- Pick the right kinds of plants.
- Some plants are easy to start from seed. Some are more difficult, and some are just not going to work. By doing some retroactive research, I've noticed a lot of herbs are not really good to start from seed. Chives are super easy to grow but not usually from seed. Rosemary seems to be better to propagate from cuttings.
- If you just want one or two plants, just buy the plant at the nursery. A packet of seeds is about $5, and a plant will cost about the same, maybe less. I only have room to grow a maximum of 2 tomato plants, and if I grow a second plant, it's going to be a different variety. Since I have a very limited amount of space for seed starting, it doesn't make a lot of sense to buy a pack of Tomato seeds, start a 6 pack or two and have that take up space for at least 8 weeks, and then only be able to actually grow one of them outside. It would make a lot more sense to just go to a good nursery (not Lowe's or Home Depot) and get a tomato plant or two.
- The plants that are worth growing from seed are plants where you want like, 6 or more. For me, that's vegetables like lettuce, kale, arugula, Swiss chard, maybe radishes, and peas and beans. For ornamentals, that's coleus, zinnia, morning glory and sunflower
- The bigger the seed, the easier it is to grow. Examples: beans, sunflowers, nasturtiums
- Best Vegetables to Start From Seed
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Leaf Lettuce
- Head Lettues
- Kale
- Swiss Chard
- Best Flowers to Start From Seed
- Nasturtiums
- Sunflowers
- Morning Glory
- Zinnias
- Use a grow light.
- In past years, I had tons of stupid little trays of seedlings on the floor in front of the glass doors, trying to grow them from the sunlight coming in the window. As they sat there next to a window on the cold tile, a lot of things didn't germinate at all until it got warmer, and the things that did germinate didn't do so well. I remember thinking, Oh great, they're getting so tall! I didn't know at that point that I want my seedlings fat and happy.
- I finally bought a grow light, which made me feel a little weird. I was kind of worried I'd get put on some kind of a watch list for drug dealers. I did this way out of phase, buying a light in like, August. I used the built in shelving in the laundry room on the third floor and rigged up a very inelegant situation of a light hanging from some hooks shoved into the holes where you'd put the shelf holders. This was great, I grew lots of greens like Swiss Chard and Bok Choy and then moved them to larger containers outside. One of my neighbors commented on the ridiculous volume of plants on my patio with a mix of encouragement and concern. She used the word "addiction" with a very serious tone. The problem was that I'd gotten this amazing light at the wrong time. I was using it only on these fast-germinating greens, so I was turning out plants faster than I could handle, and I couldn't really provide enough sun-filled space for all the seedlings I had. I joked that I was the welfare mom of plants- I just kept making babies I wasn't able to care for.
- Get real seed starting mix
- This wasn't really a tough lesson to learn. I was never inclined to go outside, dig up some regular-ass dirt and bring it into my house. Most of the early seed starting attempts were in the very early spring, when going outside wasn't that appealing. And of course I'd just go buy a nice bag of soil.
- The first time I tried this, I got one of those big trays with a ton of tine cells and a little pellet that should expand like crazy when you add water. Those are ok, I guess, but they don't expand all that much why not just buy the right stuff to begin with.
- Use good containers
- Those trays with all the cells and the little plastic cover are terrible. They are so damn tiny! They hold, like, a fluid ounce of soil. I like the plastic cover, but once the seed germinates and grows for a little while, if everything goes well, it will be root bound within a week or 2. Then they have to be transplanted, but they're so tiny and delicate they get totally destroyed in the process.
- Peat pots are even worse. They dry out like crazy. The material pulls all the water out of the medium and then it evaporates instantaneously. When I would go away for a week, everything died. And these were usually too thick and tough to just plant the whole thing in the ground and expect the roots to break through.
- I bought the plastic 6 pack trays from Burpee, and they've been great. They have plenty of room, so I can just grow seeds in them for a month or two and they can develop plenty of roots, and they pop out easily. They hold moisture well, but still drain, and they're very durable so I can reuse them over and over.
- Start early
- A lot of things need to be started 2 months ahead of time. You really can't decide you want to grow things from seed on April 1st and go to Home Depot and buy seeds for things you like. I think it was around that time that I realized, if I could grow some of these annual flowers from seed, that would actually be very cost effective. I was really interested in Coleus, but that needs to be started in February.
