Garden thread

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  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,078 Member
    Thoin wrote: »
    Also what is the best way to grow cat grass?

    I just stuck them in a pot, the cats pig out then I add a little more seed and put it outside until it grows a little and then bring it back in. It grows pretty fast which is nice! I'd love to hear how yours does.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,078 Member
    I've been the mad planter this year, I already have an herb garden and one of my tomato plants never died so I'm watching to see what the pieces of it do, it actually looks pretty good! I discovered my area has a Take a Plant Leaf a Plant stand and have been to more than one, I brought home cactus, succulents, and a bunch of flowers so far and left a ton of rosemary and mint for people. So far I think every single snap pea seed grew, have green beans going, squash, zucchini, Armenian Cucumbers, then a bunch more herbs I just ordered. I have 8 new tomato plants and planted Japanese purple sweet potatoes and put the leftover leaves in water so I'll see how they do, I've never grown potatoes before. Loose leaf lettuce and microgreens are happy as can be and cat grass is doing great!
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    @mpkpbk2015 Wow, you're a serious gardener!! Wish I had your inspiration and green thumb. :/

    Would love to see the flower garden at it's growth height!!
  • mpkpbk2015
    mpkpbk2015 Posts: 766 Member
    ReenieHJ wrote: »
    @mpkpbk2015 Wow, you're a serious gardener!! Wish I had your inspiration and green thumb. :/

    Would love to see the flower garden at it's growth height!!

    Reenie thank you so much, I will definitely come back to the thread then. I wasn't sure from checking out the other post if it was for vegetable gardeners or not. I am starting to dabble in herbs but it's more for companion planting and to keep the bad insects and rabbits away from my plants. I promise I will post again when I get everything out of the garage and back in the backyard where it belongs. Have a wonderful day. 🌷🌸🌹🌺🌼💐🌻💮
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,078 Member
    @mpkpbk2015 WOW, incredible! I don't know much about flowers but just discovered the Take a Plant Leaf a Plant stands in my neighborhood where people trade and have been getting flowers to try. My peonies are just about to open then I have a bunch of different seedlings but nothing like you! One of the stands is at a house with an amazing wildflower garden, I have some things from her then my lavenders are in bloom so I'm taking bouquets to everyone. I've recently picked up a snapdragon, pincushion, Bachelor Buttons, dwarf rosebush (last one died but the plant was discounted and looked sad so I brought it home) then started Cosmos, Marigolds, Calendula, Echinacea, Chamomile, and Borage. I have my veggie, herb, and succulent/catcus stuff going as well.

    I've been helping out at the food bank, I wish I could post pictures here but they always detach with my phone for some reason. I prepped cardboard for lasagna gardening/weed control then said I wanted to get dirty and worked the chicken manure into the dirt around the rows of peas. I'm disabled and can't stand long so I came home covered in dirt from scooting around on my rear!

    Next Saturday I'm planting oak trees at a park in Folsom then if I'm worn out I'll come home or go to the food bank again. I'm helping get plants and props for the food bank garden this week which will be fun.
  • mpkpbk2015
    mpkpbk2015 Posts: 766 Member
    Thank you, I love my flowers. This year I decided to do some companion gardening with herbs to ward off rabbits and aphids and other pest. So I have been testing out some Red chili pepper, Sage, Peppermint, Yarrow, Basil, Penny Royal, Spearmint and Citronella . They are all aromatic and my garage smells really great right now I going to miss the fragrance when I move everything outside. I volunteer at our local food bank too. I wish we had an exchange or trade group in my neighborhood that sounds like fun. I post from my laptop I can never get anything to upload from my phone on to MFP. I used to grow Roses until the rabbits in my area destroyed all my babies. And Roses are very work intensive to have rabbits destroy so I gave up and went to things I can hang out of their reach. Nice chatting with you. Take care and happy planting.
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited April 2021
    Deciding where to plant this year's sweet peas.

