inital phases a company asks for information see if you can email it to them saving you the postage as well as helping the earth out.

Job search attire- the beloved balck, dark grey or navy blue suit with white dress shirt and matching shoes. For ladies a skirt is recommended and nylons are a must. Keep accessories to a minimum- this is not the time to showcase your personal style (unless of course you are applying to a stylist position or a position in fashion). You don’t need to go out and buy these new and if the job you are eventually going to get isn’t going to require you to wear a full on suit then you don’t need to purchase multiples. You can find high quality gently used suits on places like Ebay, Craigslist, and local thrift and consignment stores along with dress shirts and shoes. Why waste money you probably don’t have on something you probably won’t like anyway? As for nylons you can get organic ones online and as long as you take care of them one pair will get you through the entire job search.

Traveling- a necessary evil. If you are looking for a job locally then you probably won’t have to travel to much during the search but if you are looking to relocate further away then it’s unavoidable. I suggest trying to attend hiring conferences or job fairs where you can interview with multiple people and make the most of the trip. If that isn’t an option then try to arrange interviews for mutliple companies in the a small period of time yourself so that you are only take one or two trips.

Finally, company research. Once you get an interview you will want to research the company and job you will be filling. If you know anyone that works in that company or field they can be an invaluable asset. If not the internet is your next best bet. The company website, the wallstreet journal website, google, trade associations and other search engines are a great way to find out what the company is about, what they are doing that has made the news, how they stack up against their competitors etc etc. Take what you find and cut and paste it into a single word document that you can study. When it gets closer to the interview make a couple of notes on a piece of paper you can take with you that highlights points you want to make or questions you want to ask. This way you aren’t printing out a bunch of information or trying to search within it as you are cramming in the bathroom prior to your interview

Well, I really should get back to studying for my own interview (keep me in your thoughts and prayers) so my last piece of advise is this. If you are looking for a green job then check out Yahoo Green. I applied to a couple of different jobs here that I never would have found at a traditional job search site. 

The Phoenix Bike

Early March, 2005 was a really good time for me (J.). I just returned from over a year abroad, and my bank account was chock-a-block full of funds for the first time ever. I was set for a little decompression, and an American adventure of my own choosing.

I purchased a new mountain bike, and headed south from Washington state. Meandering through Idaho and Nevada, I chose a route that was far off the beaten path. In Nevada, I opted to not head through Reno, Tahoe or Las Vegas. I stopped when I felt like it, stretched the cables on my new ride when the spirit moved me, and listened to several books on tape. The largest town I passed through was Winnemuca.

If you’ll all remember, those were the days after GPS technology was widely available, and before “navigation systems” were as popular as they have become. After a year of pushing my luck in many regards, I was inclined to see how far my Volkswagen Jetta could go between fuel-ups, and had to trust my judgement on which towns looked like they might have gas stations on the map.

In a Bodega-like gas station in a town built on a hill in the middle of no-where, I saw a newspaper from a week earlier with a headline about the desert flowers of Death Valley. These flowers were in bloom in numbers not seen for something like a hundred years. Sounded good to me. I’d see something I probably wouldn’t see again in my lifetime, and ride in a desert environment that I’d wanted to ride in for the entire previous year.

 

Death Valley FLowers, originally uploaded by ~Thái~.

The flowers: they were cool. I’m not trying to play them down, but I think I was more distracted by the fact that Death Valley is a National Park that allows you to ride pretty much where ever you like. I liked that.

I rode through the ghost town of Rhyolite (on the Nevada side, not actually in the park), in and around some interesting mines, and past a place called the Devil’s Cornfield. I went out to a place called the Dunes, and decided that I had seen enough sand in the previous year. I headed to the mountains.

During the fourth day, I was on a single track outside the park in the mountains of the Nevada side. I’d been going good for about an hour and a half, was about to turn back but decided to push on higher. Then the ground gave way a little, but I recovered. Then, still climbing, I over-corrected around a left switchback. My front tire slipped on a mix of slick basalt and mud from the rain earlier that morning. My left foot unclipped from the pedal and I was on my right side instantly. We (the bike and I) fell and slid for about 20 feet. My right foot then unclipped. I stopped, but the bike kept going. It fell for what I can only imagine was about 100 feet.

I was in surprisingly good shape. No broken bones and nothing bleeding so badly that I would need to stop it immediately. Cool. 45 minutes later, I found my bike. It did not fair so well.

