It looks like it’s going to be a nice, sunny day today. Of course, here on the island the weather can change rather suddenly so who knows how long it will last! I took some pictures to show how my little seedlings are doing:
You can see my cucumber seedling that appeared out of nowhere. It looks MUCH healthier and happier than my seedling planted in dirt.
Closeup of cucumber seedling, compared to my dirt-planted ones:
They look much more leggy and spindly and aren’t nearly as green as the aerogarden seedling.
This is my tiny peat-pod greenhouse with Romaine Lettuce, Fox Cherry Tomatoes, Martian Giant Tomatoes, Danvers Carrots and (Sweet) Bell Peppers. I’ve planted a lot of peppers but I have never had much luck raising them from seedlings and even getting them to sprout, so I thought I would plant a bunch and see how they do.
This is the mini-greenhouse sitting on my desk under a full-spectrum lamp and regular desk lamp. It’s been grey and rainy the past few days and the first seedlings were really leggy so I moved it to my room and put it under the lamps and it seems to be doing much better (though still a bit spindly). I over planted the seeds a bit and I started culling some of the seedlings yesterday, snipping off the first ones that were really leggy. I’ll have to snip some more today or tomorrow once I see how the “younger” seedlings are doing.
My beets starting to peek through the soil. I just love that red colour!
And finally, a requisite shot of my sleepy pup Zoë.
TTFN!
D-
Where did you buy your full spectrum light? have been looking for one but no luck.
Hi Dianne! I’ll have to ask Mom because she bought it for me but I think it was just a local lighting store. I know you can get them at some health-gadget stores (like Relax the Back type stores) or at some pharmacies. You can also buy them online at Aviva.ca, I believe, but sometimes they can be expensive so you might want to check around. Thanks for stopping by
Okay, apparently she bought the lamp at London Drugs
Hi Darrell,
Great. thanks for the info.
Now I have another question……
For the past few months I have been contemplating growing my own herbs and sprouts (living food advocate). I am doing research on the aero garden that is available at Cdn tire and I thought that I would ask the expert. I am wondering if the soil that the seeds grow in will have all the elements of natural soil or is it more like a GMO composition?
Dianne
I don’t know about expert, but I’m glad to help
The AeroGarden uses aeroponics/hydroponics so your plants are grown without soil. The seeds come in a spongy insert (biodegradable, sort of like rock wool or peat moss) and the ends are sitting in water and there is an air pump (like a fish tank has) that aerates the water and sprays the roots with water. Where the plants get the nutrients from is via nutrient tabs that come with the seed kits. They are “natural” and “organic-based” but aren’t allowed to be labelled organic because they are technically ‘chemical’ because they are based on nutrient salts. You can also buy your own liquid nutrients from a hydroponics supplier but then you get more technical because you need to use a TDS meter to measure how many parts per million (or whatever) of nutrients are in the water. Using the nutrient tablets, you just throw in a couple tabs when the “add nutrients” indicator lights up. Easy peasy. I’ve read that the foods grown in the AG taste very good (better than grocery store produce) because they are fresh, picked when ripe (and not ripened later chemically), and you also don’t have all the carbon pollution from trucking them across country. You can also use the AG to start your seedlings and then transplant them to a pot and grow on your balcony. Also, herbs are apparently really easy to grow in them (especially Basil, which grows like mad apparently) and you can just snip them and add them to your cooking right away 
The only thing to note about the AG, aside from the cost, is that it can be a wee bit noisy and gives off a bright light for 12-16 hours per day, so you don’t want it near your bedroom or anywhere the light or sound (a hum like a fish tank) will bother you.
Sorry for rambling so much, hope that helps
Feel free to ask more if you have any more questions!
D-
Wow you really are an expert! Thanks for this info.
I have been buying potted herbs like basil, rosemary and oregano from the Farmers during summer. The herb plants are full grown and organic, but pricey. Also grow these in my balcony pots. I love basil and make my own pesto sauce from the leaves. I want to try the AG so I can enjoy fresh herbs all year round so I will buy the product and become an avid indoor 3 seasonal gardener. Also want to grow sprouts. (I do not trust those store bought ones) Sounds like it will be a good healthy investment.
I am enjoying your blog and your day to day updates.
Di
Awh, thanks Di
I know you’ll love it. My cucumber was getting so big, I decided to transplant it so I can bring it outdoors when it warms up. I even picked up another (smaller) one today at Canadian Tire LOL. I can’t help myself, it’s so much fun. Also I hear these are GREAT for growing indoor lettuces (like mixed baby greens) and you can just snip what you need and then it will grow back which is kinda neat. I went a little crazy at Canadian Tire (bye-bye savings LOL) because I want to get into canning and preserving my own food, jams, pickles, etc. and I put up some racks in Mom’s old laundry closet to make a little pantry. I’ll probably post some pictures later.
Thanks again for visiting
P.S. Apparently they just switched over to liquid fertilizer, as that’s what came in my new AG. I don’t know if these are “organic” or not, I’ll have to see what I can find out.
