Gardening for an Apartment

I'm doing a lot of gardening now.

It all started when I looked outside my window and saw something that looked like an onion plant. This plant has been growing annually during the rainy winter and dying every year around mid spring. I was curious if it was an onion or some bulbous weed. So I carefully dug around it and pulled out one of the smaller stalks. I'm pretty sure it is an onion. Although still immature. I put the stalk back in, and looked it up. You must harvest onions 10-14 days after their leaves begin to die. My leaves have already flopped sideways, so I know the end is near. I guess we'll have home grown onions in a couple of weeks, and quite a few from the looks of it. I'll make something good with them. Perhaps some chili, or kibbeh.

So looking around our empty window sills, I remembered how mom had kept them always nicely filled with different flowers and herbs. So I decided to have a small apartment friendly vegetable, herb, and flower garden. So I planted bell peppers, tomatoes, and chili (which have all sprouted). I've basil and rosemary at my windowsill and in pots. I've planted another onion and a garlic clove for what will be, hopefully, a late summer harvest.

I went nuts at the supermarket and got 8 different kinds of flower seeds and a big bag of organic compost. They included my favorites which mom used to grow, tim el samkeh or in English, Dragon Snap. Plus petunias, marigold, delphinium, carnations, etc. I put them with some peat and compost in little plastic cups with holes on the bottom, and I'm now waiting for them to germinate. It's been 2 days, and I keep looking hopefully outside. Oh well, they'll just have to take their time I guess.

I was reading all of mom's gardening books and I'm trying my best to plan the pots. To get a pretty looking pot, the idea is to put the tall flowers in the center, medium ones around, and the hanging type at the edges. I'm already envisioning my white carnations surrounded by purple and pink petunias and yellow alyssum hanging around at the edges. I'm going to place some Dragon Snaps, and surround them with the bright orange Marigolds. I just hope all the different colors don't clash.

I also tried to bring plants that will most likely succeed. I remember mom's success with carnations and petunias. I stayed away from roses because I remember her efforts at keeping a sad rose bush alive with ice over the soil. I think we had just the one rose out of that plant. Hot and humid is not for it I guess. Roses like a cold winter, and generally dry weather.

Below is a picture of my chili sprout. I'll share pictures of my onion harvest soon.

Cheers.