    The full sun location would mean placing them nearer to the road where ramblers, bicyclists, and other pests frequent. The part sun location would see sun only from dawn until about 1-2pm, but would be close to my home (fewer pests) and benefit from the morning sun reflecting off a white stucco wall. Full sun garden would mean having to build a trellis. Part-sun garden would allow me to merely lean a few poles against the wall.

    Which would be better?

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    MsCzar wrote: »
    Deciding where to plant this year's sweet peas.

    The full sun location would mean placing them nearer to the road where ramblers, bicyclists, and other pests frequent. The part sun location would see sun only from dawn until about 1-2pm, but would be close to my home (fewer pests) and benefit from the morning sun reflecting off a white stucco wall. Full sun garden would mean having to build a trellis. Part-sun garden would allow me to merely lean a few poles against the wall.

    Which would be better?

    Both. Then you'll know. 😉
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »

    Both. Then you'll know. 😉

    lol I was actually thinking of doing just that! I have lots of seeds - so best not to waste them.

  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    I've got 2 organic sweet potatoes, one propped in water using the toothpick method and the other just planted in potting soil. I've been putting a UV light on them several hours a day as well as sticking them directly in a sunny window when it's appropriate. We'll see what happens. :/
  • Ironwoman1111
    Ironwoman1111 Posts: 3,913 Member
    @mpkp2015 Awesome!👏🏽 😃 I can’t wait to see them all grown up.😍🌹🌻🌼🌸🌺
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    Been years since I had veggie garden...

    So far.. have planted two tomato plants.. and 2 sweet basil...

    Bought a packet of sweet corn seeds....

    Keeping eye on other plants to grow...
  • Ironwoman1111
    Ironwoman1111 Posts: 3,913 Member
    lx1x wrote: »
    Been years since I had veggie garden...

    So far.. have planted two tomato plants.. and 2 sweet basil...

    Bought a packet of sweet corn seeds....

    Keeping eye on other plants to grow...

    That’s really good. Actually, I’m a bit green with envy!🌱😄 Last year I had corn, they grew beautifully but ended up with baby corn.😐 Not enough sun! Hopefully this year will be better.🤞🏽
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
    lx1x wrote: »
    Been years since I had veggie garden...

    So far.. have planted two tomato plants.. and 2 sweet basil...

    Bought a packet of sweet corn seeds....

    Keeping eye on other plants to grow...

    That’s really good. Actually, I’m a bit green with envy!🌱😄 Last year I had corn, they grew beautifully but ended up with baby corn.😐 Not enough sun! Hopefully this year will be better.🤞🏽

    I only cleaned portion of my small veggie garden.. need to clean the other portion next weekend..

    Last time I grew corn.. bad storm took most down. 😣
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
    lx1x wrote: »
    Ironwoman1111 wrote: »
    lx1x wrote: »
    Been years since I had veggie garden...

    So far.. have planted two tomato plants.. and 2 sweet basil...

    Bought a packet of sweet corn seeds....

    Keeping eye on other plants to grow...

    That’s really good. Actually, I’m a bit green with envy!🌱😄 Last year I had corn, they grew beautifully but ended up with baby corn.😐 Not enough sun! Hopefully this year will be better.🤞🏽

    I only cleaned portion of my small veggie garden.. need to clean the other portion next weekend..

    Last time I grew corn.. bad storm took most down. 😣

    Awww...😕 I’m in the country so here anything can take my goodies, the weather, the hares or the deer. Apparently I’m in the business of planting midnight snacks for them!🙄

    So am I.. sorta kinda.. we have deers roaming around and rabbits..
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    Ugh! Looks like I've got a whole flat of mystery plants! Not sure where the label went and the seedlings haven't yet formed a true leaf. At some point, I may be posting a pic and letting y'all take a guess! 🌱
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    MsCzar wrote: »
    Ugh! Looks like I've got a whole flat of mystery plants! Not sure where the label went and the seedlings haven't yet formed a true leaf. At some point, I may be posting a pic and letting y'all take a guess! 🌱