- I was in Home Depot or someplace buying seeds, and there was a terrible couple arguing over what seeds to buy. I think it was April. They were trying to buy one of everything, pretty much. I was kind of horrified by them, just because they were so awful to each other, but I wanted to jump in and tell them not to waste their money. Maybe I should have. Maybe this year I should just hang out near the seed section of hardware stores in the spring and intercede other well intentioned people.
- Don't start more plants than you can handle. Or, as E B White said, "Always count your chickens before they hatch." He was actually talking about chickens, specifically, but I think the same lesson applies. My proliferation of Bok Choy and Swiss Chard is an example of this.
- This article from gardeners.com is the best overview of the timing of seeds that I've found: http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/when-to-start-your-seeds/5215.html
Saturday, January 10, 2015
How to Start Seeds
This will be the third season I've attempted to grow plants from seed. Last year I was able to get some nice results, but the first attempt was a total failure. I think I've learned a few valuable lessons and I could qualify as knowing what I'm doing. Of course, most of this is the same stuff you'd hear from Mike McGrath, but apparently I have to learn things the hard way.
First Seeds of 2015
I already put in an order on Burpee for some seeds. I'm starting to worry that I'll spend hours planning what to get, and then when I finally go to order, they'll be out of what I want, or I'll have a trip come up and I won't get them started soon enough.
I got:
They obviously aren't here yet, but I got all psyched up for it. I got a bag of seed starting mix- it's Jiffy brand, 60% peat moss and coir, vermiculite, and a little lyme. I think last year I mostly used the Miracle Grow brand, which of course has a little fertilizer. I'm able to reuse the trays I got from last year; they're pretty sturdy. I started 2 trays each of my old Lacinato Kale and Red Verona Radicchio. I've stored the Radicchio seeds in a pill container, and the Kale just in the packet, all of the seeds in a wooden box with lots of those silica packets. If these germinate, that will be great. I'm sure it was too warm and too humid for ideal seed storage, but we'll see what happens.
If they do work, I will feel kind of dumb for buying the same thing again. The Radicchio is 90 days to maturity, and the Kale is 60, so I'm hoping getting a really good head start will mean I can actually grow some and get them finished before summer starts.
I'm going to buy another grow light. This time, I'm going for the 2 foot 4 tube one. I think I can use that on 6 trays at a time, and use my current 2 tube light on 4 trays at a time. And, I only have 10 trays, so, that should be enough.
When this seed order gets here, I'll start some coleus, as many trays as I can. It needs to be started 8 weeks early, and probably can't go outside until May, since it's tropical. I realize that I would be starting it a month early, but I can transplant them to bigger containers inside and grow them that way until it gets warm enough. Since they're shade tolerant, they should be fine as house plants. Last year I wanted to get a ton of coleus, since it's the easiest thing to grow, it looks amazing, it gets big and full, it's just a great bedding plant all around. But for some reason, I couldn't really find any, or enough that looked good. The landscaping people at work must have bought all the coleus in the area, because every bed was crammed with it. And they never took care of it or pinched it back, so it was all tall and started to flower... I would much rather have it stay low and full.
I'll also get some Creeping Thyme started. I've pretty much given up on growing Thyme to cook with, but this will work as a ground cover and should have some nice smell and maybe some flowers. And it's perennial to Zone 5, so it should last for a while.
I got:
- Lacinato Kale
- Bright Lights Swiss Chard
- Radicchio, Red Verona (the round kind, not Trevisio)
- Sugar Snap Peas
- Toy Choi
- Joy Choi
- Radishes, Cherry Bell
- Creeping Thyme
- Coleus, Wizard Mix (big leaf)
- and "Burpee Booster," which was recommended for peas and beans
They obviously aren't here yet, but I got all psyched up for it. I got a bag of seed starting mix- it's Jiffy brand, 60% peat moss and coir, vermiculite, and a little lyme. I think last year I mostly used the Miracle Grow brand, which of course has a little fertilizer. I'm able to reuse the trays I got from last year; they're pretty sturdy. I started 2 trays each of my old Lacinato Kale and Red Verona Radicchio. I've stored the Radicchio seeds in a pill container, and the Kale just in the packet, all of the seeds in a wooden box with lots of those silica packets. If these germinate, that will be great. I'm sure it was too warm and too humid for ideal seed storage, but we'll see what happens.
