Things I Want To Try

It is a hard thing for me to watch other people's videos and read their blogs or Facebook.. I already have a large list of things that I want to try to grow and seeing what they're growing, I just end up adding more and more to that list.. It's doubly hard right now since most things others are growing are larger plants that I can't grow indoors.. Like corn, melons, plants with large tomatoes, kohlrabi, and lots of other interesting or unusual plants that require a lot more space than a window sill.. I've got the 'I want to try that and that and that and that' syndrome..

So, yet again I'm going to have to get creative.. For example, sometime probably during this winter I want to get a 5 gallon bucket and try to grow a large tomato with some sunlight from the window and some cfl lights.. I have a packet of Roma seeds so that's probably what I'll use.. But it's an older packet....... K, nevermind.. I just checked my bag-O-seeds and I don't have the Romas anymore.. I do have some large red cherry tomato seeds but I think since I've already got the Tumbling Toms, I'd want to grow a sandwich tomato in the bucket.. I'll probably end up ordering a packet from one of the online places.. Any suggestions on something maybe interesting or unusual with good flavor? I have a thing about growing things that are a little out of the ordinary.. For instance, there's a pumpkin called a peanut pumpkin and somebody has promised to send me seeds when they harvest them.. This is what it looks like..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/geppetto22/2937466723/
Isn't that one of the weirdest things you've ever seen? When we get a place with a yard again, that's one of the first things going in my garden..

Anyway, I was talking about my plans for what I want to do here and I've derailed.. Need to get back on track.. I think the tomato will be the only large plant I'll try indoors for now just to see how successful I'll be.. But come spring, I want to try some other things outside.. Mostly out the back door since I feel I have a little more room out there.. At first I thought about 5 gallon buckets for that also.. But having my other potted plants out there, the grass (of course) dies where the pot is sitting.. And since we are only renting here, I don't want to kill off the grass.. Like some of the people here don't clean up after their dog's poo.. It's just a matter of respecting the property.. The pots I have out there now I move every so often so the grass can recover and so the maintenance guy can mow anything that's grown up around where my pots were sitting..

So, my idea is to make some raised beds that are at least knee height, maybe even waist height.. Maybe both.. That way the grass underneath can still get light and won't get smashed by buckets.. I've seen a video where a guys used dog-ear cedar fence boards stained with rosewood oil for his ground level raised beds.. Give the boards a nice red tint and I thought those were absolutely beautiful.. So that's what I want to building my elevated raised beds with..

 Things I want to grow in these sort of beds so far are kohlrabi and pickling cucumbers.. This family loves pickles and I'd love to try my hand at pickling.. (I also want to try to water bath canning but doubt I'll have enough of a harvest of anything to 'need' to can..) There were a couple of other things I want to try out there but I can't think of them right now.. I guess the main ones are the kohlrabi and pickling cucumbers..

I also want to try to grow things like this because I'll be building the beds myself, and I love building things.. My husband hates taking me to Lowe's or the like because, if I could, I'd buy half the store with all the ideas for projects that I have..

Oh, I also want to try sweet potatoes.. But I think I want to do them in a big tubs like this..
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Rope-Handle-Tub-Blue/19400074

Don't know if I could do sweet potatoes inside though.. Not sure if the cfl lights would be enough.. I'll try the tomato first.. Then if that goes well, I'll try the sweet potatoes next..

I've mentioned the cfl lights several times but I'm not going to go into too much detail for now.. The ones I plan on getting are 200watt equivalent and are about $8 on the Home Depot website.. But once I get those and get into how I'm going to use them, I'll be making a video about making the hooded fixtures myself.. Wiring something like this is not hard and if I can do it, anybody can.. 

One thing I find ironic is that while most with outside gardens are winding down their season, I'm just starting my plants.. That's definitely one big advantage to gardening in a window.. Or indoors at all.. I can grow when it's not possibly to outside.. Unless you have a large heated greenhouse but that's, of course, another matter altogether..

But I think this is why I'm documenting all of this and posting videos.. I want to encourage and teach more people that you can grow your own veggies no matter where you are or what season it is.. But for now I don't know if I'm really teaching anybody anything.. For right now I'm still learning what I can and can't do and I'm bringing you along on my journey of discovery.. We'll all learn together..