Gardening

[raeoflyte]

Seed companies are having a banner year!

I started sunflowers inside and just added a tray of cherry tomatoes and garden beans. Hoping to be able to save money at the garden center.

[Deleted]

I wish we could have something besides a couple of tomato plants that we grow in pots on DD's patio. Nope. Only flowers because according to DD we can get all the veggies we want from the grocery store, "that's what grocery stores are for."

Ditto herbs. I'll grow some this year just for the fragrance. Heaven knows there's no need for them for cooking here! Chocolate mint is already on my list.

Flower seeds get sown directly in the ground by me because there's no room to start them inside. Weather warm enough to plant here usually starts around mid-March. Also, the garden gets more and more perennials each year and fewer annuals. I usually plant impatiens and sunpatiens. If zinnias are planted in the same spot for a few years, eventually they'll self-seed and grow there because they claim it as home.

[empress of self-improvement]

I take it DD doesn't know how they get to the grocery store?

Pink-currently I have all seeds in tiny little containers. When the weather decides to cooperate they'll be put either into the ground or in a window box.

Having a small test bed is actually the best way to learn what will and won't grow. I have a humungous yard and a strong desire to get away from DH so I use the yard as my test bed. I have shit growing in places I don't recall them being planted.

[Deleted]

Anybody looking for something to start their seeds...if you have containers from bringing leftovers home from takeout food or from frozen entrees, they work well. Egg cartons also work well. Mix a bit of peat in with potting soil. 

Another thing. If there are lids with takeout food containers, you can use them to cover the seedlings after they sprout and it's warm enough to be outside. Be careful, though, because they trap the heat, and if you put them in the sun, they could burn up. When it's warmish at night, you can cover them and leave them outside.

[Deleted]

I changed my mind about trying to grow from seeds. Well, postponed them at least. 

I ended up buying some small starter plants. We’ll see if I can manage to keep them alive for any length of time. 

It would really make me happy if I could learn to grow plants and flowers like my Madear did. She use to grow a vegetable garden every year (until she got mad because somebody stole all her tomatoes), and she had plants all over her house. I didn’t inherit her green thumb though.

I’m sure I’ll have questions, so I hope we keep this thread going.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

My grandfather had a green thumb.   His whole backyard was covered in flowers.  Their old house went up for sale awhile ago and I was delighted to see that his hand made raised beds were still there.

I cannot grow things to save my life.  How I've managed to successfully cultivate an herb garden the past couple years is beyond me.

My brother inherited the gardening gene.   He can grow just about anything.

[Deleted]

Mar 31, 2020 20:00:55 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

My grandfather had a green thumb.   His whole backyard was covered in flowers.  Their old house went up for sale awhile ago and I was delighted to see that his hand made raised beds were still there.

I cannot grow things to save my life.  How I've managed to successfully cultivate an herb garden the past couple years is beyond me.

My brother inherited the gardening gene.   He can grow just about anything.

DH had that gene, too.  One year my oldest grandson gave me a plant for Mother's Day that consisted of a seed or two in a clay pot.  DH nurtured it for about six months and it finally bloomed.  No one was more surprised than my grandson because he had given these to all of his grandmothers, and the others died!

I am trying to keep his roses alive.  They had a bad year last summer (we all did), but I got rose food and rose pesticide.  Wish me luck!

[NoNamePerson]

The best advice I got from a nurseryman as a total novice to yard stuff back in 67 when EX and I built our first home was "always prepare a $5.00 hole for a .50 plant and you can't go wrong" I go by that to this day. It has served me well 

[azucena]

For the zinnias I started in a cardboard flat, is it enough to set them in a window with lots of sun?  Or do I need to tent them with plastic somehow to create a greenhouse effect?  If so, suggest how pls.

