Garden thread

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  • summery79
    summery79 Posts: 116 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    You all are an inspiration and just being here is helping me to learn and do more!

    I have a question...

    First of all I just bought my first sprouted plants - cherry tomatoes and jalapenos. I bought three types of herb seeds - lavender, parsley, rosemary plus I bought bell pepper seeds.

    Here's the question: have you ever bought a piece of fruit or a vegetable from the store and were successful in planting the fruit's seed to watch it grow? I can't plant an apple tree in my tiny backyard. But even if you did, I'd love to hear about it. I'm looking for something that doesn't take up much room. Thank you!

    I don't have a green thumb at all but I've had really good luck sprouting scallions, onions, celery, and lettuce from scraps that I would otherwise have thrown out. Celery bases that looked really old and dead were doing really well in pots and are now thriving in my garden. Not fruits of course, but an easy way to get some garden success. The scallions grow well indoors. There's a video that I found helpful https://lifehacker.com/how-to-grow-vegetables-from-kitchen-scraps-1842858616

    I've tried to plant seeds from my grocery store Meyer lemons and they never grow. I figure I'll eventually get some good seeds if I keep trying. I want a free lemon tree. lol
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Re: rosemary as a perennial.

    Here in WV (northern VA area) my two puny plants have survived but that’s about all I can say for them. Very little growth overall (but the lavender took off this past year??).

    Central NC on the other hand? Massive massive bush that is going on 10 years old... my dad gave me the SINGLE plant after we built our house... I used to have a picture but I think I deleted it when my phone ran out of space. Last I saw, it was at least 5’ wide and 3’ or 4’ deep growing away from the house... our 50lb dog had a nice hidey-hole dug out behind it.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Unfortunately I am too far north for rosemary be a perennial. Sage on the other hand . . . I love roasted veggies with crispy sage, as well as various squash soups.
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    LovelyChar:
    I sliced a tomato and planted 4 slices, 2 slices have given me tons of sprouts which I have to now replant before they crowd themselves out and die. I took seeds from 2 different peppers and so far, zilch, it's been more than 3 weeks. :/ I cut a sweet potato in half and propped it in glasses of water, supposed to grow shoots I can root in water. So far, nada and that's been 2 weeks. I had previously saved and dried spaghetti squash seeds from one I bought awhile back and planted those. Nothing. :(

    Having said all that, it's fun to try and see what happens. :) BUT I wouldn't invest too much money and hope just in case you get nada. :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,947 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    You all are an inspiration and just being here is helping me to learn and do more!

    I have a question...

    First of all I just bought my first sprouted plants - cherry tomatoes and jalapenos. I bought three types of herb seeds - lavender, parsley, rosemary plus I bought bell pepper seeds.

    Here's the question: have you ever bought a piece of fruit or a vegetable from the store and were successful in planting the fruit's seed to watch it grow? I can't plant an apple tree in my tiny backyard. But even if you did, I'd love to hear about it. I'm looking for something that doesn't take up much room. Thank you!

    I have a friend who has successfully grown cherry tomatoes seeds from tomatoes he was eating. I am going to try this too. We are making a dish containing fresh tomatoes tonight.

    https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/tomato/planting-tomato-slices.htm
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    We have a variety of citrus trees in one area, some lemons, one nice mature lime, a rough lemon that I guess was never grafted on to, some struggling apples and slope full of what I think are nectarines but haven't fruited yet that I can tell. There are a couple that are citrus but I never saw fruit on. Yesterday one of the mystery trees showed a glimmer of orange deep inside and I discovered it is teeny tiny tangerines! There is a kumquat in a different area but these are perfect miniature tangerines - I never knew they were a thing!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    I have no proof, but I have some suspicion that the preservation methods for some commercial fruits/veggies these days have an effect on seed viability, or that in some cases, the hybridization (or growing techniques) to produce no/small/few/soft seeds at market ripeness (nicer for the eater) has rendered some less germination viable as a percentage of seeds.

    Back in the day (1970s-80s), I sprouted a lot of citrus seeds, and routinely sprouted avocado seeds, then had both around as houseplants (no fruit indoors in Michigan! :lol: ) for years. Recent experiments have been much, much less successful. Don't actually know why, but do realize that stabilization of "fresh" fruit now can involve irradiation, storage in gas-filled sealed spaces, and who knows what else, so have wondered if there's a relationship.

