81/90, growing

Two weeks after introducing my indoor garden to the world, I have four successes and one flop. I still attribute my success to the teaspoons of filtered water these little guys get to sip on while they sit in the East-facing window of my kitchen.

The flop, as I expected, were the bell peppers. The started to sprout, but a spindly, fluffy (sounds contradictory but isn't) mold started overtaking their pot. Each morning, I wipe off each of the jars. I can't imagine how many mold particles are in our air if this is necessary. Each evening, the bell peppers had more green and what spots than any of the others.

I started watering the peppers less, but the seeds just started floating to the top each time I did water it. I'm sans topsoil, so I don't have a lot of options for fixing the problem except pushing the flakes back down. Last night, I gave up and threw them out. I have more seeds and will try again this summer, and I'm hoping more fresh air and direct sunlight in an outdoor home will help them.

Everyone else, as you can see, is holding steady. The basil is by far my biggest success. Ten sprouts, each with their two jointed leaves, end up tilt at a near-45 degree angle by the time I get home. They're greedily taking in the sun and stretching out their leaves. I'm getting a bit worried that their roots will be too crowded, or that there will be too much competition for sunlight in that teeny pot, before I get them back to Ohio and switch them into something bigger.

Next to the basil, the chive is really going. They were the last to sprout and the first to reach an inch tall. Each sprout is still holding onto its seed casing, sucking down whatever nutrients are in those things. They remind me of the models my mom called "lollipops"–their head so much bigger than their body that it starts to wear them down, make them slouch. This is the pot I'm most afraid to water. It seems like one extra drop could tip them all over or rot the roots.

The marigolds and zinnias are stubbier than I was expecting at this point. Three zinnias and two marigolds–I'm not complaining. They still have two weeks to grow and solidify roots before the trek home. Then, I'll be ready to transplant whenever they are. I'll probably start a few more seeds, even though they'll be getting later into the season.

The idea of getting anything to flower on my first year is incredible. I feel like the zinnias have a better shot. They were the first to sprout and the second to open their leaves... and they just look a bit better off than the marigolds, who I have more pity for even than the bell peppers. Oh, marigolds and your little black stem.

For today, I'm putting off all personal-life projects (and my parents let out a sigh of relief). I'll be finishing up work for two classes today... and no, it's not writing that paper I've been complaining about. I'll be doing a photo shoot with Rachel, a creative component for my French class that I'll present on Thursday: a series of photos surrounding a character's rejection of gender roles in French Indochina. Why isn't every class this cool?

Then, I'll be creating a case study for my Ethics class. We'll be creating a scenario and making a decision, then defending our reasoning. But mostly eating pizza, I would say.