[azucena]

Bought seeds amongst the $400 grocery shopping and essentials at Target on Tues.  Zucc, beans, peas, and a few more flowers.  I'll have to look again what I bought once the non-perishable stash is clear from its quarantine on Sat 

[Deleted]

Apr 2, 2020 8:05:20 GMT -5 NoNamePerson said:

The best advice I got from a nurseryman as a total novice to yard stuff back in 67 when EX and I built our first home was "always prepare a $5.00 hole for a .50 plant and you can't go wrong" I go by that to this day. It has served me well 

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

Apr 2, 2020 8:58:13 GMT -5 azucena said:

For the zinnias I started in a cardboard flat, is it enough to set them in a window with lots of sun?  Or do I need to tent them with plastic somehow to create a greenhouse effect?  If so, suggest how pls.

If you are still waiting for the seeds to germinate, covering the container with plastic WILL create a greenhouse effect and help retain the moisture. You want to keep them evenly moist.

If the seeds are sprouted and you have seedlings, you need not cover. Still keep evenly moist — don’t let them dry out completely but don’t drown them in pools of water or mud, either. MOST important will be the strength and quality of light the seedlings get. If they start to get thin and leggy, they are not getting enough strong sun. Find a better location, then, or invest in a grow light.

HTH!!

[Deleted]

If they've already sprouted and are in a window with strong sun, covering them will burn them! Cover at night if you feel like they need to  keep more moisture, but uncover them when the sun is on them.

[azucena]

They haven't sprouted - planted two days ago.  So I need to cover in plastic until they sprout?

[Deleted]

Apr 2, 2020 10:57:03 GMT -5 azucena said:

They haven't sprouted - planted two days ago.  So I need to cover in plastic until they sprout?

Yes. Covered until they sprout.

[happyhoix]

Mar 30, 2020 20:33:22 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Gardening might be better for everyone's waist line than my baking. I bought vanilla beans today to make my own vanilla extract. Baking is my favorite.

I should try some peas. I love them. I was supposed to wait for the deck to be done for flowers but nothing was said about vegetables.

I live in north GA and the temp here is just too much for peas. I do love to eat them though. I have to plant them in Feb and hope they mature fast enough to get a small crop before the summer heat gets here and wilts them into pitiful brown shreds. 

And that's the English peas burpee claims are suited to grow in the south....

[Deleted]

A friend is dropping off an extra cayenne pepper plant so I'll grow that in a pot.  They are so pretty but so dang hot    I'll experiment with using them in some dishes.  

[weltschmerz]

The green onions and lettuce I planted from stumps are growing like gangbusters in my kitchen.

[haapai]

Apr 3, 2020 12:31:53 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

The green onions and lettuce I planted from stumps are growing like gangbusters in my kitchen.

Hang in there buddy.  The snow will melt. 

[weltschmerz]

[haapai]

Those are so pretty!  Almost pretty enough to make you disappointed with what you grow from seeds.  There's gonna be dirt on those. 

[weltschmerz]

Apr 3, 2020 12:34:01 GMT -5 haapai said:

Apr 3, 2020 12:31:53 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

The green onions and lettuce I planted from stumps are growing like gangbusters in my kitchen.

Hang in there buddy.  The snow will melt. 

I'm in an apartment, so no garden. They look quite nice in my kitchen. I may be reduced to living on lettuce leaves and green onions.
Too bad I can't plant shrimp shells and grow new shrimp.

[Deleted]

My little plants seem to be ok so far. It’s only been 3 days since I brought them home though lol.

I also started one of the kits with seeds, it’s Rosemary and sitting on the windowsill where I have the others. 

My biggest concern is whether they’ll get enough sunlight. I think that when my house was built, it was intentionally built and situated on the lot to NOT get a lot of direct sunlight through the windows. I live in the south where summers can be brutal, so I can see building a house to minimize the effects of the sun during summer. There are other things about the house that make me think it was planned carefully, so I don’t think my idea about the sun exposure is far fetched.

Anyway, it’s my understanding that when you bring new plants home, you need to give them time to adapt to their new surroundings, is that right? If so, how long do I need to wait to move them to new containers? And how long do I need to wait before moving some of them outside where I want them? I’m keeping them in containers, not planting in the ground.

