Garden thread

Fuzzipeg

nanerkay, You can grow more or less anything in pots. Much depends on the things you would like to grow, be they flowers, veg, or maybe column fruit trees. Could even be something for screening from being so over looked. The amount of time you have available for plant care/watering/availability of water too could be critical. Using post the cost of compost and other mediums could impact too. You may be looking for flowers to decorate your home or may be for beneficial insects to improve your environment. Your location will control your expected weather conditions, temperature and the like which will also have an impact.

I'm sure there are many others who will be aware of what grows best in your local approximate area, where as I'm in the UK. I'd love to read some of the planting ideas you already have. I suppose I've been longwinded getting to that point. Hope to see another post from you.

Creamtea42

Total amateur to this …. Good feeling seeing beetroot and cucumber seedlings sprouting on kitchen window ledge ….. pricked and spread out into slighly bigger tray this morning 🤗

SuzanneC1l9zz

We still have snow on the ground lol. It's been a bit unseasonably warm... might get as high as 10C today, but we're still getting flurries on and off and below-freezing overnights. Not really smart to plant outdoors here until after the May long weekend.

That said, I'm transitioning this year from planting in the ground to raised beds made of repurposed stock tanks, so there's a fair bit of planning happening right now. Dimensions of the tanks vs seeds I have on hand vs what I want to add in terms of additional seeds & bedding plants -> what should end up going where. Both in terms of what goes where in each tank and where to put each container in the yard vs light conditions & exposure to wind & rainfall. So there's more going on than there often is at this time of year!

nanerkay

I planted my lettuce today in a long window pot . I was thinking tomato and bush beans. I have marigold seeds to plant in pots and I usually buy hang pots of flowers at Walmart or Lowes sometimes a local greenhouse. I live in Kentucky in the US. Our weather is just all mixed up right now. It's about 80 today and the wind is blowing really hard. Yesterday it was pouring rain and 50's
tomorrow forecast is back in the 50's but warmer the rest of the week.

Fuzzipeg

Lettuce is a good crop to grow. I expect you will be doing successional sewing's. By that I mean sewing a few seeds every couple or three weeks depending on the number of lettuces you consume in a week. I have seen some lettuce seeds, titled "cut and come again" so you can have fewer plants because they tend to put up regular leaves so you can take them as you wish and not destroy the whole plant. I do not know how often a repeat sewing would be of advised.

Tomatoes are good to grow too. Again different types of tomato varieties can crop earlier or later so you can extend your cropping time. Some crop early others later. Something to consider another year if you enjoy getting your hands dirty. Seeds can be good for a couple of seasons as long as the seeds are re-sealed tightly and they are kept dark. Tomato's will require a good regular supply of water. Some people put their "potted on" plants in saucers, trays to hold water so the soil can take it up as it needs, they should not stand in water all the time though. Others use cut off plastic bottles sunk into the plant pot, or compost sack through which to supply water.

I don't know bush beans, other side of the Atlantic, giggle. They might be what we call Haricot beans. I can't really help because I've not grown them. Someone else should be able to advise you. All beans to my knowledge, fix nitrogen in the soil which means they add nitrogen to the soil as part of their growth practices. Its a particularly useful function if you have soil on the poor side and grow them in open ground.

In the UK its still rather cold for many things outside but starting off inside is helpful. We are on clay which is a real problem this year so much rain after a dry February.

You are off to a very good start. Happy planting. Wishing you all the very best for your first crops.

AnnPT77

nanerkay wrote: »

I planted my lettuce today in a long window pot . I was thinking tomato and bush beans. I have marigold seeds to plant in pots and I usually buy hang pots of flowers at Walmart or Lowes sometimes a local greenhouse. I live in Kentucky in the US. Our weather is just all mixed up right now. It's about 80 today and the wind is blowing really hard. Yesterday it was pouring rain and 50's
tomorrow forecast is back in the 50's but warmer the rest of the week.

You should be able to find varieties of tomatoes, either seeds or plants, that are especially suited to pot culture. (Sometimes they're labeled as patio varieties.) Bush beans are good, but if you have reasonably large pots, pole beans (with some kind of trellis or support in the pot) can bear more beans in the same space. It sounds like it might be warm enough where you are to sow snow peas (the flat pods) or snap peas (the fat, sweeter edible pods) now or soon. They prefer cool weather, will languish when it gets hot.

There are also compact bush-type zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers and that sort of thing, if you like those

LoveyChar

MsCzar wrote: »

Hmm. I may simply prune back my "dead" eggplants from last year and see what happens. I can't plant much outside until May. Indoor seed have just sprouted.

They were brand new plants, this year, and I put them in the raised garden beds. We had rain and winds so hard that it took part of our fence down. The plant looked dead limp after that and turned brown. Then they surprised me.

I'm not sure if you could revive plants from last year, but it's worth a shot.

LoveyChar

nanerkay wrote: »

I'm thinking of starting a small garden what grows good in pots? I don't have a lot of room to plant much.

My best suggestions are strawberries and mint, possibly spinach. I think most herbs do well in pots. I potted some rosemary and lavender today. I don't have much experience, yet, potting vegetables.