    For sure, the creation of varieties with no (or soft/small/immature) seeds is a bigger thing now. Ever wonder where seedless watermelons come from: Immaculate conception? Clones? (Kidding: Obviously, seeds, but the varieties came from hybridization.) Pretty sure immature/soft seeds have been pursued in breeding other things in which we eat the seeds, too.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    @moonangel12 @AnnPT77 @summery79 @ReenieHJ @apogee Thank you for your input and sharing your experience, very interesting. I'm in zone 8a and I'm pretty sure that rosemary is a perennial here...I think so...we'll see...

    Sage and mint are both herbs I'd like to try to plant one day plus basil and oregano.

    Today I planted 31 Bell Pepper seeds.cucobeue28ym.jpg
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @moonangel12 @AnnPT77 @summery79 @ReenieHJ @apogee Thank you for your input and sharing your experience, very interesting. I'm in zone 8a and I'm pretty sure that rosemary is a perennial here...I think so...we'll see...

    Sage and mint are both herbs I'd like to try to plant one day plus basil and oregano.

    Today I planted 31 Bell Pepper seeds.
    (snip nice photo)

    Sage: Easy, I'd buy plant(s) but seed usually works.

    Mint: Way, way toooo easy, generally, one of the worst garden thugs. Plant in isolated pot! I'd buy a (one) plant that you like the scent/flavor of, because they're quite variable.

    Basil: Conventional types, plant seed. Annual, and they grow fast, flower (too) soon from plants, and there isn't much speed advantage. Suggestion: Get a packet. Plant them around your tomato seedlings. By the time the small tomato seedling needs its whole spot, the basil will be big enough to cut and use.

    Oregano: Definitely buy plants. These can be super variable from seed, and you probably don't need many plants. Buying the plant, you know what flavor you're getting. Seeds, you invest a good bit of time before you find out. Some are seriously "meh".

    Just my opinions.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Common sage is a perennial even here in the frozen north so I bought one plant a couple of years ago and it has been coming up every year since. White sage tends to die in our winters (Zone 5a).
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @moonangel12 @AnnPT77 @summery79 @ReenieHJ @apogee Thank you for your input and sharing your experience, very interesting. I'm in zone 8a and I'm pretty sure that rosemary is a perennial here...I think so...we'll see...

    Sage and mint are both herbs I'd like to try to plant one day plus basil and oregano.

    Today I planted 31 Bell Pepper seeds.
    (snip nice photo)

    Sage: Easy, I'd buy plant(s) but seed usually works.

    Mint: Way, way toooo easy, generally, one of the worst garden thugs. Plant in isolated pot! I'd buy a (one) plant that you like the scent/flavor of, because they're quite variable.

    Basil: Conventional types, plant seed. Annual, and they grow fast, flower (too) soon from plants, and there isn't much speed advantage. Suggestion: Get a packet. Plant them around your tomato seedlings. By the time the small tomato seedling needs its whole spot, the basil will be big enough to cut and use.

    Oregano: Definitely buy plants. These can be super variable from seed, and you probably don't need many plants. Buying the plant, you know what flavor you're getting. Seeds, you invest a good bit of time before you find out. Some are seriously "meh".

    Just my opinions.

    Good, good stuff...I appreciate the advice and sharing your experience. For everything I bought seedwise, I bought the expensive coated seeds called 'Sow Easy.' They're supposed to grow easier (I really won't have a comparison, though).
  • JaxxieKat
    JaxxieKat Posts: 427 Member
    My garden is officially in the ground. Later than usual, but a cold snap combined with pandemic panic buying and having seeds on backorder caused delays. I have three types of tomato, two types of dill, sweet banana peppers, lavender, zucchini and cucumber.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    Afterthought on mint cultivation: It can be a freebie. In a good bit of the country, you'll find it growing streamside usually in semi-open shade/partial sun. They're darned close to everywhere in the US, very common, even in cities.

    Look for the square (cross-section) stems, look online to recognize the leaf-form, usually a little crinkly and scallop-edged. They're fairly low-growing plants. Here (Michigan) some of the wild forms have reddish stems. If it looks close, pick a leaf and crush: You'll know - strong mint scent. I can't speak for other parts of the country (but I'll bet it's true elsewhere, too ;) ): None of the plants I can think of that cause contact dermatitis (think poison ivy, among others) look at all like it. (Stinging nettle, Urtica sp., is about the closest I can think of, and it's a taller thing with fine hairs, where most common wild US mints - Mentha sp. - are not hairy.)

