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How-to: Grow a little indoor garden / Gardening 101

September 7, 2011 Leave a Comment

This month, I find myself drawn to gardening projects of all kinds. Maybe it’s because my summer vegetable garden was a complete failure. Maybe it’s because my new apartment has TONS of natural and direct light sources (bathroom skylight and south-facing windows what what!). Or maybe it’s because all of my gardening attempts in my adult life have been totally meh. I’m sure my recent insatiable gardening curiosity is the product of all of these. As always, feel free to chime in with other fall gardening tips and ideas. I make no promises I know what I’m doing, but I do promise to share links to the information and resources I’ve found that are helping to guide my September 2011 gardening quest.

For my first project, I revisited indoor gardening. I recently acquired a gorgeous hutch for my kitchen, but many of its shelves have been tragically bare for weeks. A teeny herb harden (and all of the leftover dried artichokes from my wedding) make the hutch look great. See?

Inside those pots, my chive, basil, grass, parsley and sage seeds are starting to germinate. Here’s how to create a little garden of your own for the winter.

Supplies

one container for every plant you want to grow (Home Depot carries little terra cotta pots for about a buck a piece)

potting soil, preferably with a little bit of compost mixed in

some pebbles for drainage

seeds I ordered mine from Burpee. Big stores don’t carry seedlings or seeds other than in the spring.

Directions

If starting your garden from scratch, fill your pot with a shallow layer of rocks/pebbles, followed by some potting soil. Follow directions that come with any seed packets for sowing your seeds. The packets will tell you how many seeds to plant in your pot, how deep, and whether or not to pack down the soil in the pot*.

A lot of people think that forgetting to water your garden is the only concern with container gardening. container gardens can dry out faster than a garden planted in the ground. Don’t overcompensate, though! I learned my lesson about over watering my garden the hard way. Over watering can be a hard problem to diagnose. Leaves begin to wilt and lower leaves turn yellow at the bottom. Always make sure to check your plant’s soil before watering. Roots need air just as much as the rest of your plant. Over watering can compact your soil and suffocate your roots. Not only that, it can lead to the plants rotting away in their own soil. Over watering is really hard to fix. There’s not much you can do short of repotting the plant if it’s started to rot at the roots.

Maybe this sounds silly, but the analogy I try to keep in mind when gardening is this: If you’re thirsty, you need a drink of water, but if someone keeps pouring water down your throat, you’ll drown. Your plant’s roots need water, but they also need to breathe. Giving them water in an environment in which they can still breathe is essential to their survival.

*Overpacking your soil can also suffocate your plant. 

Another thing to consider is that you don’t need to use expensive or even cheap pots for your garden. If you set it up properly and keep track of the plant’s water, air, and sun intake on a regular basis, you’ll be fine. Case in point: my most successful garden this year was this Natty Light cooler. I’ve already harvested about a dozen batches of kale and swiss chard this season, and they’re not done yet.

Filed Under: Home Decor, How-to Tagged With: fall garden, gardening, gardening 101, herbs, How-to

About Heidi

Heidi Gustad is a craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé. Her first book, Latch Hook: 12 Projects for the Modern Maker, is out now.

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Heidi Gustad from Hands Occupied / Craft Book Author and Knitting, Crochet, Latch Hook and Macrame Designer

Hi! I’m Heidi (she/her/hers), a craft book author & pattern designer specializing in knitting, crochet, latch hook & macrame. Really anything with yarn! ❤️  My work combines vintage and modern design elements, featuring bold colors and graphic motifs.

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handsoccupied

Craft book author, designer & creator specializing in yarn crafts like knitting, crochet, latch hook & macramé
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Heidi Gustad 🧶✂️
Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admitte Nobody panic. This is just the back of an (admittedly insane) intarsia project. One day, this will be a seamed sweater, but today is not that day. 🧶 
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Have a good weekend, everyone! 
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Yarn: @universal_yarn’s Fibra Natura Cobblestone in Antarctica & Dragon’s Breath 
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#handsoccupied #intarsia #intarsiaknitting #wip #knitting
Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for e Here’s how to work a Norwegian purl stitch for easier continental style knitting. With this purling method, the working yarn says tensioned (held) at the back of your knitting at all times. For many knitters, always holding the yarn at the back helps with tension issues, as well as feeling a little more comfortable. 
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Have you ever encountered this style of purling before? If you’ve tried it, have you found it helps with your purl tension and knitting speed? I’m curious.
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For a written tutorial, visit handsoccupied-dot-com. For video, you guessed it, You2be. Both of these platforms allow for longer, more in-depth versions of this tutorial, including full transcripts, alt text & the ability to pause, slow down or speed up at will. (Like if you really want to learn this, I recommend using a platform that doesn’t keep your hands occupied. Thinking of putting this in all my captions these days tbh - shout out to you if you made it this far. 🙌🏻😂)
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#handsoccupied #learntoknit #continentalknitting #howtoknit #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #knit #knitting #knitter #knittersofinstagram #knittinghack  #handknitting #handknit #norwegianpurling
Have you ever tried this style of purl? . All thi Have you ever tried this style of purl? 
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All this recent talk about throwing vs. continental style knitting made it clear many people struggle with purling in continental knitting. Turns out that Norway may have the answer! In Norwegian purling, the working yarn stays tensioned at the back at all times, helping with speed and tension. 🤯
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Head to the bl0g (🔗 in bi0) for a more in-depth look at how to work a Norwegian purl stitch, including a photo tutorial with animated GIF & a video tutorial. Wrapping your mind around how to work a stitch you’re familiar with in a totally new way can be confusing, so I tried to give a few options for clarity. 🤙🏻 Video is also on You2be. 
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#handsoccupied #norwegianpurl #norwegianknitting #norwegianpurling #continentalknitting #howtoknit #learntoknit #knitterofinstagram #knitters
It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or It’s been a hot second since I showed my face or reintroduced myself, so here goes! I’m Heidi Gustad, a craft book author, pattern designer, and tutorial creator who specializes in yarn crafts. Lately, I’ve been focused on releasing quality knitting videos and related blog posts to help teach things like the difference between provisional cast ons and how to fix common knitting mistakes. Next week I’m shooting requested crochet and latch hook videos, so h👀kers, your time is coming! And if you ever have tutorial requests, please let me know. ☺️
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TLDR: I’m Heidi. I design & teach yarn crafts. You can find tutorials on my blog (est. 2010) & You2be. I also have several knitting & crochet patterns + a book about latch hook available. / All of these can be found on my website, the 🔗 is where you’d think. 
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Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Contine Are you a picker or a thrower? Do you knit Continental or English Style? Here’s a quick overview of the differences between the two most common knitting styles, including a side by side comparison. (A good one to save for future reference. 👍🏻) 
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There’s more on the differences between picking and throwing in my latest blog post & You 2ube video - the l1nk is where you’d think!
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