I have lavender, Rosemary, cilantro, and I think peppermint that I want to eventually move outside, in containers. I have 2 of each, and want to move 1 of each outside. I’d like to plant the lavender in the ground in my “test” flowerbed eventually, but that won’t happen for a while, if not as long as next year.

It seems that the lavender would probably do better in terra cotta pots, is that true?  And I guess I need to figure out what size pots for all of them. I know some plants do better in tight spaces and being root bound, while others do not. IIRC, lavender does better with space, for good airflow. I have terra cotta and ceramic pots sitting around empty, I just need to figure out what plants to put in what type and size pot

I bought a small snake plant (aka as mother in laws tongue) the same day I got my little starter plants. I put that one in our bedroom. I have a corner that would be perfect for a bigger one, but all I saw was the small ones. I have a large one in my breakfast nook. It’s 1 of the 2 plants (out of 9, I think) that survived my last plant buying binge several years ago. If I don’t manage to kill this one, it’ll eventually be big enough to put in the corner that needs it.

I’d appreciate advice and tips. It gives me something to think and talk about besides the current events in our world.

[Deleted]

@pinkcshmere For indoor plants, waiting a day or two before putting them in pots isn't really necessary, just make sure that you're planting them in pots that are big enough but not too big. Maybe double the size of the pot they're in from the garden center? Of course, as they grow they'll need to be moved to bigger pots. You just don't want them in pots that are too big because what will happen is that they'll grow roots without growing foliage.

Ask Mr. Google for guidelines on each kind of plant. He's a fountain of knowledge.

I have lavender plants outside. They want a well-drained spot with plenty of sun.

Another thing when you're putting in bedding plants is that you need to loosen the soil when you tap the plant out of its container. Make sure that you dig a hole big enough and fill with new soil so that the plant will have room to grow while it's adapting to its new home in the ground. I mix garden soil for flowers with potting soil. Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist while the plant is adapting. The hole you dig for a bedding plant should be about three or four times as big as the plant. Really. It's not overkill.

I have a mother-in-law's tongue that started its life on my grandmother's enclosed front porch. My daddy told me that his first memory of it was when he was in kindergarten and would see it there when he got home from school each day. He was born in 1916, so his memory would have been from about age 5. An aunt who was about five years older than my daddy remembered the plant, too, but couldn't remember when it first appeared or when it first registered with her. It was just always there.

After my grandmother died, the plant was divided up among the aunts and uncles who wanted it. My daddy got part of it, and my step-mother grew it forever. When it got too big, she divided it up and gave some to each of us kids who wanted it. IIRC, that was sometime in the 70s.

When I moved to Germany in 1984, my DD got the plant. When I came back to the US, I took it back, and it has moved with me from Georgia to Michigan to Kentucky and back to Georgia. There isn't room in The Hovel for it, so it's on the other side of the house in DD's living room.

This plant is now at least 100 years old! AFAIK, my brothers and sisters all still have theirs, too. If it could talk imagine the family stories it could tell!

[Deleted]

Apr 3, 2020 19:21:07 GMT -5 @missrigby said:

@pinkcshmere For indoor plants, waiting a day or two before putting them in pots isn't really necessary, just make sure that you're planting them in pots that are big enough but not too big. Maybe double the size of the pot they're in from the garden center? Of course, as they grow they'll need to be moved to bigger pots. You just don't want them in pots that are too big because what will happen is that they'll grow roots without growing foliage.

Ask Mr. Google for guidelines on each kind of plant. He's a fountain of knowledge.

I have lavender plants outside. They want a well-drained spot with plenty of sun.

Another thing when you're putting in bedding plants is that you need to loosen the soil when you tap the plant out of its container. Make sure that you dig a hole big enough and fill with new soil so that the plant will have room to grow while it's adapting to its new home in the ground. I mix garden soil for flowers with potting soil. Water thoroughly and keep the soil moist while the plant is adapting. The hole you dig for a bedding plant should be about three or four times as big as the plant. Really. It's not overkill.

