Well, once again, I have seedlings. This time, they’re out on the balcony, so they’re getting plenty of sunlight. The Lettuce and Basil have sprouted up first, and aside from any bird casualties (I’ll know what didn’t survive in a couple more days, I imagine), everything else is close behind. I plan on building garden boxes the weekend after next. The boxes will be a modification of the design I used last year. They will be 4 feet by 4 feet, and tiered so all plants receive roughly equal amounts of sun (so the plants in the front don’t obscure the plants in the back). Everything will also be completely modular, so I can add or remove parts at will, and so (most importantly!) I am able to move the garden boxes in my car. Here is a rough sketch:

Last year, I followed Mel Bartholomew’s “Square Foot Gardening” to the letter.  This year, I won’t be.  I like the advantages provided by the special soil mix, as well as the ease of accessing a 4′x4′ garden “frame.”  I don’t like the limitation of planting only in square numbers, however.

I’ll also have a separate 1′x4′ box for my peppers and a separate 1′x2′ box for my beans, which I’ll allow to climb a trellis of bamboo and twine.

Here are pictures of the lettuce sprouts: