after green comes red

just another update on the little jalapeno plant. even though it's winter, the lil fella is still chuggin away. in just over a month, he went from a fresh new green from bright red!

so now i have succeeded in growing tomatoes, jalapenos, parsley, oregano, cilantro and chives. if only they would have all been around at the same time so i can finally make some homemade salsa! maybe this next summer. only time will tell.

a tiny seedling

it's been almost an entire year now since my dream of having my own garden came to be...

it all started with a little windowsill garden; comprised of oregano, parsley, chives and cilantro. next i bought a few succulent plants from ikea. then i planted a few more seedlings from the home depot, and before i knew it, summer was here. i moved the lil fellas outside, hoping to be able to use them for salsa with my hanging topsy turvy tomato plant.

and all along my jalapenos have been just stems and leaves. but look what just sprouted...a tiny jalapeno! and there are more budding!

tamatoe tuhmato

the day finally arrived when my tomatoes ripened and were red enough to eat. now, since i don't really like tomatoes, some people might think it's weird that i even attempted growing them. but here's proof i actually ate them! raw with some salt & pepper.

unfortunately i didn't get to make salsa with my veggie garden (which was the reason i bought the topsy turvy in the first place), because over the course of the summer i only grew about 5 tomatoes. that's probably because I started so late in the season, i'll have to start earlier next spring...

fried green tomatoes

just a little update on my hanging topsy turvy tomato garden. there are a handful of little green tomatoes growing among the leaves, and i am patiently waiting for them to turn red. well, not so patiently...does red come after green? i hope so.

salsa on a ledge

my little herb garden has been through a lot in its day. if you remember back to the beginning of this year, i planted the tiny seeds in the windowsill of my dining room. weeks went by, and even though a few didn't make it, the surviving plants gave me the confidence to plant a few more varieties. right now my jalapenos, parsley, and oregano are growing strong!

now i just need my tomatoes to ripen and homemade salsa here i come!

a hanging garden

i've had a topsy turvy sitting quietly in it's box since winter, and six months later i finally got around to purchasing the remaining ingredients: a few small tomato plants, a giant bag of soil, a few hours of my mom's time, and a cleverly chosen rainy afternoon.

word to the wise: don't try to plant anything that you have to awkwardly hold multiple feet above the floor while simultaneously pouring in soil while carefully keeping the tomato plants unharmed and above the floor so they don't get crushed, all while in your bedroom.

but no matter how my hanging garden began, one month later it's alive and kickin. tiny yellow blossoms are flowering (which i hope is a good sign...?) and i've been watering it religiously, praying for the day that i wake up to a baby tomato...that will one day make delicious salsa.

speaking of, does anyone know any good homemade salsa recipes?

my windowsill garden

i ordered some herbies online in january...

...then i wished them luck as i buried them in soil. hoping they would grow big and tall...

a week or so later, they were already beginning to sprout :)

 and here they are today! i've already had to re-pot a few of them. and of course some of their plant friends from ikea and home depot have joined them too.