((Serious Gardening))

[galanie]

Kassaundra, I never have luck with bell peppers either. I'm giving it one last try this spring then I'll just grow sweet banana peppers.

Got my tomatoes in, and one is already getting ready to bloom! I was surprised but they are growing like mad. Red potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach beets, and some flowers is about all beside the mangels that are just starting to sprout. I have more than tripled the size of my garden since last year and I still need more room to plant!

But I'm trying to keep it to just what I can prepare w/out having someone come help and small enough so I can use my own compost rather than bring in some dirt. It's all raised beds. I'm going pretty much no-till heavy mulch style as much as I can. Sort of like the Ruth Stout method. But I do very much like to dabble in the dirt so it won't be 100% w/out any soil turning.

 

[Kassaundra]

Galanie, I don't do raised beds, but I am trying to use as much self made mulch (or self scavanged peoples bagged leaves from the fall that I can "harvest" through the fall or local manures I can easily harvest etc..) But mine is also as no till as I can get. I want to be able to plant, prepare, and maintain my entire gardens w/ a shovel and dibbler (oh and of course a flock of chickens). I do have a chipper shredder I have been putting to good use in making my own compost / mulch also a paper shredder.

 

[galanie]

I'm jealous that you have a chipper/shredder! LOL. Some day, I will too. We had one years ago and I loved the thing. We 'harvested' other's leaves too and wow did we ever have a mountain of stuff even after running it through that thing. It was great.

 

[cmb19]

I want all of you to know that thanks to this forum, I planted three, 72 cell packs last night. That's 216 plants if I get one out of each. I don't know if I love all of you or hate you.

I'm sure most of you are thinking, "well gee, that's not many plants." The difference between you and me? I kill plants..well I kill the EASY plants. I killed a Wandering Jew...I swear it's a plant name, I don't know if it has other names, please don't hate me for that name...after I was told it's impossible to kill the stupid things. Mini roses? had lots, killed them all. I have a beautiful orchid on my windowsill that is growing magnificently, even though every one else I know with orchids kill them. I also planted a cutting from a Christmas cactus that is doing quite well, yet my grandma is the only person I know who can grow cuttings.

I planted yellow, red, and green bell peppers, tomatoes and 2 types of marigolds. All by request of my mother for her garden. I have chairs set over top of heating vents right now so my peppers get heat to germinate. I will be getting lights tomorrow, the store I thought would have them, didn't, so I'll be heading to "the big city" for a wider selection.

I guess I'm just writing this novel to warn all of you that I may be posting in this thread in the next few weeks....at least posting pictures if I get plants. I've always loved gardening of any kind and if I can actually grow plants from seeds, I'll be thrilled.

Right now my only worry is watering...I'll be bottom watering but since I just planted the seeds, I'm afraid the dirt is too dry. Is too dry better than too wet in all your experiences?

 

[galanie]

I want all of you to know that thanks to this forum, I planted three, 72 cell packs last night. That's 216 plants if I get one out of each. I don't know if I love all of you or hate you.

I'm sure most of you are thinking, "well gee, that's not many plants." The difference between you and me? I kill plants..well I kill the EASY plants. I killed a Wandering Jew...I swear it's a plant name, I don't know if it has other names, please don't hate me for that name...after I was told it's impossible to kill the stupid things. Mini roses? had lots, killed them all. I have a beautiful orchid on my windowsill that is growing magnificently, even though every one else I know with orchids kill them. I also planted a cutting from a Christmas cactus that is doing quite well, yet my grandma is the only person I know who can grow cuttings.

I planted yellow, red, and green bell peppers, tomatoes and 2 types of marigolds. All by request of my mother for her garden. I have chairs set over top of heating vents right now so my peppers get heat to germinate. I will be getting lights tomorrow, the store I thought would have them, didn't, so I'll be heading to "the big city" for a wider selection.

I guess I'm just writing this novel to warn all of you that I may be posting in this thread in the next few weeks....at least posting pictures if I get plants. I've always loved gardening of any kind and if I can actually grow  plants from seeds, I'll be thrilled.

