Digging in the dirt (sort of)

I planted most of the seeds in my little plastic greenhouse this past weekend. You can see for yourself the results. The photo shows the chard, cucumber, buttercup squash, and watermelon sprouts. It's a little out of focus, but I'm still practicing with my new digital camera. I was prepared to write about how uninspiring planting my seeds in the little plastic tray was, but after seeing the amazing growth over the last 4 days, I am a little conflicted.
I'm sure this isn't quite the transcendent experience that Thoreau and Emerson had in mind when they wrote such bon mots as, "When I go into my garden with a spade, and dig a bed, I feel such an exhilaration and health that I discover that I have been defrauding myself all this time in letting others do what I should have done with my own hands."(Emerson) and "As I drew a still fresher sooil about the rows with my hoe, I disturbed the ashes of unchronicled nations who in primeval years lived under these heavens, and their small implements of war and hunting were brought to the light this modern day."(Thoreau) Planting seeds in little peat pellets seemed a little lacking. There was no smell of damp earth, no feeling the coarse molecules of earth flowing through my fingers, no sense of connection with the Earth from which we all were born and are destined to return. Just poking seeds into little balls of peat.
On the other hand, the results were indeed amazing. After only 4 days, nearly all of my seeds had sprouted and grown to between 3 and 4 inches tall. And anyway, I would get to play in the dirt once they were ready to plant. The verdict - little plastic greenhouses rock!
I also built a compost bin this weekend. My research indicated that although a compost pile was cheap and easy(and I already had one in fact), a compost bin created usable compost much more quickly. All of the bins I found on-line were relatively expensive (some over $100). Since they all looked rather like plastic trash cans with lots of little holes in them, I figured I could drill my own holes(free) in a trash can($14.99 fro a 45 gallon can from my local big box retailer) and save a ton. So far, so good.

Since the seeds will almost certainly be ready to plant this weekend, the decision of what kind of garden (plot or raised bed) has suddenly become very important. Stay Tuned!