Oh Yes! to find a 100% certified organic–no synthetics, no artificial additives, and no nitrate-producing urea fertilizer . A challenge for sure!
Di
OK so today I went to Community Health here in Calgary and I found all certified organic seeds and fertilizers. So now I know where to shop for this stuff. Also bought a lentil sprout kit so will be trying this out within next few days.
I had a flashback which I thought to share. Remembering when I was living a beautiful macrobiotic lifestyle back in the 90″s and dragged Mom and Dad, who were then in their late seventies, to a macrobiotic restaurant in downtown Toronto. Up several flights of stairs and then to the tastiest meal of my life. Mom and Dad really enjoyed it ( dandeline soup etc..) After the meal Dad stated that it was very good. Coming from a meat and potatoes vet I took that as a real compliment. Kudos to them for being such good sports and for trying something outside their box.
Have a good evening!
Di
Cool! I remember when you were on that diet, it was really healthy and you were feeling good on it right? I’ll have to look into that. I didn’t know that Nanny and Grandpa went with you to a macrobiotic restaurant, that is such a cool story. I love that they were so willing to try something new, which can be harder for older people sometimes. Man, they were really great people. There isn’t a day that goes by where we don’t talk about Nanny and Grandpa, they were definitely the core of the family. Nanny was tough as bricks and grandpa was the strong and silent type
I think he was a bit of a genius, always thinking stuff over in his head, I would have liked to have some insight into his thoughts.
Anyways, so glad you found the seeds and ferts. I don’t know if the ferts will work with the Aerogarden or not because I think you need to use special hydroponic stuff for it (something to do with the fact that the microorganisms in the soil are what break down the nutrients in the ferts but since there isn’t soil you need to use the ferts that are already in their basic elements, or something like that) but they would def. work for potted plants.
Thanks for the update!
D-
Grew my first batch of crunchy lentil sprouts and they were so delicious. Now on my second batch in the mason jar. Ready in 4 days average and so nutritious in salads and sandwiches etc..
Waiting for a good sale to purchase my aero garden.
Darrell your garden is amazing and such a wide variety of veggies. You are becoming self sustainable and kinder to the planet
)
I really enjoy your daily updates. Nanny and Grandpa would be proud of you. Of course they always were. Actually Grandpa thought that you are a genius and he told us that you will make your mark one day.
Cheers
Dianne
Awh, thanks Dianne! You just made my day
Glad to hear the sprouts worked! I saw a sprout kit at the Garden Centre but I’m not a huge sprout person (although some bean sprouts on a salad sound good). You’ll love the AG. My problem is that I keep pulling stuff out and transplanting it after a couple of weeks because I want to grow more and more! I’m going to run out of room in my little garden.
I can’t remember if I told you about this before, but have you ever read “Silent Spring” by Racheal Carson? I had this really neat Anthro. prof who was very environmentally conscious, etc. and she recommended it in a class. I ended up buying it but never finished it, I hope to pick it up again after school is over. Anyways, it’s mainly about the use of DDT in the 60’s(?) and she uses really neat imagery and poetic language to illustrate what could happen if we continue to pollute the planet (like images of empty, silent marshes and the absence of birds singing, etc.). Really cool book, I think you’d love it. It’s like the original classic of the environmental movement. In fact, some politicians tried to have her institutionalized at one point because they thought her writings were hysterical and paranoid (probably in reality because it threatened the corp’s that funded them).
That book sounds like a must read so I will look for it at the library. Thanks for the info.
I just bought “The Kind Diet” by Alicia Silverstone. It is a great book and I am contemplating going back to my macrobiotic lifestyle. She has some neat recipes and many ingredients and recipes are very familiar to me from my macro days.
Can’t wait to buy the AG and I am so looking forward to growing herbs, especially basil (my favorite).
Your pasta looks really good. There is nothing like homemade pasta for sure. You could also make the sauce the Italian chef way. Just blanch some fresh ripe and juicy tomatoes, dip in cold water, remove the skins and crush with a press or I use a masher. Just add a little tomato paste to thicken. Saute some garlic/ onions in olive oil and add the tomato mixture, get it to bubble, add fresh basil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes. It is the real Italian style and so yummy and is my very favorite meal when I can get some nice fresh Roma or Heirloom tomatoes. I can just imagine how good it would be with your fresh pasta.
Have a happy gardening weekend:))
Dianne
Mmm, thanks for the recipe! I’ll definitely have to give it a try! I heard about that Kind Diet book, I’ll have to take a look at it, I saw Alicia on the View talking about the book a month ago I think. It sounds interesting.
Oops, gotta run. I have a tux fitting for the wedding today :-S
Have a great weekend to you too!
D-
Bees, our best friends and so important for our global vegetation.
Well I have made a decision to go vegan (macrobiotic) and will join the ranks of millions of people including Paul McCartney, Madonna and Alicia to name a few.
