Terra Firma: Adventures in Organic Urban Gardening: Back to the Basics...Inside

Admittedly, I've been a blogger slacker. While last year's garden kept on moving, my fingers didn't make their way to the keyboard to document it. So if you've been wondering what happened, it's me, not the garden who was the lazy bum. Alas, we move on. Onward to this year's already leaping growth.

The last two years, I've started my garden indoors, under florescent lights in the basement. It works quite well and its a cheap operation. I use one old light fixture that came with the house (with fresh bright bulbs each year) and a new fixture I purchased for about $20 last year at Home Depot. Once you have the basics, the cost is quite low to start your own grow house in the dark days of January, February, and March. This year, I bought a few new plant trays (about $2 each), organic seed starter (about $4), and some nifty Jiffy planting containers that biodegrade into your garden though the season (about $8).

In 2012, I've returned to the seed company Botanical Interests. I received most of what I needed to start as a gift over the holidays (thanks Mom!) and the rest I had leftover from 2011. Not all seeds keep. Beans and peas especially don't last from one season to the next, but I've used leftover herbs, lettuces and kales, and tomato seeds for this year's garden.

Back in early February - at 10 weeks to the average last frost day in D.C. - I started seedlings for the plants that will need the most time indoors and those that are meant to go outdoors several weeks before the average last frost date. I started seeds for:

Sweet Pea Melody Blend - This will be solely a flowering plant. It's a vine that I intend to put outside early in the spring for early pink, violet, lilac, lavender, red, and maroon fragrant blooms. At least that's what the package says...After nearly a month, I've already transplanted the seedlings and they are growing strong. Check out the image below:

Pepper Sweet California Wonder - Back for more again this year. This pepper plant did pretty well with nice sized veggies that changed from green to red as they ripened. They are slowly moving along under the lights in the basement.

Cabbage Copenhagen Market - These plants have reached a decent size after a month indoors and I plan to get them outdoors about 3 to 4 weeks before the average last frost date of April 23. Last year, these plants grew to be quite the monsters in my small garden spaces. I'm hoping to have them in and out of the garden a little earlier with the extra grow time indoors, which will leave more room for other plants in the garden a bit earlier.

Basil Custom Blend - This multi-variety package contains Lemon Basil, Anise Basil, Cinnamon basil, Red Rubin Basil, Dark Opal Basil, Thai basil, and Genovese Basil. The trick is determining what you have! I've planted lots of it to use for its clippings, but also to bring variety in my gardens for pest control. Tomatoes also like the nutrients these plants provide and its helpful to plant them near one-another.

Pepper Chile Early Jalapeno - These are new to me this year. It's somewhat unexpected to me that chile pepper plants actually like constant temperatures in the 80s. I'm going to try them out to see how they'll tolerate D.C. many days in the 90s and 100s.

More seedlings went into the basement just last weekend:

Tomato Bush Silvery Fir Tree - A favorite determinate plant that also does well in pots.
Tomato Pole Cherokee Purple - Big plump rich colored fruits.
Tomato Pole Brandywine - A favorite for many.
Tomato Bush Green Zebra - A zingy small green variety.
Tomato Cherry Rainbow Blend - A mix of many great cherry tomato varieties.
Marigold Singet Lemon/Tangerine Gems - Beautiful delicate flowers that are great for pest control.
Marigold Dwarf Lemon Drop - A hardy marigold variety that did very well in last year's garden.
Marigold French - New this year to add a little more gold and red color.