I have a mother-in-law's tongue that started its life on my grandmother's enclosed front porch. My daddy told me that his first memory of it was when he was in kindergarten and would see it there when he got home from school each day. He was born in 1916, so his memory would have been from about age 5. An aunt who was about five years older than my daddy remembered the plant, too, but couldn't remember when it first appeared or when it first registered with her. It was just always there.

After my grandmother died, the plant was divided up among the aunts and uncles who wanted it. My daddy got part of it, and my step-mother grew it forever. When it got too big, she divided it up and gave some to each of us kids who wanted it. IIRC, that was sometime in the 70s.

When I moved to Germany in 1984, my DD got the plant. When I came back to the US, I took it back, and it has moved with me from Georgia to Michigan to Kentucky and back to Georgia. There isn't room in The Hovel for it, so it's on the other side of the house in DD's living room.

This plant is now at least 100 years old! AFAIK, my brothers and sisters all still have theirs, too. If it could talk imagine the family stories it could tell!

I’ve been using Google and will continue to do so as I figure out what to do with my little plants. I just figured it would also help to have tips from my YMAM friends.

That’s really cool about your family and the mother in laws tongue plant. I can’t remember if my Madear grew those.... if she did, I managed to kill any that she might have given me. I do remember her always giving me pieces of a plants similar to the corn plant (I think it’s called) and another one that’s pretty popular but I’d have to search to find the real name of it. My cousin gave me a pot of the latter last year, and it’s a baby of one my Madear gave her years before she died. If I don’t manage to kill it, that will be the first one I didn’t kill that could be traced back to my Madear. If not for Madear, I wouldn’t know that some plants, you could stick in a container of water and it would grow roots and become a whole new plant by itself.

This same cousin also has rose bushes in her yard grown from cuttings my Madear gave her. I had one years ago, but my yard guy mowed it down, not knowing what it was.

My Madear also grew what she called prayer plants and African violets, among others that I don’t know the names for. I don’t remember her growing herbs though, especially not the ones I’m trying to grow. But she did use to have a garden every year, with greens, tomatoes and yellow squash.

I had her in mind when I bought my last splurge of plants. And if I can keep the ones I recently bought alive, in my mind, it will be a way to honor her, because she really did enjoy growing and taking care of her vegetable gardens, plants and flowers.

[Deleted]

Is it too soon to check on the seeds I planted a couple of days ago to see if they're full grown and blooming yet? I waited all winter long for spring to get here so I could play in the dirt. Okay. It's spring. I played in the dirt. Now I want results. Today.

About the end of June I'll be whining that it's too hot to sit outside and admire the garden. By the first of August, I'll be whining that it's even hotter than June and that I can't wait for fall so I can clean up the garden and put it to bed for the winter. Around the middle of September, I'll be whining that summer will never end.

Last night I gave up on ever finding globe amaranth (gomphrena) and ordered seeds online. "Only" $12 for the seeds. Another $5 for shipping. What? Throw couple of packets of seeds in an envelope and charge $5 to mail them? Never mind that buying three plants at a garden center would cost $8-$10 each.

There's really nothing to whine about, I just feel like whining. Indulge me.

[gacpa]

Miss Rigby,

Curious if you have ever heard of or been to Grower's Outlet in Loganville, GA.  They are a gardener's paradise. 

[Deleted]

Apr 4, 2020 13:12:20 GMT -5 gacpa said:

Miss Rigby,

Curious if you have ever heard of or been to Grower's Outlet in Loganville, GA.  They are a gardener's paradise. 

It's 50 miles away from me, and that's probably a good thing. There's a Pike's Nursery right next door to Home Depot, but they are usually way too pricey for my pocketbook.

[Deleted]

In California, rosemary is a bush grown in strip mall planters. It's nearly impossible to kill.

I used to pick mine in the grocery store's parking lot until we started getting homeless people using the planters as their own personal bathrooms...

[raeoflyte]

The cat is nibbling my seedlings. No other good place to put them. Will try some upside down tape around them to deter her, but very annoyed.