    Sure, happy to help when the time comes!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    I'm in Massachusetts so way behind some of y'all. My peas are making great progress for zone 6!

    aka4bfcphvjz.png

    I've also given away bee balm, spearmint, and sedum via my local Facebook gardening group and started a strawberry plot at my Mom's, where I'm moving this fall.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited April 2021
    Christopher Kimble must have known I was thinking about peas as he just sent me a recipe for One-Pot Spaghetti Dish with Goat Cheese, Mint and Peas. I'll have enough mint in a few weeks and fresh peas late June.

    x5pbzv0tno95.png

    Free for a limited time:

    https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/spaghetti-goat-cheese-mint-peas-pasta-easy-sarah-rich?allow_token=240c57d8-85de-4611-b03c-195875612f53&utm_source=Christopher+Kimball’s+Milk+Street&utm_campaign=74d38f5d21-TND_SPAGHETTIGOATCHEESE&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c373980eee-74d38f5d21-119508313&goal=0_c373980eee-74d38f5d21-119508313&mc_cid=74d38f5d21&mc_eid=6ca906de3d
  • MsCzar
    MsCzar Posts: 1,071 Member
    LOOOVE Christopher Kimble! Thanks! Much on the same schedule for mint (already up and growing) and peas (fingers crossed).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    I hope it's OK to bring back ornamentals to the thread, though we're getting more into the veggie season. We had discussed Hellebores a bit quite some time back, and I shared a photo of a creamy one, but gushed a little about the (irritatingly named, IMO) Wedding Party series. These are doubles from that series, a near black, and a nice pinky one. (I don't remember the variety names, though I have them written down someplace. I think the near-black has a groomsmen or groom name, the pink a bridesmaid-y one. 🙄) There's an even closer to black one in the series that I also have, a single, but I only have really ratty-looking photos of it.)
    1hbe3e3l91ci.jpg
    dfith4neoe4c.jpg

    The little early Spring bulbs have been really prolific here this year (Tommie crocus, rock garden Iris (though the deer munched a bunch of these on bloom day 1), Chionodoxa, squills, and that sort of thing. Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris) are blooming now, and I'm rolling through a series of daffodil varieties.)
  • g2renew
    g2renew Posts: 155 Member
    I am in zone 7B and just found this thread! You guys are awesome! I had started a few beds end of 2019/start of 2020, but have been unable to follow through, so they are a MESS! You guys have some super info on here that I hope to be able to use fall or maybe 2022. Meanwhile, I have been able to do a little bit of weeding with grandson's help, and spend my days researching 'how tos' and 'what to plant' online and dreaming. I do have a few iris that are in bloom and some transplanted hostas have poked their little heads up. (only 4 out of 40, but I am still hoping more might struggle through.) Thanks for giving me another avenue of info:-). I might just toss some seeds in and see what happens. Happy growing from Alabama!
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I hope it's OK to bring back ornamentals to the thread, though we're getting more into the veggie season. We had discussed Hellebores a bit quite some time back, and I shared a photo of a creamy one, but gushed a little about the (irritatingly named, IMO) Wedding Party series. These are doubles from that series, a near black, and a nice pinky one. (I don't remember the variety names, though I have them written down someplace. I think the near-black has a groomsmen or groom name, the pink a bridesmaid-y one. 🙄) There's an even closer to black one in the series that I also have, a single, but I only have really ratty-looking photos of it.)

    The little early Spring bulbs have been really prolific here this year (Tommie crocus, rock garden Iris (though the deer munched a bunch of these on bloom day 1), Chionodoxa, squills, and that sort of thing. Checkered lily (Fritillaria meleagris) are blooming now, and I'm rolling through a series of daffodil varieties.)

