Okay Folks,
So while I have no new house, cute kids or smiling puppies to show off, I do have an urban garden that is actually *gasp* growing! Who woulda thought I had it in me?
It all started with a Magic Bean soda can I received for Christmas that promised a bean stalk would grow from an aluminum can if I followed the directions. But wait! That’s not all. This magic bean would have a message on it. Yea right. So I figured, what the hell, ya know? It’s a can, worse comes to worse, I’ll recycle it and pat myself on the back for being “green.” We all know following directions has never been my strong suit.
I waited until January to give it a try. By then there was enough sun coming through my dining room window to possibly give life to a blooming soda can. I followed the directions, watering it and uncapping the bottom of the can to give the roots air and take hold of the ten thousand wishes on the wind, certain I’d have a six pack by May. I missed a couple of days here and there, but before long a giant bean popped up with the words I Love You branded on one side and double hearts on the other. Great, now I had a bean that loved me and would surely put me on a guilt trip if I screwed up and let it die. No pressure though, it’s magic, so it had to live, right?
Within the space of a couple of months, what started as a two inch bean on a one inch stalk grew to over two feet. Yikes. I wasn’t prepared for this. I was so certain I’d kill it before it could grow that I never thought about what I would do if it actually grew. I knew no one would believe a bean grew out of a soda can, so, I waited until Memorial Day so that I could get eyewitnesses: There was a can, and shooting out of it was a stalk, a long stalk. Having witnesses I felt better prepared for my next step in gardening: transplanting. This is where you say a couple of rosaries and add holy water to the watering can as you take a plant that is ever so comfortable in it’s little can home and upgrade it to the penthouse suite of all pots. I was sure I damaged the roots as I “gently spread them” (read: don’t rip the shit apart), and placed them in the new pot, but I watered it and put it back on my table in full view of the morning sun trying to figure out how to control all the new off shoots.
About three weeks ago I had to move the pot to my patio, the tangle of stalks coming from the pot was too much to handle every time I wanted to open or close the blinds, and after coming this far, I refused to kill it by amputation. Unintentional manslaughter was not the way to go now; too much was at stake. I placed the pot outside my door next to my praying monk, hopeful that if I couldn’t save it, he would. So far, so good.
Two weeks ago, I got to thinking how if these beans actually grew, that would be a good indication that maybe something else would grow, but what? I decided to get some plants that would work for their care, so I bought a couple of tomato plants, selected a Red Hot Cherry Pepper plant and got a pot of basil. So far, so good. If this keeps up I might have to plant a loaf of bread and some cheese. Pretty soon the only thing I’ll have to pay for will be vinegar to pickle the peppers in.
Last week, I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to live somewhere that I could actually have a little garden of my own? Then I remembered that I’m a first year teacher and the thoughts of home ownership crumbled like a stack of cards on a windy day. Renting affords some luxury (like not paying for repairs you didn’t incur), but also comes with restrictions, like nothing mounted onto the building (read: no satellite tv, etc) and no personal planting in the courtyard “garden” (6×21 feet of ferns and trees). So, the thought of a window box was out. Bah. Suddenly I realized that in all of their design sense, the builders of my complex were kind enough to put a railing along the walkway outside my apartment. Voila!
I rushed to Lowe’s to pick out some flowers I thought looked strong enough to get pass my incompetence. I decided to plant a window box and secure it on the railing facing my window so that I would get to see it each day from my living room. So far, nothing’s dead. Every morning that I check on them I almost turn blue from holding my breath. The flowers seem like they are beginning to take hold. The tomatoes are starting to flower, I already harvested some basil, and there are two peppers already growing. The bean stalk just keeps getting longer and longer and I am starting to think I’m supposed to climb it instead of harvest anything. If you get a golden egg for Christmas, you know what happened.
Here are some pictures of my modest “garden” of hopes happily living on the patio outside my door.
Come on in! I’ve already cut some basil for the freezer, this is a second crop that’s growing.
This is Gimli, my neighbors’ cat- He LOVES my doormat, but could take or leave me.
Next picture is of my first two Red Hot Cherry Peppers growing.
I will attempt to pickle them after harvest.
This is the view from my living room with the metal screen gate closed.
I am growing basil, peppers and tomatoes in the pots.
This is a pic of the first ladybug that I saw on my bean stalk. I actually need to go
get more ladybugs for the other pots as well. I was very happy to see this
little guy the other day.
This is my window box. I am not allowed to drill anything into the building,
so I put the window box on the railing outside my living room window so
that when I open the blinds I get to see it. I have never planted a window box
before, so I hope the plants take and blossom. If it really works out,
I might just get a second one to put next to it. I love seeing plants and
flowers outside my window.
Next to my statue is the bean stalk that started in a soda can. I kid you not.
I got it for Christmas as a lil joke from a friend because I said I can never get anything to grow.
She gave me a magic bean can. Six months later it’s gone from 2 ” to well over four feet.
The smaller pot has lavender in it. Hope you enjoyed the view as much as I do.