    Make sure you're in a place where it's legal to take wild plant material, dig up a little chunk with some roots, keep the roots damp, plant in similar light conditions at home and keep moist. Easy.

    The university rowing team rigger (boat maint. guy) told me he'd never seen mint growing on the river where we row. One day, I pulled a tiny sproutlet that was growing in a crack between plastic-composite planks on our dock, and handed it to him. :lol: Stuff is common there, too. :)
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @moonangel12 @AnnPT77 @summery79 @ReenieHJ @apogee Thank you for your input and sharing your experience, very interesting. I'm in zone 8a and I'm pretty sure that rosemary is a perennial here...I think so...we'll see...

    Sage and mint are both herbs I'd like to try to plant one day plus basil and oregano.
    Definitely a perennial for the rosemary, we were in 7 in NC (I think b). We moved 5.5 hours north and are now in 6 b/a (Eastern panhandle of WV) and that small shift is noticeable in plant life! I remember when we came to scout the area I was fascinated by the differences! There have been a couple trips where we change seasons completely in those 5.5 hours, and we’re not even in the mtns. Either winter here, bare trees and drab, to spring greens and early flowers there... or snow here and then fall color there.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    I bought chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint this year - all in their cozy pots ;) lemon balm is potted as well. I remember reading an article years ago about a guy who had a massive mint garden with tons of varieties- what a dream!

    Spent all day in the garden(s) getting things cleaned up, seedlings planted, seeds in he ground (someni forgot needed soaking so they will go out tomorrow or Monday). I am pooped! Took some masks to a couple from church and she took me on a tour of her yard. All hardy perennials, most with a story to go with them. She gifted me several things including these massive hens and chicks (or bitties depending on how far south you go). She pulled up a huge sheet of them for me! I have them in a few spots around the yard, really hoping they will take to the rock beds.

    3ad2s7jtk4gr.jpeg
    z8b8mt4wcgdq.jpeg
    w6q41brc7a5k.jpeg
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    I bought chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint this year - all in their cozy pots ;)lemon balm is potted as well. I remember reading an article years ago about a guy who had a massive mint garden with tons of varieties- what a dream!

    Spent all day in the garden(s) getting things cleaned up, seedlings planted, seeds in he ground (someni forgot needed soaking so they will go out tomorrow or Monday). I am pooped! Took some masks to a couple from church and she took me on a tour of her yard. All hardy perennials, most with a story to go with them. She gifted me several things including these massive hens and chicks (or bitties depending on how far south you go). She pulled up a huge sheet of them for me! I have them in a few spots around the yard, really hoping they will take to the rock beds.
    (snip excellent photos)

    Lemon balm, in case this is your first rodeo: Isolate! Isolate! Isolate!

    IME, Lemon Balm is worse than mint, even (same family, Lamiacaeae). Most of the mint I've grown likes to propagate mostly vegetatively, mostly root-runners, but very aggressively. Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) seems quite happy to spread that way . . . or to volunteer seed around, which mint is not quite so wont to do.

    Don't let this have full rein. :grimace:
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    @acpgee I saw your post on the produce thread about how to plant tomato slices and I read the blog. Let us know how it goes.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I got my veggie bed all tilled and planted the potatoes yesterday. All that is left now is to actually plant the tomatoes and annual herbs plus tweak the perennials a little more and mulch. I have a small space but have fun with it. At the very top left of this photo (by the pipe) is the perennial herbs. All are coming up nicely. The sage just started but that is typical. It is the last to start greening but it stays good until around Christmas or so. On the first trellis is a concord grape vine I planted last fall. Don't expect fruit for another year or two. The rest of the bed is for the veggies and herbs (the plants are in a flat in front of the potato bin)

    The plastic tote is the potatoes. I cut the bottom out of the tote and set it over 8" depth of prepared soil, then filled it and planted. I ran out of soil so they are only covered 1" right now. The entire right side is perennials. The trellis is a new honeysuckle I planted last fall so it has growing to do. What can't be seen because it is out of the photo to the far right is my mature honeysuckle (different variety than the new one) on the same kind of trellis and the clematis on a different trellis and in its second year so it should grow and fill the space nicely.

    zxgded2j82un.jpg
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,068 Member
    summery79 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    You all are an inspiration and just being here is helping me to learn and do more!

    I have a question...

    First of all I just bought my first sprouted plants - cherry tomatoes and jalapenos. I bought three types of herb seeds - lavender, parsley, rosemary plus I bought bell pepper seeds.