If they do work, I will feel kind of dumb for buying the same thing again. The Radicchio is 90 days to maturity, and the Kale is 60, so I'm hoping getting a really good head start will mean I can actually grow some and get them finished before summer starts.
I'm going to buy another grow light. This time, I'm going for the 2 foot 4 tube one. I think I can use that on 6 trays at a time, and use my current 2 tube light on 4 trays at a time. And, I only have 10 trays, so, that should be enough.
When this seed order gets here, I'll start some coleus, as many trays as I can. It needs to be started 8 weeks early, and probably can't go outside until May, since it's tropical. I realize that I would be starting it a month early, but I can transplant them to bigger containers inside and grow them that way until it gets warm enough. Since they're shade tolerant, they should be fine as house plants. Last year I wanted to get a ton of coleus, since it's the easiest thing to grow, it looks amazing, it gets big and full, it's just a great bedding plant all around. But for some reason, I couldn't really find any, or enough that looked good. The landscaping people at work must have bought all the coleus in the area, because every bed was crammed with it. And they never took care of it or pinched it back, so it was all tall and started to flower... I would much rather have it stay low and full.
I'll also get some Creeping Thyme started. I've pretty much given up on growing Thyme to cook with, but this will work as a ground cover and should have some nice smell and maybe some flowers. And it's perennial to Zone 5, so it should last for a while.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
2015 Gardening Plans!
Promptly on December 31st, 3 different seed catalogs showed up in my mail box. I was so excited I shouted "Fuck yeah!" and did a little dance, and then looked around to see if any of my neighbors had seen me.
Obviously I need to be very careful to not over-order. Most of my seeds from last year are still good, I bet. I need to remember that the only seeds I should start myself (instead of just buying plants) are things where I want like, more than 3 plants of the same thing. So that's lettuce and stuff. I don't think I should bother trying to grow tomato from seed. I only have room for one or two tomato plants, and a plant costs about the same as a packet of seeds.
I do want to get the following seeds:
Oh crap, that's a lot.
The timing will be important... probably the first things to start are the Kale and the Radicchio.
So, I ordered a lot, and I'm going to go ahead and start some stuff this weekend. I really want to get some Coleus started, so I ordered a mix. They need to start 8 weeks ahead of when they go outside, but if I start them now-ish, like January 15th, I can transplant them March 15th and grow them as house plants for a while, because they're good in the shade, so they should be ok indoors. If I get enough of them, I can fill the whole patio raised bed with coleus, which will look amazing. I'll get another bag of Begonia bulbs, probably from Costco, and start them inside.
I was originally thinking this patio bed would be Begonias, Coleus, Elephant Ears, Caladium, Ferns, Hostas, Liriope, and anything else that I could think of to do well in shade. The Liriope are free, as long as I get around to dividing them, so that's good. But if I have 7+ different plants in a 12 square foot area, it's going to look insane.
So we got one flower- begonias, and the coleus will be amazing, if I can grow them from seed, they are practically free. The Liriope is also free, so... that's a nice combination of colors and textures. Elephant ears are so cool, to have these big, lush leaves, making the patio look like this tropical vacation. I might still get some and throw them in there. Hostas are kind if a cop out, and they're not really supposed to be in containers.
Oh my god, I love looking outside at all this snow... "Feels Like" -3 F. Last year, I was really fucked up about it. I just couldn't believe spring would ever come. I'm so glad I took pictures, so I can look at them and remember that things will grow again, and beyond that, things will grow like crazy if I let them. In the spring, when I see the first few bulbs come up, I could fucking cry. When I'm driving to work and the morning light shows those first buds forming on the redbuds, I do a little happy dance in my car.
Last spring I was in Irvine in early March, where they have Bird of Paradise in full bloom in the medians on the roads. I had a lovely hotel room with giant windows facing a pond with all these great plants, and I just stoop by the window gawking at everything. Then I had to go to work, and give a presentation in a dark room, "Hi guys, thanks for coming, it's too bad we can't have a training course outside today!" I said. I was met with confused faces. "I mean, it's such a gorgeous day..." I explained. "Oh, cause it's nice out." someone finally said. Yeah, you assholes. It's the most beautiful day ever. People on the east coast travel for hours to come to Longwood to see the plants you grow in the middle of the street.