MsCzar

How can I best keep my just-sprouted seedlings alive while I am away on a 5 day business trip late next week? Right now they are in paper egg crates and small plastic cups. No, I don't have any watering timer devices. I'll have a better idea about the weather mid week and it might stay above frost temps while I am gone.

Fuzzipeg

If your temperature is most likely to stay above freezing you could place the sprouted seed pots onto a wet towel which should work as an additional reservoir. I'm wondering if they will have time to really dry out in 5 days because they do not seem to be in a heated area. How often are you watering the tiny plants?

I've distant memories of using a towel or similar from a bowl or bucket of water onto a flat surface, the fabric was supposed to draw up additional water from the reservoir as its needed. Its supposed to work for longer periods or in warmer temperatures. On the off chance you need to be away in warmer times.

Enjoy your trip.

MsCzar

Fuzzipeg wrote: »

How often are you watering the tiny plants?

Thanks! since the paper egg crates offer only a small bit of soil (~1/4 c), I've been watering them every other day or once a day when it is warm enough for them to spend the day in outdoor sun. I was thinking of simply setting them into a shallow tray of water, but perhaps adding a towel would be better?

Fuzzipeg

To leave them in even a small amount of water would run the risk of them drowning. Yes, a damp/wet, not standing in water, towel for them to rest on should be better. I dearly hope you do not loose them.

Remembering I do not know your egg crates, how do they do in water? Do they basically just darken in colour as they soak it up? I'm wondering if they hold a reasonable amount of water themselves, darkening would indicate this. When you give them additional water in a day, do they go back to a dry colour, possibly with discolouration from the soil, that would mean they are really drying out. I'm trying to give you an outline of how they might change, so you can judge better for yourself.

Another thought, if you are leaving them in a window, might it get hot there as the day goes through. I'm thinking good light but not strong light, if you can manage it, could help your plants. I'm thinking they are still rather tender.

All the best.

MsCzar

Thank you! The cardboard does hold some water - so the towel-in-water tray will probably work. Good thinking about moving them away from direct sun while I am gone. I've been successful with standing water with deeper pots, but wouldn't chance it with the shallow egg crates.

AnnPT77

You're kind of trying to balance between two risks, here, @MsCzar: Drying out, vs. damping off fungus (to which seedlings are especially vulnerable, especially when small). Bottom watering (the towel) should help. There are some reputed natural fungicides (such as chamomile tea) that you could consider, maybe.

MsCzar

Do you spray the chamomile onto the plants and soil or add it to the water?

AnnPT77

MsCzar wrote: »

Do you spray the chamomile onto the plants and soil or add it to the water?

From memory, I think the idea for seedlings was to water with it. Random reference from Google:

https://gardentherapy.ca/chamomile-fungicide-spray/

LoveyChar

I live in central Texas. Last year because of extremely low lake levels, we were unable to swim. This year, our lake levels are 67% lower than this time last year (as of a few weeks, month ago).

However, we have recently got a little rain and I'm hoping for much, much more which is a possibility and forecasted for this week.

I see tiny straightneck or longneck squash starting to pop out and it also looks like Bell Peppers will pop soon. I want some sauteed squash and peppers.

MsCzar

Hooray! Happy to report that my home-alone seedlings were all hale and hearty after 9 days. My pepper and eggplant seeds still haven't sprouted; so at this point, I'll just pick up a few greenhouse plants. Of the eight pepper plants I tried to over-winter, it looks like only one has survived. I may give it another go this winter - this time leaving on more many more leaves than the interwebs recommend.

Fuzzipeg

Congratulations - I'd not realised you'd be away so long. Its good the little plants are so well. I can't remember the sprouting time for peppers and eggplant so I can't help there. I'd say as a first attempt one pepper overwintering successfully is really good. Like you say, a few more leaves left on could really help with what photosynthesis they can do over winter when its all rather difficult, there are some special day light systems which could help. Enjoy your gardening.

mtaratoot

I got back last night from a Grand Canyon rafting trip. We spent 23 days rowing 280 miles from Lee's Ferry to Pearce Ferry. It took three days of driving to get there, plus one day to rig the boats before launch, and it took two days to get back. That's just over a full lunar cycle.

My houseplants are all alive and happy. I turned the heat WAY down and closed the blinds. My grass was well over a foot tall. I set the mower high and used the bagger, then ran it a second time at the highest height with the mulcher. In a few days I will mow it to normal length. I thought my flowering cherry would be done when I got home, but spring is late; I arrived to see it in full splendor! The tulips are blooming like mad, and the camas is just about to start blooming. I guess I didn't miss spring.

It will take several days to catch back up, but I'd go back next week if I could. We had challenging weather the first couple days (60+ mph wind and a good bit below freezing at night), but once we paid those dues, we had mostly fantastic weather.... except the day it was over 100 degrees.

I'm going to take a break in a while and enjoy a glass of sake under the Sakura tree. The vegetable garden will have to wait. The berry canes and bushes look good. Fruit trees are blooming. Maybe it will be a good season. I'm tired!