    Here's the question: have you ever bought a piece of fruit or a vegetable from the store and were successful in planting the fruit's seed to watch it grow? I can't plant an apple tree in my tiny backyard. But even if you did, I'd love to hear about it. I'm looking for something that doesn't take up much room. Thank you!

    I don't have a green thumb at all but I've had really good luck sprouting scallions, onions, celery, and lettuce from scraps that I would otherwise have thrown out. Celery bases that looked really old and dead were doing really well in pots and are now thriving in my garden. Not fruits of course, but an easy way to get some garden success. The scallions grow well indoors. There's a video that I found helpful https://lifehacker.com/how-to-grow-vegetables-from-kitchen-scraps-1842858616

    I've tried to plant seeds from my grocery store Meyer lemons and they never grow. I figure I'll eventually get some good seeds if I keep trying. I want a free lemon tree. lol

    Do you put your scallions in water in the sun? I just started some in the house but don't have a sunny window. They come out real thin in the house so I'm thinking of keeping them outside and later planting in a few pots, I go through a lot in my salads.

    If you all can find it I found a new-to-me mint in Green Acres, not sure if it's in other places aside of this area. It's berries and cream and it's amazing in water. I had a chocolate mint but rarely used it and normally use my other mint in water, should've bought peppermint too but already went crazy buying every basil variety. Also have stinky catnip but my cats don't care for it, only one who does is one of the ferals I feed.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    edited May 2020
    I love the pictures, looks very nice @moonangel12 and @earlnabby !

    I am very naive in the world of gardening. I'm not a spring chicken, just probably late to the game. I did not know you could grow stevia or honeysuckle and I'm hearing other things thrown around I'd like to try one day.

    Screwed up. So I went outside this morning to look at my seedlings and in the one egg carton of Bell Pepper there were Roly Poly bugs. Not in anything else, so I got all visible bugs out. I did some research on those bugs and they eat decaying plants so they help aid in decomposition but they also eat seedlings. I can see some of my seeds have popped out of the soil to the top so I did not plant them correctly, not deep enough. Lots of trial and error going on but I'm glad I have plenty of seeds and soil, although, I need to buy some more pots. Everything else looks good, as good as any dirt or soil could look...
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I bought chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint this year - all in their cozy pots ;)lemon balm is potted as well. I remember reading an article years ago about a guy who had a massive mint garden with tons of varieties- what a dream!

    Spent all day in the garden(s) getting things cleaned up, seedlings planted, seeds in he ground (someni forgot needed soaking so they will go out tomorrow or Monday). I am pooped! Took some masks to a couple from church and she took me on a tour of her yard. All hardy perennials, most with a story to go with them. She gifted me several things including these massive hens and chicks (or bitties depending on how far south you go). She pulled up a huge sheet of them for me! I have them in a few spots around the yard, really hoping they will take to the rock beds.
    (snip excellent photos)

    Lemon balm, in case this is your first rodeo: Isolate! Isolate! Isolate!

    IME, Lemon Balm is worse than mint, even (same family, Lamiacaeae). Most of the mint I've grown likes to propagate mostly vegetatively, mostly root-runners, but very aggressively. Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) seems quite happy to spread that way . . . or to volunteer seed around, which mint is not quite so wont to do.

    Don't let this have full rein. :grimace:

    My mom has been trying to eradicate lemon balm from her garden for at least a decade, lol.

    Last year I posted about the spot behind my house where the town came and got rid of dead trees and cleared a 30 x 50 or so section. I've been replacing the invasive species I don't like with the ones I do.

    I put in about 5 springs of lemon balm last year and it is indeed SUPER AGGRESSIVE. I planted it up near the fence b/c I wanted it as an edible and am concerned about possibly contaminated soil in the lower area.

    However, if I leave it there, I'm going to have to give up on everything else, with the possible exception of the bee balm, also in the mint family. I bet the lemon balm would win though...

    Went out to take a picture and the lemon has indeed hopped over the the bee.

    Looks like I have my afternoon gardening project :lol:

    v3uj90528c4w.jpg
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Afterthought on mint cultivation: It can be a freebie. In a good bit of the country, you'll find it growing streamside usually in semi-open shade/partial sun. They're darned close to everywhere in the US, very common, even in cities.

