Growing indoors

The husband and I have been trying our hardest to get our seedlings growing for our community garden and out of the three methods we've tried seems our seeds prefer a good ol' coffee filter. The garden is located at the top of a pretty windy hill and after a few attempts it was pretty clear our seeds were disappearing thanks to animals and wind so starting them indoors was a must and its super easy. We have window sill starter planters that allow it to have a bit of a green house going although turns out they are super easy to kill...we've done it twice thanks to not realizing we needed to take them out of the window on a warm day, they all fried. While we keep an eye on the sensitive guys in dirt we also started a handful of seeds in plain coffee filters {the non bleach ones}. Its as easy as sandwiching the seeds between two and taping them shut, a few days in a zip lock with a few spritzes of water and we have these gorgeous seedlings...these particular ones are mizuna. So go plant a bit of food, your stomach will thank you and you really don't need much room at all...seriously.

The harvesting basket filled with spinach, mustard greens, mint, kale, lettuce, poppies, daises and succulents.

photos by our designed life

Make this, Popped amaranth peanut butter cups

Just about every season the husband and I make a large purchase from our favorite heirloom seed company Baker Creek, a gardeners dream store. With our community garden expanding fast, we have been stocking up on different varieties that may or may not grow in our area, it is after all a learning experience, and this last haul had quite a few interesting bits. Like those pink bananas, a few berries that taste like a blend of tomato and cherry and two varieties of amaranth. I had no idea what this seed like grain was before we hit check out and the next day found this amazing recipe for popped amaranth peanut butter cups and quickly went from what's this to need to have it now. I can't wait to get these in the ground, we started a few seeds indoors a few days ago and are already seeing big growth! As you can see our seed collection is getting a bit out of control {we garden by the moon if you were wondering about the labels on the bags} we could feed a small army! Do you like to try out different varieties in your garden? And ps, most of these seeds will totally grow in small pots too for all those with teeny tiny places.

 photos via our designed life

Don't these just look divine!! Can't wait to give these a try, fingers crossed its a crop that likes our garden.

photo via my little celebration