After I planted the container, I forgot that I had planted a few seeds in the ground in the backyard! I felt like it was so very sneaky at the time, maybe because I knew it shouldn't be grown there or didn't have much of a chance, I don't know.
I looked around for a spot that wouldn't be walked on for at least a week or two. Like I said, I knew the seeds didn't have much of a chance but I wanted to experiment. See if you really need loose soil, compost, and a root free ground. So I found a spot under what looks like a peeling tree (not one leaf, yet, so sun shines through) and used the rake type tool to dig into the dirt about half an inch. As I dug I saw worms, roots and felt the resistance. The dirt was muddy because it had rained the day before but I continued. Once I had dug out a tiny 4x4" plot I raked across the plot and put four seeds in each row. I didn't remove any roots, double dig, or add compost. I just added the seeds, covered them with dirt, and lightly patted them with a spade. Since I'd found a random spot to clean out and dig into, in what comes out to be a fairly large backyard, I needed something to mark my test. I went looking around and remembered that I saw an old plastic plant marker from last summer an hour earlier. That didn't work it was covered in muck. I ended up finding a larger plastic marker by the gate to the driveway and cleaned it off. Now all I needed was a marker (an ink one) so I went inside grabbed a Prisma Color purple and wrote "Spinach".
I headed back out, to the left of the peeling tree, to stick the marker in front of my 4x4" plot. A faerie garden was built!
Why did I do that...?
I don't know if they'll even germinate but I do kind of hope they do. It would be nice to know that plants are a lot more resilient then the websites and books make them out to be. I know that even if they do germinate that they won't grow to full side because that ground plot is fairly hard and I just don't think that the roots could push through even after the thaw, if I can't. Mike's dad keeps saying that we should use more of the garden space for things like blueberry bushes and etc. but I just don't know if they'd make it in the yard because I haven't read much about ground gardening. If these spinach seeds just germinate that will give me hope for a blueberry bush and for the seeds that I have planted and am planning to plant in loose, composted, well aerated, nutrient rich soil (thought in a snobby voice). I really am worried that 3 out of my 6 veggies aren't going to grow. So, if the ground plot even germinates one seed it'll boost my confidence in my seed sowing abilities. If they don't I won't take that to mean that my other seeds won't germinate and flourish but I'll be much more wary when I finally plant the carrots & radishes in my raised bed. Also, I'll take what the websites and books say completely to heart. Follow the directions even more meticulously than I have been (which is really really meticulously) and maybe even use some of the off-plot, that was allotted for the carrots (not all of it), for herbs that help my plants grow (as recommended). I'll get fewer carrots that way but some Lemon Balm and... uh Stinging Nettle may be nice too, MAYBE.
::extra deep sigh::
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