What was busted:

Front wheel taco’d
front disc had a good bite taken out where the entire weight of the bike presumably landed on it
handle bar good and bent
front shifter sanded almost completely off
both grips had the ends torn off
left pedal sheared off, right pedal rubbed raw
derailleur hanger snapped off
arm of the derailleur was hanging by the return spring, which was about 10 inches long
rear wheel was definitely un-true
the saddle was comically turned 180 degrees and ripped open

I sat for a few minutes on a rock. Then I laughed. It really was a pretty funny site. Surveying the damage I noticed that the fork looked alright. As did the frame. As well as the chainrings and the freewheel. I scooped up the remnants and headed back to the car.

Strangely enough, I started (sub-consciously or deliberately - take your pick) humming that old America song. Bikes, even light ones, suck to carry for a long time. If you’ve done this, you know.

Some time later, I was sufficiently pitty-partied out and back at the car. I lashed the carcass of my ride to my roof rack, and then went about applying Neosporin and bandages.

Several days later in west Texas, east of El Paso, as if to add insult in injury, the lashings on the roof rack failed, and the wounded warrior planed off and skidded for quite away on the side of the road at about 70 mph.

I did the walk of shame again, picked up the frame again, and was, again, surprised that it didn’t seem too bad off.

The rest of the way back to Fayetteville, NC was uneventful. My new job left me with little or no chance to do much but work. A few months later I was back on a plane, and headed back to another year of no fun. The bike was in a storage unit, and would remain in one or another garages like it for nearly three years.

About six weeks ago, it emerged and I took it to Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs (see our earlier posts). The techs there completely repaired it. Obviously, everything that was wrecked had to be replaced, and it was. $400 later, the bike was good as new. Pretty much. Both pedals, which I recovered from the scene, were actually (mostly), and I’ve been riding them. That was good, they weren’t cheap. The rear disc was good as well. Both brake levers and the rear shifter were also good, too.

I could have settled for purchasing a new bike, but a comparable ride would have been in the $1000 range. This was definitely the lesser of two evils. I could have chosen to not ride at all, however that would have been silly. I’m glad and fortunate that I was able to salvage that which could be saved. Besides, you can’t leave a fallen comrade like that

A Real Test of Survival Skills

 

Yellowstone National Park, originally uploaded by Madison76.

A couple days ago J. and I caught the third installment of the Alaska Experiment on the Discovery Channel. I wasn’t a huge fan of the show after the first episode but I decided to give it another shot.

I was more impressed with this episode. In comparison to Frontier House it definitely shows how people struggle to survive in an austere environment. It also makes me think how the families in the Frontier House would have handled this true survival test. One of the men in the show constantly complained about not being able to hunt, but I wonder how he would have handled truly hunting for survival. Could he have survived a couple miles climb almost straight up a rocky, slippery slope to shoot a sheep? Could he have mimicked the call of a moose only to have it arrive pumped for battle? Somehow I don’t think so. I think it would have been a real wake up call for him that hunting isn’t romantic- it’s work. 

Fortunately for one couple on the Alaska Experiment they did manage to kill a goat and if they can keep the wolves from stealing their meat before they eat it they will be fairly well off protein wise heading into winter. Unfortunately the family of three that set out to kill a moose were not as fortunate. Although one of the girls was able to mimic the mating call of the moose she wasn’t able to hit the moose and kill it (although she certainly tried).

The show closed showing another group fending off birds of prey to scavenge meat from a bison they found dead in the woods. One can only wonder if they too will draw more predators to their doorstep by attempting to store the meat through the coming weeks. 

 

My beans have pods!

   

IMG_0658, originally uploaded by http://badhuman.wordpress.com.

Those are bean pods right? Either way my Cherokee Trail of Tears beans are performing a new trick. Despite having their leaves eaten my some pest or other they seem to be growing really well.
 

We have some other additions to our container garden. We haven’t been able to grow strawberries from seed so we hit a local nursery and found local strawberry plants and placed them in a hanging basket over the little finger carrots. If I water to much then the water drains over the carrots and waters them.

They seem to be doing pretty well and had some small white flowers and an itty bitty berry. 

Another new addition are these golden zucchini. (Yes, I did choose some plants based on their unusual color…) They burst out of the ground very quickly and seem to be doing very well. I have to look up what sort of container to plant them in.

We also FINALLY got some peppers and tomatoes to sprout although I have to say I don’t know that they are doing so well… They sprouted but then possibly started to bolt and now they just look sad and wilty. 

I took some small paperclips and stuck them in with the seedling to help support them but it doesn’t do a very good job.

On the up side I got bee balm to sprout and it is still looking pretty good! I saw a bumble bee hanging out by the second floor of our balcony so maybe the presence of bee balm will entice them up to the third floor. The key was definitely keeping in moisture by covering the seed trays (it’s too dry in Colorado to do it any other way I think).

Everything else is doing well and slowly getting more leaves so I hope to have a decent harvest for our first time.