    Look for the square (cross-section) stems, look online to recognize the leaf-form, usually a little crinkly and scallop-edged. They're fairly low-growing plants. Here (Michigan) some of the wild forms have reddish stems. If it looks close, pick a leaf and crush: You'll know - strong mint scent. I can't speak for other parts of the country (but I'll bet it's true elsewhere, too ;) ): None of the plants I can think of that cause contact dermatitis (think poison ivy, among others) look at all like it. (Stinging nettle, Urtica sp., is about the closest I can think of, and it's a taller thing with fine hairs, where most common wild US mints - Mentha sp. - are not hairy.)

    Make sure you're in a place where it's legal to take wild plant material, dig up a little chunk with some roots, keep the roots damp, plant in similar light conditions at home and keep moist. Easy.

    The university rowing team rigger (boat maint. guy) told me he'd never seen mint growing on the river where we row. One day, I pulled a tiny sproutlet that was growing in a crack between plastic-composite planks on our dock, and handed it to him. :lol: Stuff is common there, too. :)

    Also, every year I offer mint and bee balm for free on my FaceBook gardening group and on freecycle.org. People who want any type of aggressive/invasive plant might be able to find or request it online.

    I'll be offering lemon balm on my FB group today. :lol:
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    My OH gave up on trying to get grass to grow on the part of the lawn in the front of the picture and let me have it as a project. (Hooray!) I'm looking for suggestions on how to fill it in.
    1. I'm in 6b
    2. The section is roughly 10 x 10 x 16 feet.
    3. It gets full sun and heat from the driveway and road.
    4. I'm interested in a mix of perennials, including smaller ornamental grass, and annuals
    5. I don't want bushes or anything with structure over the winter, as snow gets thrown there.
    6. I don't want anything particularly attractive to deer as they do wander down our street from time to time although the Irish Spring soap I hang by my hostas does seem to keep them away.

    Currently, there are:
    • On the left five, creeping phlox (only two in bloom.) I also put in some crocus and glory of the snow in between them.
    • On the right, dragon's blood sedum.
    • In front of the bag of mulch, three daffodils and two autumn joy sedum. One more of the latter to come after I wrestle it out of the lemon balm :lol:

    I have some baby tall phlox and tiger lilies available I could put in. I also have Siberian iris. I love iris, but perhaps I should use varieties that are less aggressive.

    Suggestions welcome!

    h13qc1sn0uf8.jpg
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I put in my little baby container garden today on my balcony. Nothing exciting as I didn't want a ton of stuff this year and instead I focused on what has grown well in the past and that I am sure to use. It's just me anyway. So I have basil, purple basil, parsley, cilantro, strawberries, cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes, romaine, and mixed greens. I do wish I had found some catnip for my boys, but oh well. I didn't have a huge selection as I didn't want to go to more stores then I had to.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    I bought chocolate mint, spearmint, and peppermint this year - all in their cozy pots ;)lemon balm is potted as well. I remember reading an article years ago about a guy who had a massive mint garden with tons of varieties- what a dream!

    Spent all day in the garden(s) getting things cleaned up, seedlings planted, seeds in he ground (someni forgot needed soaking so they will go out tomorrow or Monday). I am pooped! Took some masks to a couple from church and she took me on a tour of her yard. All hardy perennials, most with a story to go with them. She gifted me several things including these massive hens and chicks (or bitties depending on how far south you go). She pulled up a huge sheet of them for me! I have them in a few spots around the yard, really hoping they will take to the rock beds.
    (snip excellent photos)

    Lemon balm, in case this is your first rodeo: Isolate! Isolate! Isolate!

    IME, Lemon Balm is worse than mint, even (same family, Lamiacaeae). Most of the mint I've grown likes to propagate mostly vegetatively, mostly root-runners, but very aggressively. Lemon Balm (Melissa officianalis) seems quite happy to spread that way . . . or to volunteer seed around, which mint is not quite so wont to do.

    Don't let this have full rein. :grimace:

    My mom has been trying to eradicate lemon balm from her garden for at least a decade, lol.

    Last year I posted about the spot behind my house where the town came and got rid of dead trees and cleared a 30 x 50 or so section. I've been replacing the invasive species I don't like with the ones I do.

    I put in about 5 springs of lemon balm last year and it is indeed SUPER AGGRESSIVE. I planted it up near the fence b/c I wanted it as an edible and am concerned about possibly contaminated soil in the lower area.

    However, if I leave it there, I'm going to have to give up on everything else, with the possible exception of the bee balm, also in the mint family. I bet the lemon balm would win though...

