Organic seeds, all this vegetable seed planting, must all be so overwhelming, right? Nope, not one bit, especially since I came across MiGardener (affiliate link, plus by purchasing via the link you get an automatic 10% off coupon added, so much win). I’ve been watching Luke’s show for a while, and when it was time to get my seeds, I jumped on his site, browsed for what I needed, even found cool varieties I wasn’t looking for, and placed my order. In about a week, I had my seeds proving it’s very easy to get buy your organic seeds online for the ultimate organic veggie garden! 😀

I didn’t want to post about my veggie garden until I had some results and a few “harvests” under my belt :p You’ve never experience happiness until you see your first radish peaking out of the ground and like magic, your seed is now a tangible vegetable! Also, disclaimer, I’m using two large grow boxes this year. Next year I’m putting in a large raised bed, so it’s not like I have the hugest garden, but it’s still been so fun and productive.

I knew for sure I wanted radishes. And carrots, and lettuce. I definitely wanted seeds that would do well in a container. Thankfully, things are labeled and explained well on the site. Browsing, I saw these cool Parisian carrots that grow round like radishes, and French Breakfast radishes that grow longer like a baby carrot. Total mind twist, right? I also found beets that grow cylindrical (still waiting on those to mature), like how cool is that?!!

Here are the carrots, radishes & beets I bought (affiliate links):
– Parisian Carrots
– Danvers Carrots
– Purple Carrots
– French Breakfast Radish
– Cylindra Beets
– Long Bunching Onions 

Side note, I love how all seeds look so different. It’s fascinating! From left to right: radish seed, beet seed & carrot seed. Please ignore my wrinkly lined palms…I’m sure it means I’m going to have a pretty interesting life lol, or something.

I also got some slow bolt arugula (affiliate). Granted it usually does better in the spring or fall, but I couldn’t help it, I planted it in the summer and it was super peppery and spicy and absolutely delicious in my salad I made below…more on that later.

The radishes were the first to mature, and they were a bit spicy and radishy and they looked so sooooo pretty.

These are the baby radish leaves above, and below are my English Breakfast beauties. I love the color gradient and shape. I was so excited when these babies popped out of the soil. I was like whoa, I did it! Well, let me explain, last year I used the completely wrong soil, and didn’t drill holes in my container, and when it rained it was an absolute flood inside my containers and it wouldn’t dry at all! I drowned them, lol. Total redemption this year (cue cute meme baby with triumphant fist raised).

I like to put lettuce in a separate container. This way it stays mobile and I can keep it in a less sunny spot. It’s too hot and scorching sun here in the summer (Michigan), and it would bolt and get bitter fast. I planted FOUR different varieties, and the contrast of the leaves was beautiful. I picked different color lettuce, and different leaf shapes. I think lettuce makes a beautiful decorative placement on a patio and definitely recommend potting it.

Here are the lettuce varieties I planted (affiliate links):
– Cimmaron lettuce
– Simpson lettuce
– Ruby Red lettuce
– Lolla Rossa lettuce

At a local restaurant here, we get a warm tatsoi salad when it’s in season. It’s a mustard green and it is absolutely delicious. It’s topped with mushrooms, goat cheese, pine nuts and a light lemony dressing. I could never find it anywhere locally, so I decided to grow it. Check it out (affiliate), it grows in a gorgeous dark green coencentric circles, and the leaf is a piece of art. Yes, I’m the geek that analyses leaves haha…but seriously, isn’t it beautiful?

I recently picked a ton of lettuce, arugula and tatsoi, and made a delicious salad! Sadly the cucumbers & radishes are not from my garden. But the lettuce, tatsoi and jalapeno are! I made a quick balsamic vinaigrette (dijon mustard, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and mix), and topped it with some cooked, cubed, tuna steak. It was simple, refreshing, and so satisfying to eat something I planted, cared for and watched grow. 

The best part? It was organic from start to finish. Organic potting soil, organic fertilizer, and ZERO pesticides. And honestly, it’s just super fun to be able to go outside and water my garden, check on progress etc…it brings life to our suburban backyard that is otherwise landscaped. I always urge newbies that ask me about gardening to just get one pot, and plant some greens and herbs. It’s very easy, forgiving and you get a taste for it. And once you get bit by the proverbial gardening bug, it’s hard to go back! 🙂

I can’t wait for my raised bed next year, and I’m learning as I go…remember I drowned my radishes last year, and made it happen this year. Don’t get discouraged, you learn and get better with time. Let me know if you have any questions at all, I love to talk shop, and get others on a similar journey.