First-timer results...
This is my first time with more than one or two doomed house plants. I
did lots of research including here (unemployment has its benefits). I planted a lot of different seed (about 65 plant types) but as little as one plant of each type. I wanted variety without overwhelming work. I'm very happy with the results and I want to show off my little garden before I do something to kill it. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...Garden-med.jpg There is one indeterminate tomato (4th of July) in the left corner. I've got at least 8 clusters of 5-8 tomatoes. One cracked and I stopped watering until midday heat caused some wilting. I confess...i'm an overwaterer. My plants never wilt even when I'm ready to pass out. I need help. I stop myself everyday -- especially now that I read that too much water will dilute the flavor!! A determinate Plum (Health Kick) tomato bush is in center. It has dozens of fruit. The biggest I can spot are almost half the size I expect. A bell pepper plant is on the right side. Tiny bells are just starting This is the only ground I used--everything else is in containers (I rent). The ground was dry & sandy, lots of rocks and no earthworms. I dug up the top 18 inches to condition it. It took two days with my bad back. My landlord laughed and suggested I plant one plant over in their "plain old dirt", just to see what the difference would be. Well I stuck a bell pepper there. While my bells are bigger plants with larger leaf canopies...I just found a peach-sized green pepper plus two ping-pong sized ones on hers. I've got some marble sized ones started but she wins the first to harvest. :-( Damn! But maybe I'll have more season long. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/PatioGarden.jpg (this second angle is huge...not for modem users) http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/PatioAbove.jpg My beefsteak is in a 12inch square planter and had drainage problems. I solved them but the lower foliage was toast. Growth has resumed. I do have about 7 tomatoes (Burpee Burger) started. Another similar container had same issues. The bell pepper there turned a dark dark dark green with a few lower leaves having yellow chlorisis-like insides. The snow peas at the back of the planter just about died. I just saw one snow pod on 1 withered plant. I planted a half-dozen corn and a Baby Bear pumpkin. I know the corn was a LONG shot, but I wanted to try. They've had their tassels out for about 10 days. I don't see anything resembling the cob stub or silks. I think these are a lost cause. :-( http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...yBearPlant.jpg I have four pumpkins growing on my Baby Bear. The plant has wound across the ground and is growing into the hydrangea. Around the size of a large acorn seems to be the deciding point. At that size the pumpkins either fall off/rot or grow larger. I'm guessing that is due to sufficient pollination? My potato plant is about 18 inches high and I see what look like buds forming inside the highest cluster of leaves. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/PepperPlanter.jpg Five cayennes(left) are hanging, the longest about 3-4 inches, still green. No Jalapenos(right) yet. My Anaheim(center) went in late so I'm expecting a late and smaller harvest. My lettuce(front extreme left and right) is still growing but it may have gone bitter. Was still good last week but these hot days should do it in (maybe my overwatering will save it!) The brown leaves in the back are my snap peas. They produced (4 dozen pods on 9 plants) but i made some mistakes. I think i didn't harvest quick enough and I think I did something else to brown them. The tops are coming back top but the bottom 12 inches are brown and dead. They were incredibly healthy. I successfully grew oregano, dill, sage, chives, parsley & thyme. Cumin didn't happen. Try again next year. The herbs are everywhere. In pots, in the ground, mixed into the corners of the rectangular containers. The parsley attracted a Black Swallowtail butterfly to lay its eggs. Thanks to the group's advice four of them devoured a parsley down to twigs and left to become butterflys. Hopefully I spot them around some time late this week. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...latter-med.jpg Flowers did well. The round platter is crowded but I wanted to crowd them in. Snapdragons are just beginning to open. They are shorter then expected--they didn't like crowding. Conversely, the Silene grew to twice the height it was supposed to and hangs off the bowl's edge--i think also because of crowding. Interesting that one grows too tall another too short. The cosmos are short--only about 20" but as long as they flower I don't mind the reduced height. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/BakersRack.jpg Big Smile dwarf Sunflower looks nice and full and it gets lots of visitors flying and ants. Baby's Breath just bloomed. My "mystery" Zinnia still has the one bloom but it is hidden behind a leftover pepper plant that I didn't have the heart to kill. The other seeds in the box didn't take. My Dutchess of Edinburgh is making another attempt to grow after snapping down to the dirtline. Shasta Daisy is just green so far. My Angel's Trumpet has grown pretty fast. My Black Velvet geranium are ... well... not black at all. Leaves are all pretty much plain green. Don't know if it darkens with age or something I did isn't letting the dark color develop. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl66/Hanging.jpg Naturtiums don't look as good in a hanging basket. I had a number of no shows in the baskets. Try again on them next year. I learned that hanging and climbing are not a choice the gardener necessarily makes. Morning Glories refused to hang down and just kept wrapping around itself to climb back up. I wound it around and around to form a cone instead. This is how we learn. I also confused some seed and planted bachelor buttons to replace a no-show...thought it was a small 6" blue flower. ooops again. The violas look a bit lost here. They look better in tight bundles. I've definitely got a list of things to try for next year. Cantelope, Watermelon, Cumin, more peas, broccoli early, spinach, green beans, and I'd really like to start grapes. Well that's enough self-indulgent rambling for one post. Thanks to all in the group for the help. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound 1st Year Gardener |
First-timer results...
