How to Plant a Patio Veggie Garden

Today I decided to take advantage of the lovely weather and do some gardening.  A couple of weeks ago I bought some tomato plants at Lowe's for fifty cents.  I of course then proceeded not to plant them.  Wanting to  take advantage of my newfound motivation, I decided to pot my tomato plants and create a mini veggie garden.  This is an easy project and perfect for small backyards or apartment dwellers.  Now you might be asking, "Sunduri, don't you have a backyard?"  The answer is yes, I indeed have a backyard.  It is also a large one at that.  I could plant my future veggies in the yard, but I don't know if the soil has heavy metals, I have a dog, and it would require me to build out all sorts of things since it is not a level yard.  That being said, I have some fruit trees that are finally begining to yield some fruit.  So perhaps sometime in the future (after having the soil tested) I shall plant things in my backyard instead of in pots.

Back to today's tutorial.  For this project you will need: soil (being an organic evangelist, my soil is, you guessed it, organic), some pots (clay is the best), tomato plants (or anything you want to plant), and veggie seeds.  I also used some bamboo stakes, since tomato plants tend to need a little extra support.  I like to use clay pots because they retain moisture and are more attractive then plastic pots.  I am using heirloom  seeds today (bush beans, sweet peas, spinach, cucumbers, carrots, and radishes).  The lovely gentleman I work with (I like to call him my work dad), sent me these lovely seeds for my birthday this year. My love of things from yesteryear, and for veggies, makes this the most thoughtful present anyone has ever given me.  So, I thought why not plant some of these charming veggies and make a patio ensemble.  It will be both attractive and tasty.  Below are pictures of the supplies used:

Neglected tomato plants

 

Back of the seed packet

 

 I had all the supplies for this project with the exception of the soil.  I have lots of things like this that have great potential, but I never get around to using.  Well no more, this year will be the year of finishing unfinished projects.  I digress, back to the DIY project at hand.

Step 1: Block drainage hole

Step 1: Put something to block the whole at the bottom of the pot so that the soil does not spill out.  I used a leaf for this purpose, a paper towel or napkin, work well too.  

Step 2: Pot your plant  

Step 2:  Fill the pot halfway with soil and place your plant on top.  With tomato plants, I like to plant them a little deeper so that their trunks grow thicker and are more sturdy.  After this, cover the plant with soil up to the lip of the pot.  You don't want to put soil all the way to the top. 

Step 3 & 4:  Now it's time to add the seeds.  The advent of modern agriculture has resulted in monoculture planting of crops.  Not so long ago (and still in some parts of the world), plants were grown together for optimal food production.  For example, beans add nitrogen to soil, so when planted with other crops (like tomotoes) it results in healther and more bountiful yields.  I am planting bush beans, snow peas, and spinach with my three tomato plants.  Cucumbers, radishes, and carrots are going to be planted in smaller pots.  Hopefully, this variety will make for an attractive arrangement.  Another idea is to plant edible flowers with your veggies.  This too, makes for a very attractive potted ensemble.

Step 3: Make small holes for seeds

Step 4: Place Bush Bean seed
 in hole and cover

Step 5: Planting seeds in soil

Step 5:  For the rest of the seeds, follow the instructions on the seed packet.  Some seeds will be required to be planted  1/2 an inch deep and others will be deeper.  Spacing requirements will also vary by veggie.  Below is a picture of the cucumber seeds I planted.  I like to plant these types of vine plants three at a time. This helps give plants a little more support, and if one seed doesn't germinate, you have two more for back up.  Once all your planting is complete, water thoroughly.  As in water should be coming out from under the pot.  Watering needs will vary depending on the weather.  You want to keep the soil most, not soggy. 

Below is picture of the finished product.  I have three pots with tomato plants with spinach, sweet pleas, and bush beans respectively.  Three more pots have cucumbers (the slightly larger pot), radishes, and carrots.  I'm not sure where I am going to put them in the yard yet.  They might go on the patio, or maybe by the swing.  That is a decision for another day (I will be sure to keep all of you updated).  Right now, they will be in semi-shade until the tomato plants are a little stronger.  I hope this was a helpful tutorial.  Happy Father's Day Everyone! :)

All done!