    I have SUCH a hard time with Fritillaria! I believe the bulb I brought from my old place only bloomed the first spring since I planted it fall 2016. Other years it produces foliage but no blooms. Seems like it doesn't like any competition. Last fall I took out some irises that were encroaching on it and it looks like it will bloom again this year.

    mxkniuj1ff9e.png

    I'd also tried more than one bulb at my old place. I think I was entranced by the picture on the package every year when I looked at the bulb selection.

    2y6tunxcunbj.png
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,078 Member
    HI gang! My garden is so crazy right now, I discovered Take a Plant Leaf a Plant stands and have been swapping with people then have all my Baker's Creek stuff started. My herb garden is a little bigger than normal, I went to the new nursery and found stevia seedlings which is a pain to grow from seed so I'm a happy camper. I have my cactus/succulent garden, about 25 vegetables in grow pots (tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and peppers), a bunch of peas and beans, and flowers I've never grown before. I picked up a houseplant yesterday, I have to figure how I'm going to handle this thing as it's tropical and I'm in a hot dry climate. It's a houseplant but needs sun and none of my windows face the sun.

    I managed to overwinter a tomato plant, I haven't decided if it's worth keeping or not, it's basically a couple suckers off the main stem so I need to trim it to just one and see what happens.

    So far my only mistake is putting too much chicken compost in the peas, some died but it may have been overwatering too.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    HI gang! My garden is so crazy right now, I discovered Take a Plant Leaf a Plant stands and have been swapping with people then have all my Baker's Creek stuff started. My herb garden is a little bigger than normal, I went to the new nursery and found stevia seedlings which is a pain to grow from seed so I'm a happy camper. I have my cactus/succulent garden, about 25 vegetables in grow pots (tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, and peppers), a bunch of peas and beans, and flowers I've never grown before. I picked up a houseplant yesterday, I have to figure how I'm going to handle this thing as it's tropical and I'm in a hot dry climate. It's a houseplant but needs sun and none of my windows face the sun.

    I managed to overwinter a tomato plant, I haven't decided if it's worth keeping or not, it's basically a couple suckers off the main stem so I need to trim it to just one and see what happens.

    So far my only mistake is putting too much chicken compost in the peas, some died but it may have been overwatering too.

    For your houseplant, it just won't thrive without light. You can buy various kinds of grow lights. Walmart carries a type that will screw into a standard light fixture. I had intended to use it in my office but unfortunately, it's red, and while my plants might like it, I couldn't stand it, but it would be fine in a location away from where I spend hours.

    https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-LED-Light-Bulb-8W-65W-Equivalent-BR30-Grow-Light-Lamp-E26-Medium-Base-Non-dimmable-Plant-1-Pack/788148910

    There are several ways to make the air more humid for it.

    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/hpgen/raise-humidity-for-houseplants.htm

    ncreasing humidity levels in the home is not difficult and will prove beneficial in the long run. Misting plants, growing them in groups and using water-filled pebble trays are the most popular methods for raising humidity.
    1. Misting plants with a fine spray of water raises the humidity around the plant, but the effect is temporary. You should not mist plants with hairy leaves, such as African violets, however. The “hair” on the leaves holds water in place, encouraging diseases and leaving unsightly spots on the foliage.
    2. Placing houseplants in groups not only looks terrific from a design perspective, but it also creates a pocket of humidity.
    3. You can increase the humidity even more by placing a dish of water in the center of the cluster. Keep a container of water nearby to make it easy to replenish the water in the dish.
    4. Another way of increasing humidity levels around your plants is to set them on a tray of pebbles and water. Place a layer of pebbles in the tray, and then add water until the pebbles aren’t quite covered. The pebbles hold the plant above the water so that the roots don’t become waterlogged. As the water in the tray evaporates, it increases the moisture in the air around the plant.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    edited April 2021
    08kp4on8jfd4.jpg

    Husband built an absolutely beautiful raised garden bed for me last June. I've been slacking on it and I need to flip that switch. What I do have growing in it is tons and tons and tons of Dark Leaf Italian Parsley. This is not all of the parsley, just one patch of it.

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