On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 23:51:04 -0400, DigitalVinyl
wrote: snip Well that's enough self-indulgent rambling for one post. Thanks to all in the group for the help. Digital, it's *beautiful*! I wish *my* first garden had done so well. The pictures are lovely. The "flower platter" is so nice and colorful. Qs: what is the yellow flower in the hanging planter with the nasturtiums? And what's the variety of the yellow-with-orange-centers nasturtium? Which side of the house is the patio on? Thanks for the report and pics. |
First-timer results...
Frogleg wrote:
On Mon, 21 Jul 2003 23:51:04 -0400, DigitalVinyl wrote: snip Well that's enough self-indulgent rambling for one post. Thanks to all in the group for the help. Digital, it's *beautiful*! I wish *my* first garden had done so well. Thanks! Growing everything from seeds made it more interesting. All my failures were in never getting some things to germinate at all. Sanvitalia, Basil, Lovage, Lavender, Convulvus, French Vanila Marigolds, Blue Lace, Cumin, Rosemary, Spinach, Flamenco were all on the no-show list. PLus I had ground that was uneven and flooded out what seeds I planted. The clematis & tomato plants I did buy--didn't realize i needed to start tomatos early. Everything else was seed. The pictures are lovely. The "flower platter" is so nice and colorful. Another learning lesson-- "burgundy" in flower catalogs usually means purple and not wine-red. I had wanted all red/orange colors in the bowl. The california poppy seed were yellow instead of advertised red, the petunia are a purple not a deep red, the silene is light violet. I'll know better next year. Qs: what is the yellow flower in the hanging planter with the nasturtiums? And what's the variety of the yellow-with-orange-centers nasturtium? Actually they are both Nasturtiums. Peach Melba is the yellow with red centers and it has a much smaller bronzed leaf with wine red outline. You can see the red in the leaves just below the center flower. It doesn't fill out like the Alaska Mix Nasturitums. They are taller than wider for me. There are three in the basket and they aren't anywhere near as full as two Alaska's. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...PeachMelba.jpg Milkmaid is the pale yellow/cream one. There are two in the basket. One grew way out of the basket--reaching for sunlight I think. The ceiling is ten feet high and when we hung them they were over my head and getting less sun because of the roof overhang. That's when the Milkmaid through out that long arm hanging off the side. I extended a chain down so they would get more light and I can see them better. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...m-Milkmaid.jpg Which side of the house is the patio on? The back wall of the house faces SW. The entire patio gets full sun from 11 to 6 then shadows start affecting things. Thanks for the report and pics. Thank you. DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound 1st Year Gardener |
First-timer results...
DigitalVinyl wrote in message . ..
This is my first time with more than one or two doomed house plants. I did lots of research including here (unemployment has its benefits). I planted a lot of different seed (about 65 plant types) but as little as one plant of each type. I wanted variety without overwhelming work. I'm very happy with the results and I want to show off my little garden before I do something to kill it. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...Garden-med.jpg i'm green with envy.. beautiful! enjoyed the pics. this is my first full summer in my new location and it is so cotton pickin' hot many of them look like they've been dried and pulled through a knot-hole. Amazingly some of the cuttings i potted are coming on,though, so more hope for the future. you did good. love... lee. |
First-timer results...
Oh my! Your garden is lovely! Congratulations. You must get a great deal of pleasure out of it. Keep up the good work. Woofs |
First-timer results...
