Green Fingers

Hooray for the spring! 

One of my favourite things about it turning April is planting seeds. I am a huge fan of trying to grow your own veggies. But I have to be honest with you, I have had rather mixed success, I am still to grow an edible carrot. But on most occasions it is quite easy, mother nature normallly finds its own way despite my 'help'. You put the seeds in some soil and water. And hey presto! I even tried last year on my little balcony, but this year we have a garden and the bit of me that thinks it is Percy Thrower is going wild...

It is really really easy and cheap to get your veggie garden started. First up choose some seeds. One of the cardinal rules is never to try and grow anything you don't like. There is no point having rows of cabbages if you can not stand the stuff. This is all about fun, not Village Show prizes.

(The 'helpful' tabby cat is completely optional)

This weekend I planted courgettes, butternut squash, tomatoes and runner beans.

Then you need something to plant your seeds in. I'm not a great believer in using expensive pots and seed trays when you can recycle some of your normal household waste instead.

I make seed pots out of newspaper (our local weekly free paper is fine!) using a paper potter (but there are plenty of examples of how you can make newspaper pots without one online). Cardboard egg cartons or cardboard tubes are also brilliant for seed pots. 

The beauty of using paper and card for your pots is that they are biodegradable. So you can just plant your seedling in to the ground or a bigger pot, when it is ready, without having to disrupt it by removing it from its pot.

Fill your pot with potting compost (I prefer peat-free because is better for the environment) and plant your seeds according to the instructions on the seed pack. 

As easy as that! I use plastic food cartons (with holes in) for my trays and I even cut up the lids to make the labels. All you need to buy are some seeds and some compost, there really is no other expense required.

If you are in the UK, or anywhere else with temperamental weather, it is important to keep your seedlings warm and away from any late frosts. I have a mini greenhouse, but a sunny window sill also works perfectly.

And there you go, all you need to do is to water regularly. I'll take some photos of them as they hopefully grow and I'll be honest about my successes and failures!

Are you planting anything this spring? Are you a first time gardener? 

If you fancy getting involved in a 'plant along' then Laura over at A Snail's Life is hosting a fun  'Watch Me Grow' Challenge.




And if you remember this post about our garden when we moved in to our house, well have a look at it now...

Still a long way to go but we're getting there aren't we?

PS. My shop, Firebird Retro and Vintage, has a giveaway over on the lovely MouseVox Vintage blog at the moment. Please pop over, have a look and say hi to the gorgeous and super stylish Rachel. And you could win your choice of necklace from my shop xx