Obviously I need to be very careful to not over-order. Most of my seeds from last year are still good, I bet. I need to remember that the only seeds I should start myself (instead of just buying plants) are things where I want like, more than 3 plants of the same thing. So that's lettuce and stuff. I don't think I should bother trying to grow tomato from seed. I only have room for one or two tomato plants, and a plant costs about the same as a packet of seeds.
I do want to get the following seeds:
- Pole Beans
- Bok Choy
- Kale
- Leaf Lettuce
- Romaine Lettuce
- Arugula
- Peas
- Radishes
- Radicchio
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Alyssum
- Coleus
- Nasturtiums
- Morning Glory
- Sunflower
- Zinnias
Oh crap, that's a lot.
The timing will be important... probably the first things to start are the Kale and the Radicchio.
So, I ordered a lot, and I'm going to go ahead and start some stuff this weekend. I really want to get some Coleus started, so I ordered a mix. They need to start 8 weeks ahead of when they go outside, but if I start them now-ish, like January 15th, I can transplant them March 15th and grow them as house plants for a while, because they're good in the shade, so they should be ok indoors. If I get enough of them, I can fill the whole patio raised bed with coleus, which will look amazing. I'll get another bag of Begonia bulbs, probably from Costco, and start them inside.
I was originally thinking this patio bed would be Begonias, Coleus, Elephant Ears, Caladium, Ferns, Hostas, Liriope, and anything else that I could think of to do well in shade. The Liriope are free, as long as I get around to dividing them, so that's good. But if I have 7+ different plants in a 12 square foot area, it's going to look insane.
So we got one flower- begonias, and the coleus will be amazing, if I can grow them from seed, they are practically free. The Liriope is also free, so... that's a nice combination of colors and textures. Elephant ears are so cool, to have these big, lush leaves, making the patio look like this tropical vacation. I might still get some and throw them in there. Hostas are kind if a cop out, and they're not really supposed to be in containers.
Oh my god, I love looking outside at all this snow... "Feels Like" -3 F. Last year, I was really fucked up about it. I just couldn't believe spring would ever come. I'm so glad I took pictures, so I can look at them and remember that things will grow again, and beyond that, things will grow like crazy if I let them. In the spring, when I see the first few bulbs come up, I could fucking cry. When I'm driving to work and the morning light shows those first buds forming on the redbuds, I do a little happy dance in my car.
Last spring I was in Irvine in early March, where they have Bird of Paradise in full bloom in the medians on the roads. I had a lovely hotel room with giant windows facing a pond with all these great plants, and I just stoop by the window gawking at everything. Then I had to go to work, and give a presentation in a dark room, "Hi guys, thanks for coming, it's too bad we can't have a training course outside today!" I said. I was met with confused faces. "I mean, it's such a gorgeous day..." I explained. "Oh, cause it's nice out." someone finally said. Yeah, you assholes. It's the most beautiful day ever. People on the east coast travel for hours to come to Longwood to see the plants you grow in the middle of the street.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Houseplants
My stupid Mandevilla is not doing well indoors. First it dropped all the flowers and stopped making them, which is fine, then it started losing leaves and not growing any more, and it's looking pretty thin. Now it has spider mites all over the top, so I think I should just put it out of its misery.
The Hibiscus seems fine. It's definitely not going to flower, but the leaves still look really good, and I kind of think it's still growing, although it's getting a little spindley.
The Jalapeno looks fine, I guess. It never looked great, even outside. The Ginger actually looks fine too, so we'll see how it goes.
I put the grow light on the curtain rod, over the little plant cluster, thinking if I leave that on sometimes it will give them enough light to get by. The light is still like, 4 or 5 feet away from the plants, so I don't know if it even does any good. If I could, I would love to grow greens inside this window, with the little bit of sun and the light. Although, if I want to do that, it would be so much smarter to do it in the laundry room with the light up close.
I put the Clivia in the attic, hoping it will go into whatever dormant period it's supposed to go through, and maybe flower at some point.
I also have two different containers of Paperwhites going. I don't think these look all that great, they're too tall, the flowers are not that big, but I'm going to try a few more rounds.
The Hibiscus seems fine. It's definitely not going to flower, but the leaves still look really good, and I kind of think it's still growing, although it's getting a little spindley.
The Jalapeno looks fine, I guess. It never looked great, even outside. The Ginger actually looks fine too, so we'll see how it goes.
