What's Sprouting?

Unseasonably warm temperatures (it *was* just March, wasn’t it?) have me in a definite springtime mood. Some friends speak of a new kind of SAD: not Seasonal Affective Disorder, the diagnosis of wintertime blues; rather Spring Affective Disorder, where the combination of nice weather and long daylight hours fills one’s mind with fun-filled nights and outdoor activities (this despite the early spring being one of the busiest times of the year work-wise).

I have to admit that the time change, which finally hit Europe this week, is a huge boon to post-workday activity, and my evening eating schedule has gone all wonky. Living on the top floor of a building with roof access, I spent many winter nights imagining how I would create there a summer sunshine paradise with my many plants and a reclining chair, where I would while away the hours of thesis research reading, lemonade in hand. The IKEA catalog arrived at just the right moments to keep the fantasy alive. You can see how that got me through the neverending madness that was January, right?

This week I took my first step towards building said oasis when a free shelving unit appeared on my university’s exchange bulletin board. And my plants are doing their part by sprouting from seeds I planted a couple weeks ago.

Having grown up in a family with a passion for gardening and having survived three winters and springs in Russia, I have been socialized to spend part of one’s summer tending one’s own crop. Anyone who does it knows that you can’t beat the taste of a home-grown tomato. There is no better way to know where your food is coming from than planting, tending and picking it yourself. However, considering I only have planters at my disposal and that I have to carry all dirt used up five flights of stairs, my enterprise is limited. My dad starts his tomatoes in January to ensure an early harvest and already has tall plants. But then, when it’s just me, how many tomatoes do I really need?

I’m interested to know what everyone else is growing this year. Already sprouting here are three types of tomatoes (red fleshy and red and orange firm) and one type of cucumber. I’ve also got buckets of rosemary and basil that I kept over the winter, and I’m hoping to revive some lemon thyme.

When it’s consistently warm enough, I’ll plant the following outside: pickling cukes, yellow beans, sunflowers, nasturtiums, lupines, beard carnations, and some other easy flowers and herb varieties.

And for the eye, I’ve also got pots filled with iris, freesia, anemone, gladiola, and acidanthera bulbs; the iris were sprouting in the warm store.

Any other balcony growers out there? What about folks with big yards and real plans? I’m curious what ideas and seeds have been popping up in your gardens.