I love pretty much every part of gardening, but I just really love that moment when a seed turns into a plant. It just feels so miraculous. Last week, I took some water, some growing compound, and some seeds and combined them. Now, we have little plants struggling to survive. (I was just as awed by this experience last year.)
Seeds I planted last week have germinated.
They are just tiny sprouts at this point, but they are ready to make the big move from their first home on the top of the fridge to their second home — my office window that gets amazing sun on the South side of my house. Today, is kind of gray, so they won’t be getting much sun. But hopefully some time this week, they’ll get some. I also fed them a bit.
They are right behind my computer screen as I write this, facing the window. The Rudbeckia shot up the most, followed by the Arizona Sun. The Pow Wows have sprouted, but they haven’t quite poked their heads up yet.
I planted two varieties of basil in this window box.
They sprouted just in time because it opened the fridge-top space for the basil seeds I planted today. I used a self-watering window box for them (rather than the mini-greenhouse) because it worked so well when I used it last year. I used a chopstick to make small holes for the seeds in three rows. I planted two kinds of basil — the sweet basil I grew last year and some Italian basil from seeds I bought at Central Grocery in New Orleans. Then I watered them and covered them with plastic wrap, taped on like a greenhouse dome. I punched a few holes in the plastic and put the whole thing on top of the refrigerator. Hopefully, in two weeks I can report germination.
— Gina Chen
Gardening in Central Texas 