I put the grow light on the curtain rod, over the little plant cluster, thinking if I leave that on sometimes it will give them enough light to get by. The light is still like, 4 or 5 feet away from the plants, so I don't know if it even does any good. If I could, I would love to grow greens inside this window, with the little bit of sun and the light. Although, if I want to do that, it would be so much smarter to do it in the laundry room with the light up close.
I put the Clivia in the attic, hoping it will go into whatever dormant period it's supposed to go through, and maybe flower at some point.
I also have two different containers of Paperwhites going. I don't think these look all that great, they're too tall, the flowers are not that big, but I'm going to try a few more rounds.
Bulb Time
Ok, finally planting some bulbs!
First I did a bunch of forced bulbs in little containers, like Hyacinths and mini Irises and some Crocus. They're up in the attic, which may or may not be the appropriate temperatures. I should be able to pull them out starting in early February.
I planted 40 of the Ice Follies daffodils in the other bed, along with about 20 of whatever I had in there last week. Then I ordered 25 more Daffodils, a big yellow kind called Dutch Master which should arrive by tomorrow.
I put the Foxtrot Tulips in the window box, along with a few Blue Pearl Crocus, and so far I don't think the squirrels have eaten them. I do need to water that thing, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be damp at least to start, so they can start growing some roots.
I bought 50 mixed Crocus, and planted them around the little trees above the retaining wall. I think that will be really nice, they are often planted under trees like that. And having them elevated like that should make them more visible. 50 Crocus bulbs is not a lot of Crocus. I wish I had bought 100.
I have 20 Perennial Tulips, most of which I planted in the front bed yesterday it 2 swaths. I ordered 40 more, so I guess I will kind of fill in that space with Tulips.
Now, this is the problem- Tulips especially don't hold up well if a bunch of annuals are planted on top of the bulbs, and then watered, and the bulbs all rot. So... I don't know if I should just pull them up after they're done, and then replant, or if I should maybe not even plant much on top of them, or whatever. I guess I'll deal with that later; the important thing is to get them in the ground.
I planted some of the Hyacinths in the side bed, and dug some holes for the ones that I ordered. I think it's 20-30 bulbs total. I'm going to mix in a lot of Grape Hyacinths around those.
So, we're looking at around 80 Daffodils, 60 perennial Tulips, 20 Foxtrot Tulips, 25 Hyacinths, 30 Grape Hyacinths... so around 200 bulbs total. Hopefully they will all come up. I think I ended up spending around $100 total on these.
First I did a bunch of forced bulbs in little containers, like Hyacinths and mini Irises and some Crocus. They're up in the attic, which may or may not be the appropriate temperatures. I should be able to pull them out starting in early February.
I planted 40 of the Ice Follies daffodils in the other bed, along with about 20 of whatever I had in there last week. Then I ordered 25 more Daffodils, a big yellow kind called Dutch Master which should arrive by tomorrow.
I put the Foxtrot Tulips in the window box, along with a few Blue Pearl Crocus, and so far I don't think the squirrels have eaten them. I do need to water that thing, I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be damp at least to start, so they can start growing some roots.
I bought 50 mixed Crocus, and planted them around the little trees above the retaining wall. I think that will be really nice, they are often planted under trees like that. And having them elevated like that should make them more visible. 50 Crocus bulbs is not a lot of Crocus. I wish I had bought 100.
I have 20 Perennial Tulips, most of which I planted in the front bed yesterday it 2 swaths. I ordered 40 more, so I guess I will kind of fill in that space with Tulips.
Now, this is the problem- Tulips especially don't hold up well if a bunch of annuals are planted on top of the bulbs, and then watered, and the bulbs all rot. So... I don't know if I should just pull them up after they're done, and then replant, or if I should maybe not even plant much on top of them, or whatever. I guess I'll deal with that later; the important thing is to get them in the ground.
I planted some of the Hyacinths in the side bed, and dug some holes for the ones that I ordered. I think it's 20-30 bulbs total. I'm going to mix in a lot of Grape Hyacinths around those.
