I took Sharon’s Independence Days Challenge to heart. I’d post garden pics, but I can’t get the newly reformatted computer to recognize my digital camera. Argh. Anyway, here’s my update:

For me, the big one was getting over my fear of the unknown by finally diving in and planting seeds on my little balcony. I’d never done that. They’re coming up now, and it really is a thrill to see the little green shoots–except for the beet shoots, which are red!

• Planted: ­ mesclun salad mix, beets, and chives in the Earthbox; a cherimoya tree just to see what happens; also transplanted a gift tomato seedling into a homemade SWC.
• Harvested: ­ rosemary [a sprig now and then for cooking or bathroom air freshening.]
• Preserved: ­ milk [as yogurt].
• Prepped: cleaned and organized the balcony for gardening; got coffee grounds from the Starbucks across the street and mixed them, along with powdered eggshells, into my leftover potting soil from the last failed garden; bought and set up a bokashi compost bucket; mixed some bokashi into the soil for good measure; made a SWC using a 3-liter soda bottle and a 5 gallon bucket; sprouted beans for cooking [didn't like the taste, though]; got more 5-gal. buckets free from the food co-op [used for both storage and container gardening.]
• Stored:­ pinto beans, lentils, popcorn, sesame seeds, herbs, and raisins in a bucket; froze walnuts, pecans, powdered milk, and flour.
• Learned:­ how to amend poor soil and start seeds.
• Cooked something new ­ corn muffins from scratch, flat bread.

Yay!