    Went out to take a picture and the lemon has indeed hopped over the the bee.
    I have never had an issue the last few years growing it in pots, but I do keep most everything pinched back to prevent bolting so that probably helps (to a fault, still trying to replace a basil variety from 3 years ago... had I let it go to seed I might have had some spring back up... I have Thai basil everywhere from a single plant two years ago!). I did plant some lemon balm in the ground in NC at the back of the property in my then-rabbit hutch - it has since been moved and is mowable yard now, I wonder if it’s still there 🤔 I should ask hubby’s cousin if he smells lemon when he mows back there :lol:
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    I love the pictures, looks very nice @moonangel12 and @earlnabby !

    I am very naive in the world of gardening. I'm not a spring chicken, just probably late to the game. I did not know you could grow stevia or honeysuckle and I'm hearing other things thrown around I'd like to try one day.

    Screwed up. So I went outside this morning to look at my seedlings and in the one egg carton of Bell Pepper there were Roly Poly bugs. Not in anything else, so I got all visible bugs out. I did some research on those bugs and they eat decaying plants so they help aid in decomposition but they also eat seedlings. I can see some of my seeds have popped out of the soil to the top so I did not plant them correctly, not deep enough. Lots of trial and error going on but I'm glad I have plenty of seeds and soil, although, I need to buy some more pots. Everything else looks good, as good as any dirt or soil could look...

    Maybe, maybe not, if it's just that the seed-case is starting to poke out of the soil. (Yes if you see roots on top of the soil.) There are quite a few things that germinate, send a root down, push a stalk up, and the seed-case stays attached to the initial leaves (for some, all you see for a bit is the seed-case on a green stalk). As those first leaves open and grow, they push the seed-case open and off.

    Here is an example:

    md423pxyos1m.jpg

    That happens to be an Aristolochia sproutlet, I think A. tomentosa, in an egg carton. It will one day grow to be a 30-foot porch-eating (but non-destructive) vine with weird little flowers. Not a food, just a seedling example.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    I love the pictures, looks very nice @moonangel12 and @earlnabby !

    I am very naive in the world of gardening. I'm not a spring chicken, just probably late to the game. I did not know you could grow stevia or honeysuckle and I'm hearing other things thrown around I'd like to try one day.

    Screwed up. So I went outside this morning to look at my seedlings and in the one egg carton of Bell Pepper there were Roly Poly bugs. Not in anything else, so I got all visible bugs out. I did some research on those bugs and they eat decaying plants so they help aid in decomposition but they also eat seedlings. I can see some of my seeds have popped out of the soil to the top so I did not plant them correctly, not deep enough. Lots of trial and error going on but I'm glad I have plenty of seeds and soil, although, I need to buy some more pots. Everything else looks good, as good as any dirt or soil could look...

    Maybe, maybe not, if it's just that the seed-case is starting to poke out of the soil. (Yes if you see roots on top of the soil.) There are quite a few things that germinate, send a root down, push a stalk up, and the seed-case stays attached to the initial leaves (for some, all you see for a bit is the seed-case on a green stalk). As those first leaves open and grow, they push the seed-case open and off.

    Here is an example:

    md423pxyos1m.jpg

    That happens to be an Aristolochia sproutlet, I think A. tomentosa, in an egg carton. It will one day grow to be a 30-foot porch-eating (but non-destructive) vine with weird little flowers. Not a food, just a seedling example.

    Thank you! I only have seeds planted and they've done nothing yet. I think i just didn't plant them deep enough and watering them brought some to the surface. I may also be overwatering.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    19 lavender seeds, next time I post a picture of this pot I hope there will be growth in there. I'm planting parsley seeds tomorrow. ovil7svbwoaa.jpg
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    My gardening efforts are a little pathetic compared to everything I see here. However, I am happy with progress on pea and popcorn shoots being grown for microgreens (day 15 after sowing). I planted a slice each of a cherry and plum tomato on the weekend that will hopefully germinate in a week. The roasting tin is out on the balcony as i have switched to bottom watering because I noticed water collecting within the fragile tubular corn shoots.
    4ycgsb9ymdad.jpg

    @acpgee clearly you are in a city...when all I had was a balcony, I was less ambitions than you ;)

    Where did you get your peas? Pea shoots were a staple somewhere I used to live, and I always wanted to try them. Back then, it was hard to get the proper peas for making sprouts.