So, we're looking at around 80 Daffodils, 60 perennial Tulips, 20 Foxtrot Tulips, 25 Hyacinths, 30 Grape Hyacinths... so around 200 bulbs total. Hopefully they will all come up. I think I ended up spending around $100 total on these.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Clivia
I want to try to make my Clivia actually bloom. It sounds like I need to get it to go into dormancy, but the amount of time needed is variable. Sources agree that the temperatures should be between 55 and 34, but the amount of time needed varies from 30 days to 4 months. I'm thinking the attic is the best place, but I don't think it will be 55 degrees until November. And if we have a crazy cold winter, I'm worried it will drop well below freezing, but that's something I can monitor.
I think I will wait until the end of October and put it in the attic (with a water bottle to serve as a freezing indicator) and then leave it there through the end of January. Unless I know it's going to get super crazy cold... then I guess I could take it out after 2 months. We'll see how it goes. It would be pretty exciting to get those flowers.
I think I will wait until the end of October and put it in the attic (with a water bottle to serve as a freezing indicator) and then leave it there through the end of January. Unless I know it's going to get super crazy cold... then I guess I could take it out after 2 months. We'll see how it goes. It would be pretty exciting to get those flowers.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Winter is coming (kind of)
Tonight (Saturday) it's supposed to get down to 38, which would definitely kill the tropical plants, so I need to bring them inside today. I'm a little worried about that, because I'm sure I'll end up bringing in bugs. I'm supposed to hose them down pretty hard first, which should help, but I'm not confident.
I have the Mandevilla, the Terrain Hibiscus, and the Home Depot Hibiscus. I'm really unclear on how I'm supposed to take care of them. Some sources say they should both be encouraged to go dormant by not giving them direct sun and withholding water, but another source says this is stupid and it's totally easy to have a hibiscus as a house plant as long as you keep it evenly moist and your house isn't super dry. I think I will be using the humidifier this year. I don't know how I'm going to get the Mandevilla washed off, because it's kind of compact on its trellis. Which is great, I think, I want it to fill out. I heard someone on YBYG talk about an indoor palm they used as a Christmas tree, and I think I'll try something similar with the Mandevilla this year, since it has that shape already.
I also need to bring in the Jalapeno, and the Ginger. The Ginger has not impressed me so far- it's only just started to sprout. I guess I wasn't very thoughtful and I planted it too deep, and after a few weeks realized my mistake and removed an inch of soil. But they say it grows well as a house plant, so I'll keep trying. The Jalapeno... man, I don't know. It's not a very large pot, and the plant hasn't done terribly well. But there's no reason not to try, other than space.
Eventually I will need to bring in the Rosemary. It seems pretty happy right now, probably because I've left it alone all summer to soak up sun and occasional rain. Part of me wants to just keep it in a "protected area" where it won't freeze... but it's in a pot, and it's not a big pot, and it's only a year old... It's perennial to Zone 7, and I'm Zone 6, and it's in a pot and Mike says that's not going to work, which I have a hard time believing because tons of people grow other perennials in pots... I had a Rosemary in the raised bed last year and it absolutely did not make it, so I don't think this one stands a chance. I don't know what I'm doing, I shouldn't be free handing this nonsense.
So, I'll bring it inside, but not yet. Maybe in November, around the same time I plant bulbs.
If it is going to get cold tonight, like in the 30s, that should kill any tomato plant, right? (Please? I'm really sick of that guy.) And the green beans should be following suit. If it stops raining this afternoon, I think I will go ahead and rip them all out. They're really looking like shit, and I want to use that space for kale.
Also, the other annuals should be dying off, right? The Zinnias look like they're still going strong. For some reason, when I cut them and put them in jars, they aren't even lasting for a few days before turning brown and sad. Before, the same cut flowers would last me for 2 weeks; it was crazy.
The Morning Glory have been looking great this past month. I wish they would get going a little faster, I want them to be like this all summer. Maybe they don't like that hot sun. Maybe it was because they were mixed in with the green beans, and nothing can out compete a green bean. Maybe it wasn't until I pulled out all the bean plants that the Morning Glories could really get going. I've also given them some Miracle Grow which should be a bigger source of shame, but they're just an annual flower, their only purpose is to make flowers and look pretty for me, and they're not supposed to be healthy well adjusted individuals, I'm just going to give them drugs to get what I want from them and then kill them when they can't perform. I can't romanticize every plant.
About the Begonias... I think I should wait until frost kills the leaves, and then save the tubers. I could try to grow them over the winter inside, but I don't think I have space. It's getting kind of out of hand. The Impatients...I think they're pretty frost-tender and everything, but I think they are perennial? I think I will try to bring them inside.
