What to do during this quarantine?

Many people are currently out-of-work or working from home and EVERYONE is finding they have much more time to get home projects completed (or starting new projects). When I was a freshman and sophomore in college I used to run a personal blog and I really enjoyed it. I felt like I had to post something every single day and got a bit burnt out and let my website’s domain expire. I’ve decided with a little more free time that I don’t only have to blog about real estate related topics because maybe my client’s want to know me personally as well! So, here we are! Welcome to my first personal post.

Today’s topic is about gardening! I’ve been very interested in gardening over the past few years. My husband and I bought 1/2 an acre in Southwest Boise. I decided to build a few garden beds and compost bins. I actually built the compost bins quite large and it’s taken me a year to fill one of them, but it seems to be breaking down well and I plan on using it in the garden for the first time this year. I’ve also been adding worms to it recently to try and make the process a little faster. I’m open to hearing any tips and tricks anyone may have about composting!

We are frequently out of town, so I’ve found the easiest plants for me to grow are jalapeños, green onions and tomatoes. My husband and I always talk about how there is nothing better than a homegrown tomato (they really do taste different). So tomatoes are probably my favorite vegetable to grow. I found these cages that I think will work well this year, fingers crossed. We’ve attempted potatoes, purple onions and corn, but we had no success (likely because we don’t have automatic sprinklers and they probably didn’t get enough water). I’m considering planting lettuce this year as well, so I can make salads straight from the garden. Have you ever grown lettuce from home? Is it easy to grow?

This is the first year I’ve also decided to try and grow from seeds instead of buying seedlings. So far, they’re also not sprouting haha maybe I don’t have a green thumb. My mother told me I wasn’t watering them enough (seems to be a common theme with me). I’ve started watering them much more and I’m crossing my fingers they start to sprout over the next week or two. I bought some pumpkin seeds as well, but I read to plant those directly into the ground.

I’d love to hear from you. Do you have a garden at home? What plants have you been successful with? How are you staying busy during this time?