On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 08:36:23 -0400, DigitalVinyl
wrote: Growing everything from seeds made it more interesting. All my failures were in never getting some things to germinate at all. Sanvitalia, Basil, Lovage, Lavender, Convulvus, French Vanila Marigolds, Blue Lace, Cumin, Rosemary, Spinach, Flamenco were all on the no-show list. PLus I had ground that was uneven and flooded out what seeds I planted. The clematis & tomato plants I did buy--didn't realize i needed to start tomatos early. Everything else was seed. In my experience, basil is pretty easy. Never got cumin to grow from seed (although I *did* grow a sesame plant). Rosemary is hard. I think I got one plant from seed that flourished encouragingly and then died. Oh, and I was starting in a greenhouse with heating mats and whatnot. Tomatoes were pretty never-fail in that atmosphere. Another learning lesson-- "burgundy" in flower catalogs usually means purple and not wine-red. I had wanted all red/orange colors in the bowl. The california poppy seed were yellow instead of advertised red, the petunia are a purple not a deep red, the silene is light violet. I'll know better next year. YMMV. Mistakes happen. I once ordered a dozen "mixed color" iris, and they were all white. Funny how, to me anyhow, there are color combinations in decor or people clothing that are perfectly ghastly, yet a purple flower next to an orange one can look just fine. Peach Melba is the yellow with red centers and it has a much smaller bronzed leaf with wine red outline. You can see the red in the leaves just below the center flower. It doesn't fill out like the Alaska Mix Nasturitums. They are taller than wider for me. There are three in the basket and they aren't anywhere near as full as two Alaska's. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...PeachMelba.jpg Gorgous picture. I love nasturtiums, but have never had a day's luck with 'em. Good soil, poor soil, full sun, part shade -- they hate me. But I'm going to try again. Milkmaid is the pale yellow/cream one. There are two in the basket. One grew way out of the basket--reaching for sunlight I think. The ceiling is ten feet high and when we hung them they were over my head and getting less sun because of the roof overhang. That's when the Milkmaid through out that long arm hanging off the side. I extended a chain down so they would get more light and I can see them better. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...m-Milkmaid.jpg And again. BTW, nasturtium leaves and flowers are edible. The leaves are pretty spicy, but the blossoms are nice decor for a salad. The back wall of the house faces SW. The entire patio gets full sun from 11 to 6 then shadows start affecting things. I was thinking that if you can protect that baker's rack a bit and the pots, you may get enough heat-sink effect with the stone(?) side of the house and brick patio to keep those perennial herbs going. Sage and thyme (was that thyme?) are perennials. If the thyme is oregano, then that is also perennial. My late lamented rosemary bush survived for years against a SW-facing red brick wall through a number of harsh winters. Now where are you going to establish your compost pile/heap/bin? |
First-timer results...
Frogleg wrote:
On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 08:36:23 -0400, DigitalVinyl wrote: Growing everything from seeds made it more interesting. All my failures were in never getting some things to germinate at all. Sanvitalia, Basil, Lovage, Lavender, Convulvus, French Vanila Marigolds, Blue Lace, Cumin, Rosemary, Spinach, Flamenco were all on the no-show list. PLus I had ground that was uneven and flooded out what seeds I planted. The clematis & tomato plants I did buy--didn't realize i needed to start tomatos early. Everything else was seed. In my experience, basil is pretty easy. That's what I heard--I just had no luck. Planted 6 seeds-no germination. Never got cumin to grow from seed (although I *did* grow a sesame plant). Sesame...theres one I didn't think about. Rosemary is hard. I think I got one plant from seed that flourished encouragingly and then died. Oh, and I was starting in a greenhouse with heating mats and whatnot. Tomatoes were pretty never-fail in that atmosphere. SNIP Peach Melba is the yellow with red centers and it has a much smaller bronzed leaf with wine red outline. You can see the red in the leaves just below the center flower. It doesn't fill out like the Alaska Mix Nasturitums. They are taller than wider for me. There are three in the basket and they aren't anywhere near as full as two Alaska's. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...PeachMelba.jpg Gorgous picture. :-) I do love this camera! I love nasturtiums, but have never had a day's luck with 'em. Good soil, poor soil, full sun, part shade -- they hate me. But I'm going to try again. The ones in the ground became round bushes. They were all green and the very last to blossom, but when they did they were covered. The wooly aphids love them and I'm always chasing after them. I can't tell you what I did right or didn't screw up. Milkmaid is the pale yellow/cream one. There are two in the basket. One grew way out of the basket--reaching for sunlight I think. The ceiling is ten feet high and when we hung them they were over my head and getting less sun because of the roof overhang. That's when the Milkmaid through out that long arm hanging off the side. I extended a chain down so they would get more light and I can see them better. http://members.aol.com/digitalvinyl6...m-Milkmaid.jpg And again. BTW, nasturtium leaves and flowers are edible. The leaves are pretty spicy, but the blossoms are nice decor for a salad. I haven't eaten them but I have read it. The back wall of the house faces SW. The entire patio gets full sun from 11 to 6 then shadows start affecting things. I was thinking that if you can protect that baker's rack a bit and the pots, you may get enough heat-sink effect with the stone(?) side of the house and brick patio to keep those perennial herbs going. Sage and thyme (was that thyme?) are perennials. If the thyme is oregano, then that is also perennial. My late lamented rosemary bush survived for years against a SW-facing red brick wall through a number of harsh winters. Actually that is an interesting idea. I actually have room to bring some stuff inside, but the baker's rack could work. It is Thyme. There is also some parsley and dill in there (hidden behind the pepper). I've got a bowl with oregano, thyme and parsley. I could relocate that to the rack. I have to research some things to grow up on the landing Now where are you going to establish your compost pile/heap/bin? uhmmmm... DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound 1st Year Gardener |
First-timer results...
On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:30:48 -0400, DigitalVinyl
wrote: Frogleg wrote: I was thinking that if you can protect that baker's rack a bit and the pots, you may get enough heat-sink effect with the stone(?) side of the house and brick patio to keep those perennial herbs going. Sage and thyme (was that thyme?) are perennials. If the thyme is oregano, then that is also perennial. My late lamented rosemary bush survived for years against a SW-facing red brick wall through a number of harsh winters. Actually that is an interesting idea. I actually have room to bring some stuff inside, but the baker's rack could work. It is Thyme. There is also some parsley and dill in there (hidden behind the pepper). I've got a bowl with oregano, thyme and parsley. I could relocate that to the rack. I've re-thunk the rack. You probably want those plants nestling close together and the pots heavily mulched. Maybe all on bottom shelf with straw stuffed around. Same spot -- sun and heat-sink -- but wrapped up warm with the pots as little exposed to wind and weather as possible Things in pots are more vulnerable than things in the ground. Dill (and basil) is an annual. Parsley is a biennial, and pretty hardy. You usually want to treat it as an annual and start new plants each year, because the 2nd year, when they flower and go to seed (giving you a lifetime supply), the leaves are less useful, but you *can* have a little nice fresh parsley over the winter. Oregano, sage, and thyme are perennials if conditions are right. I searched on "sage herb hardiness" (without the quotes) and came up with a number of useful references. What zone are you? Looks as if thyme, oregano, parsley, and possibly sage are good candidates. Rosemary would definitely need to be brought indoors. When you achieve a rosemary. :-) |
First-timer results...
Frogleg wrote:
On Thu, 24 Jul 2003 10:30:48 -0400, DigitalVinyl wrote: Frogleg wrote: I've re-thunk the rack. You probably want those plants nestling close together and the pots heavily mulched. Maybe all on bottom shelf with straw stuffed around. Same spot -- sun and heat-sink -- but wrapped up warm with the pots as little exposed to wind and weather as possible Things in pots are more vulnerable than things in the ground. Dill (and basil) is an annual. Parsley is a biennial, and pretty hardy. You usually want to treat it as an annual and start new plants each year, because the 2nd year, when they flower and go to seed (giving you a lifetime supply), the leaves are less useful, but you *can* have a little nice fresh parsley over the winter. Oregano, sage, and thyme are perennials if conditions are right. I searched on "sage herb hardiness" (without the quotes) and came up with a number of useful references. I was originally thinking of moving them up onto the landing for the winter or indoors. I had thought but never got around to mounting the windowbox on the railing of the back landing (back kitchen door). This way I don't need to put on boots to harvest during winter. What zone are you? Zone 6b/7 Looks as if thyme, oregano, parsley, and possibly sage are good candidates. Rosemary would definitely need to be brought indoors. When you achieve a rosemary. :-) DiGiTAL ViNYL (no email) Zone 6b/7, Westchester Co, NY, 1 mile off L.I.Sound 1st Year Gardener |
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 05:53 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
GardenBanter