I also have that big container with the purple oxalis that I'm very fond of, and I'd like to keep it around. I think a lot of people grow it as a houseplant. But I'm not going to bring in that big pot with the ivy and the Creeping Jenny. I mean, there's no reason I can't, but it's big, there's nothing that special about it. And, maybe I could just dig up and transplant the Oxalis to a smaller container? That seems way more reasonable.
Ok, so plants coming inside are:
I have the Mandevilla, the Terrain Hibiscus, and the Home Depot Hibiscus. I'm really unclear on how I'm supposed to take care of them. Some sources say they should both be encouraged to go dormant by not giving them direct sun and withholding water, but another source says this is stupid and it's totally easy to have a hibiscus as a house plant as long as you keep it evenly moist and your house isn't super dry. I think I will be using the humidifier this year. I don't know how I'm going to get the Mandevilla washed off, because it's kind of compact on its trellis. Which is great, I think, I want it to fill out. I heard someone on YBYG talk about an indoor palm they used as a Christmas tree, and I think I'll try something similar with the Mandevilla this year, since it has that shape already.
I also need to bring in the Jalapeno, and the Ginger. The Ginger has not impressed me so far- it's only just started to sprout. I guess I wasn't very thoughtful and I planted it too deep, and after a few weeks realized my mistake and removed an inch of soil. But they say it grows well as a house plant, so I'll keep trying. The Jalapeno... man, I don't know. It's not a very large pot, and the plant hasn't done terribly well. But there's no reason not to try, other than space.
Eventually I will need to bring in the Rosemary. It seems pretty happy right now, probably because I've left it alone all summer to soak up sun and occasional rain. Part of me wants to just keep it in a "protected area" where it won't freeze... but it's in a pot, and it's not a big pot, and it's only a year old... It's perennial to Zone 7, and I'm Zone 6, and it's in a pot and Mike says that's not going to work, which I have a hard time believing because tons of people grow other perennials in pots... I had a Rosemary in the raised bed last year and it absolutely did not make it, so I don't think this one stands a chance. I don't know what I'm doing, I shouldn't be free handing this nonsense.
So, I'll bring it inside, but not yet. Maybe in November, around the same time I plant bulbs.
If it is going to get cold tonight, like in the 30s, that should kill any tomato plant, right? (Please? I'm really sick of that guy.) And the green beans should be following suit. If it stops raining this afternoon, I think I will go ahead and rip them all out. They're really looking like shit, and I want to use that space for kale.
Also, the other annuals should be dying off, right? The Zinnias look like they're still going strong. For some reason, when I cut them and put them in jars, they aren't even lasting for a few days before turning brown and sad. Before, the same cut flowers would last me for 2 weeks; it was crazy.
The Morning Glory have been looking great this past month. I wish they would get going a little faster, I want them to be like this all summer. Maybe they don't like that hot sun. Maybe it was because they were mixed in with the green beans, and nothing can out compete a green bean. Maybe it wasn't until I pulled out all the bean plants that the Morning Glories could really get going. I've also given them some Miracle Grow which should be a bigger source of shame, but they're just an annual flower, their only purpose is to make flowers and look pretty for me, and they're not supposed to be healthy well adjusted individuals, I'm just going to give them drugs to get what I want from them and then kill them when they can't perform. I can't romanticize every plant.
About the Begonias... I think I should wait until frost kills the leaves, and then save the tubers. I could try to grow them over the winter inside, but I don't think I have space. It's getting kind of out of hand. The Impatients...I think they're pretty frost-tender and everything, but I think they are perennial? I think I will try to bring them inside.
I also have that big container with the purple oxalis that I'm very fond of, and I'd like to keep it around. I think a lot of people grow it as a houseplant. But I'm not going to bring in that big pot with the ivy and the Creeping Jenny. I mean, there's no reason I can't, but it's big, there's nothing that special about it. And, maybe I could just dig up and transplant the Oxalis to a smaller container? That seems way more reasonable.
Ok, so plants coming inside are:
- Mandevilla
- Yellow Hibiscus (giant pot)
- Pink Hibiscus (normal pot)
- Jalapeno
- Ginger
- New Guinea Impatints (3)
- Oxalis (transplant)
That means today I have to hose down the big guys and do the transplanting. And I really should plant those stupid Coreopsis I bought in like, August. I don't want to...
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