How to Avert a Wardrobe Malfunction

I ended my experiment two weeks ago (end of April) and have to say it has been a great experience.  The purging of my closet has begun and I can't wait to be done with thinning out my wardrobe.  This whole experience has taught me to value what I have, be creative in what I wear, and most importantly: to have fun!  I have also discovered how much I enjoy thrifting.  Part of what has made this last 6 months or so, so much fun is being able to wear all my thrifted items.  I love the idea of thrifting: it is eco friendly, it is local, and the dollars raised usually helps a good cause.  Since I have always enjoyed treasure hunting and bargain shopping, thrifting really is the ideal way to shop for me.  I have decided that this year I am going to make an effort to purchase clothes and accessories from thrift or consignment stores at least 85% of the time.  I am also going to start sewing again.  I used to do this on a regular basis, but with my sewing room in total disarray, I haven't been doing any sewing.  Which brings me to the topic of this post.

I wore a skirt I recently thrifted at my local thrift store to work today.  Only to discover that it was way too big with a high probability for a major wardrobe malfunction.  Unfortunately, this discovery came about as I was walking to my place of work.  Realizing I needed a quick, no-sew solution, I put my noggin to work and came up with this (you will need two heavy duty paper clips for this solution):

                                      

The Problem

The Solution.....

The back of the skirt

Fold left side to make a faux dart

Clip with heavy duty paper clip

Repeat on right side

The faux darts are ready

The finished product

Cover with top (shhh.. no one has to know :))

Viola! Wardrobe malfunction averted.

Needless to say I went straight to the office supples closet, picked up two paper clips then headed for the bathroom and fixed my skirt.  I wore this all day long without any issues, and the skirt looks well fitted.  As for where I got this lovely ensemble: top is from Target, skirt is ICE, and shoes are bebe.

The Slippery Sling Back

A while ago I bought a lovely pair of BCBG MaxAzaria black sling backs. They were under $10 and a perfect addition for my working wardrobe. Unfortunately, like many sling backs, they kept slipping off my feet, making it difficult to walk. So I got my noggin in thinking mode to come up with a economical and attractive solution to my problem. These sling backs, you see, were just to attractive to give up on.

After much thought, my solution was to tie ribbons to the "sling" portion of the shoe so that I could secure them around my ankles. I first cut two long strips of black satin ribbon, long enough to tie around my ankles.  If you want to do these to a pair of your own problematic slingbacks, simply wrap the ribbon around your ankles the desired number of times to estimate the length.

Next I tied them to the "sling" portion of the shoe by making two knots.

Knot #1

Knot #2

Viola! My sling backs are now securely on my feet and they look dressed up and classy to boot. This whole solution cost me nothing, since I already had the ribbon. If you are not like me, and don't have tons of crafts supplies lying around, you can easily visit your nearest arts and crafts store or a Dollar Tree, where they have a decent selection of affordable ribbons. I have to say I am so pleased with this outcome, I will never be reluctant to buy sling backs again. :)

80 degrees!

I have been crazy busy and as a result my posts have suffered.  I have captured all my outfits on flickr, so if anyone wants to look at my outfits they will find them all there.  It is month seven or so I believe, and I am almost nearing the end of my experiment.  I have cheated a little bit, but I tried to keep any purchases I made of the thrift store variety.  If you read this blog, you probably know that I enjoy thrifting.  For me it is all about the thrill of the treasure hunt.  I don't do it regulalry, but when I do I like to purchase quality pieces that I can wear or enjoy for many years.  My favorite things to thrift are accessories, like purses, and clothing items made of high quality fabrics, like silk.  The problem with high quality fabric is the dry cleaning bill.  Needless to say, my dry cleaning bill would be through the roof, given all the items I have thrifted over the last couple of years.  Needing to curb this, I decided to try a little experiement.  I washed my dry clean only clothing in cold water like my other laundry.  Then instead of putting them in the dryer, I ironed them while wet.  Viola! I have clean clothes, that look great, without the dry cleaning bill.  Admittadly, this trick won't work for all dry clean clothes (suits for example).  Certain dresses with complicated stitching is probably better off at the dry cleaners as well.  That being said, I think most items are fair game.  Today's outfit is 100% thrifted. The shirt is from The Limited, the skirt is Anne Taylor Loft, and the shoes are BCBG.