I’m noticing a trend in 2009.  It’s the year I expand my horizons.  For example – I watch Star Wars movies.  My newest form of expansion is gardening.  Growing up in a rural home I’m familiar with gardening.  Mom does it all the time and we have hastas covering most of the property.

Until recently, gardening hasn’t really appealed to me.  I’ve been living downtown Indy and trying to live the urban lifestyle.  I am starting to realize how much it cost to buy fresh herbs.  I’m a big proponent of fresh herbs when I cook so this was getting a little costly.  Mom helped me out by setting me up with a pot of herbs for me to care for.

In my excitement to nurture to grow life I bought another basil plant and tomato plant from seed from Silver in the City.  I followed the directions on the box and stared at my new pots in the window sill with excitement.  Then mom broke my heart by telling me that it would be about February before I had basil or tomatoes.  But I didn’t give up hope.  I water my pots every day and treated them with love and affection.

Then one day, when I was feeling pretty tired from work I came home to the most amazing site in the world – A SPROUT.  Both basil and tomato started sprouting!  I did it! I succeed in growing something.  My tender affection and knack for keeping them watered spawned life.  HURRAY!!!!

They have since grown to be about an inch tall.  Mom decided to help me actually have my own tomatoes this year but getting me an organic tomato growing kit.

This is a beast of a growing machine:

Please note this isn’t my exact plant.   It’s from the website, but see what I have to look forward to!

See, it’s uber scientific.  I’m a cutting edge gardener.

more science

WHAT?!?!?!  I can have a tomato plant as big as a grown woman!  I’m for sure to win the blue ribbon at the state fair.

Well, I got my box of organic goodness this weekend.  On Sunday, I thought, “What better to do after a day of watching Golden Girls than set up my tomato planter.  This is going to be so easy.”

BAH!

Lies, vicious lies.  I was sweating and I have cuts on my hands from trying to get this set up.  Here are photos of my progress.

Here’s how I start – putting together  the cage.

Other side of my start:  soil and such

Confusing do-dads and instructions

Here’s how it looked after 1 hour of attempting to assemble (no joke).

Finally, I gave up on the #$(FJHE)#$*@% cage part.  After an hour of trying to get it to snap in place I was pounding on it with my red patent leather wedges to no avail.  I finally said, “SCREW YOU,” and just put the soil in place.  All I need now is the tomato plant and I will be on my way to a delicious caprese salad.  I will invite you all over to enjoy in the late summer.