The Aftermath

Upstairs/Downstairs

A mere two days after the Great Seed Disaster of 2011, here’s a look at some of my makeshift sprouting vessels in the living room. The larger plants on the left were started the first week of April, the rest were added this past weekend.

Looks like peas and radishes were the first to sprout. This is just a sample- more rain soaked seeds not pictured.

Meanwhile, up on the roof, the Dwarf Gray peas in their EarthBox are loving this cool rainy weather.

Nifty new bird feeder we picked up at Grand Street Gardens in Chicago.

Popoutz bird feeder – cheap and simple. This one only cost $1.99 and was perfect to hang on this rose tree. The feeders are sold as a single flat unit (heavy duty plastic) and they simply pop into shape. The excess seed falls into the planter and is already sprouting a few days since I hung it out. The feeders are small so they don’t waste much seed if strong winds or rain gets in. Of course that also means you have to refill it more frequently. Still, a nice option for the rooftop where we have no squirrels and a larger more expensive feeder would just get knocked around in the wind.

A gardening incident in 10 parts. Plus, the 7 stages of (seed) recovery.

Part 1. Chicago got a lot of rain over the past few days

Part 2. My indoor crate full of gardening supplies was temporarily placed outside on Thursday to make room for patio furniture being hauled up to the roof.

Part 3. Saturday is a nice day to garden so I go up to the roof and find my indoor crate still outdoors.

Part 4. Stage 1. Discovery: I opened up the crate to find my box full of 2010 and 2011 seed packets. Oh yeah, that’s where I put those!

Part 5. Stage 2. Revelation: Said seed packets were floating in rain water. Or, as a smarter gardener would have it, pre-soaking for germination.

Part 6. Stage 3. Contemplation: Spent Saturday getting creative. How to accommodate more babies than my nursery could possibly have room for.

Part 7. Stage 4. Acceptance: Can’t possibly plant them all- we will be eating sprouts and baby greens with every meal for the next 2 months.

Part 8. Stage 5. Preparation: Amassed every unused container I could find including cookie sheets and baking dishes.

Part 9. Stage 6. Action: Sprouting plantable seeds in paper towel for transplant once I get more containers. Combined peas and beans and squash for salad sprouts. Planted trays for baby green and herb mix.

Part 10. Stage 7. Change: Lesson learned. Pledge to develop a better seed saving procedure for this fall. Pledge to not leave stuff out in the rain.

My rooftop project is now no longer just a rooftop project. It is now also a living room project and a sprouting project. It’s Sunday and I just finished prepping all EarthBoxes for rooftop planting- may have to risk planting earlier than May 15 and so far the forecast is looking good. Stay tuned…