I had been contemplating this choice for quite some time and it was Alicia’s Kind Diet book that made up my mind. It really was an easy choice for me. After all, I had been there before and know the great benefits first hand. So as of Saturday I am vegan. No meats/poultry/fish/dairy 60% of my diet will come from grains (quinoa, brown rice, barley) 30% from vegies ( bok choy, squash,etc) 5% from legumes ( beans: lentils, azuka, chick peas, soy, tofu etc) and 5% from sea vegetables (kombu, arame etc) I have thousands of recipes now that I have also discovered Christina Cooks on line. So this is my exciting news of the day.
Hope your tux fitting was fun. Your garden is looking pretty amazing and how fortunate you are to be able to grow your own vegetables. This is how it should be for all.
Have a good week and once again Happy Gardening.
Dianne
Cool, good for you! I was vegan once, lost a ton of weight but for me I just couldn’t keep it up. I have problems supplementing correctly and low B12 so I give myself shots every now and then. I think anemia runs in my family. But I try to limit my meat and mostly have chicken or fish, with red meat maybe once a week or every two weeks (although occasionally I might have it twice in the same week). That, and I’d have a real hard problem giving up bacon LOL. Let me know how it goes for you, I’m really interested in it and I might want to do a modified version. I have this cool nutrition book that is based on Chinese Medicine and Macrobiotics, if only I could remember the name of it. Oh, yeah, I think it’s called “Healing with Whole Foods” by Paul Pitchford. Really good book and has some recipes too. It’s the main nutrition textbook in the CM schools. You might be able to find it at the library but it is half price on Amazon.ca. I love to support local bookstores but they just can’t compete with Amazon, unfortunately and I have to shop where I can afford it :S
Tux fitting went well but I think Kris’ choice got 86′ed anyways, so I’m going to let them figure it out. You know how new brides can be…
Well, the sun is out and the garden is doing well so far (although one of my tomato plants has leaves that are going yellow and brown). I hope they don’t die as I planted them waaay too early. Oh, well at least they only like $2 per plant. I wish I could spend more time outside but I’ve been fighting off some weird virus for the past 2+ weeks and I’m feeling kind of crappy–really dizzy and off balance, light headed, sore throat, etc. And just when I start feeling better, it gets worse. But my friend Trina called me last night and she’s had the same thing so it must be some weird bug going around. I’ve missed a ton of school so I’m going to have to go to the doc’s and get a note. I hate going to the doctors; I think that is a trait on the Y chromosome LOL.
Have a great day! Hope to hear from you soon! Say hi to Tracey, Jen, and Richard when you talk to them next for me! I’m planning on visiting Oakville, Ontario in June-ish so hopefully I’ll be able to meet up with Tracey and Tim when I’m there for lunch or something downtown.
Darrell!!!!! I miss you and am sorry to hear you are not feeling well. Look at you, blogging and gardening. What a busy Man you are. I am very excited to hear you will be visiting my neck of the woods this summer. We will certainly get together and drink $25.00 dollar Martini’s again. xoxoxo Tim is looking forward to it. Say hi to everyone there. I hope all is OK. The wedding plans must be getting crazy. Anyway let me know how you are doing.
Love
TSS
Hey you! Great to hear from you, thanks for ‘dropping by’
Yes, I’ve been really sick lately, just had some bloodwork done. Hopefully it’s just a viral thing or something like that. I can’t wait to get together with you guys. I forgot about those insanely priced martinis! I’ll have to tell you the story of my $25 coke in Paris LOL I’ll have to email you now that I have your address again and we can catch up. If all goes well, we’ll be living in your neck of the woods next year. That would be so awesome!
Lots of Love!
D-
Howdy Darrell,
Hope you are feeling better and getting a lot of rest and some good chicken soup to help you through this bout.
I am guessing that your big ticket item is a greenhouse. Just a wild guess
)
Take care
Dianne
LOL Winner winner, chicken dinner! Yep, we’re looking at getting a greenhouse put in. It’s a little expensive but not as much as we originally thought it was going to be. Mom thought it would be fun for her and Ang (maybe Angela will take a bonsai class or something fun and creative) and for me to get all my random plants out of the dining room (especially now that I’ve had to pot up the eggplant into a huge pot). Plus it might add a little sales appeal to the house (if not actual value). We’ll see what the guy says and his final quote, though.
Yes, I’m still super sick
I went to the doc and had a bunch of blood taken. Usually though, everything just comes back perfect and it’ll end up being some kind of “viral thing” or something but man I wish it would hurry up and go away, I’ve missed like 2 weeks of school and I’m so behind but it’s hard to catch up because I have 3 thick, tiny-print novels to read and I’m too dizzy to read them. Oh, well…I’m sure it’ll all work out.
Thanks for dropping by and sending Tracey my way
Have a great weekend! (Oh, and don’t forget earth hour is at 8:30PM local time tonight) 
Love
D-
HAPPY EASTER DARRELL!
Hope you are feeling better soon.
Dianne