Right now my only worry is watering...I'll be bottom watering but since I just planted the seeds, I'm afraid the dirt is too dry. Is too dry better than too wet in all your experiences?

You killed a Wandering Jew??? Really? And yet are growing orchids and chrismas cactus? LOL. That's kind of awesome really.

Too dry is instant death to vegetable seedlings, too wet is slow death. But there is a range. So long as the top is even the slightest bit moist you're fine. If you used really dry peat moss based potting mix it may take it a while to suck up water. In the meantime the seed won't germinate till it gets damp so you're ok.

 

[Kansaseq]

I had a wandering jew and kept incorrectly calling it a 'creeping jew'. I agree, it is a hard plant to kill, but I think I may have managed to kill mine, as well.

3 72 cell jiffy pot things is a lot! I planted 1 of those, thinking, if even half of these grow,that's a LOT to transplant. I'm trying okra for the first time ever, along with cucumbers (blah-growing for a friend), some cool chocolate peppers (turn brown when ripe) and chocolate tomatoes. What can I say? I like things that are a little different.
I'm also getting some bean seeds from a friend who got them in Brazil when he lived there. Supposed to be really long suckers.
Does anyone have pictures they'd like to share, to get us through and whet our appetites for the new growing season? I'm jonesing for spring, and all I have are my daffodils blooming.

 

[cmb19]

Yep, I'm just that amazing with plants

...which figures because I love flowers and plants and everything else that grows. When my husband and I can finally buy a house, there will absolutely be a sun room full of plants.

I mixed the dirt (seedling something or other, Miracle Gro, which I've read isn't the best but I have limited options here) thoroughly with water before even filling the cells. The dirt was damp, but I couldn't squeeze any water out...I'm figuring that's good enough, but I'll have to see. I'm probably going to have to water a little in the next day or 2 because the heat is going to dry the dirt quickly I suppose.

I'm going to be getting fluorescent lights tomorrow..preferably with daylight bulbs, but cool white if I have to. I'm have to read this thread better to see what every one says about that. They'll be 4 foot lights and I'll get 2..pretty sure the 3 flats will fit fine under them.

Here's some pictures of my orchid when I first got it a few months ago...looks pretty much the same. Only 2 flowers have died off and one has already been replaced.

 

[Desirai]

Helloooo!!!

I ventured here in hops that maybe someone knows about breeding plants.. specifically cannas!

The cannas I have in my yard are 10 years old and are yellow. They're some sort of a hybrid that does NOT produce seeds.

The cannas I have now are salmon pink cannas and DO produce seeds.

If I give yellow canna pollen to the salmon cannas, will the salmon cannas still produce seeds? Will they be either yellow OR salmon or still just salmon?

 

[Kassaundra]

Yep, I'm just that amazing with plants ...which figures because I love flowers and plants and everything else that grows. When my  husband and I can finally buy a house, there will absolutely be a sun room full of plants.


I mixed the dirt (seedling something or other, Miracle Gro, which I've read isn't the best but I have limited options here) thoroughly with water before even filling the cells. The dirt was damp, but I couldn't squeeze any water out...I'm figuring that's good enough, but I'll have to see. I'm probably going to have to water a little in the next day or 2 because the heat is going to dry the dirt quickly I suppose.

I'm going to be getting fluorescent lights tomorrow..preferably with daylight bulbs, but cool white if I have to. I'm have to read this thread better to see what every one says about that. They'll be 4 foot lights and I'll get 2..pretty sure the 3 flats will fit fine under them.

Here's some pictures of my orchid when I first got it a few months ago...looks pretty much the same. Only 2 flowers have died off and one has already been replaced.

Beautiful orchids, I don't grow them, but there is a botanical garden a couple of hours drive from my home that I like going to and taking pics of their orchids.

 

[happyhensny]

Just built our raised beds-then after ordering the lumber from the saw mill, rough cut 2 x 10 x 8, we decided 6 beds are going to be better than 4 so I placed another order.