"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Mark
Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never grow
;-)

I've lost my "pip book". That comes from showing it to friends. I
have forgotten the name of the author and the publisherand would
appreciate it if any urgler would let me have the information, as I
would like to hunt for a replacement copy.

Franz

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:30:29 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never grow ;-)

How long should I forget about them?

That depends on whether they grow or not! If they don't grow, you may
safely forget them for years, decades even.

Even if they do grow. it's perfectly OK to forget completely where
they've come from and treat them as a totally unexpected new plant in
need of care ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:30:29 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never grow ;-)

How long should I forget about them?

That depends on whether they grow or not! If they don't grow, you may
safely forget them for years, decades even.

Even if they do grow. it's perfectly OK to forget completely where
they've come from and treat them as a totally unexpected new plant in
need of care ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:34:38 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Mark Blewett
writes

Yes I do have a very big window (8" x 8").. and love figs. I'll
definetly have to investigate this idea! Have you any experience in
varieties?

No. I have a Brown Turkey, which is the most commonly grown in the UK,
and I find its fruits richer and more luscious than the dark blue figs
in the shops. Try Reads Nursery - they have an informative web site,
and I'm pretty sure they do figs.

Thanks.. just having a gander now.

Strawberries.. a stunning idea.. one which I haven't though of.. it's
now on my to do list. Thanks!

Not fruit, but okra are fun indoors if you haven't tried them yet.

I have to say I'm not a fan of okra.. in fact although I'll eat
anything they are below broad beans in my book of nice things to eat!

They're below broad beans in my book, too, but that places them about
third ;-)

So whats the other?

Asparagus. You'd find that a real challenge to grow on a windowsill ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Mark Blewett
writes
On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 23:34:38 +0100, Kay
wrote:

In article , Mark Blewett
writes

Yes I do have a very big window (8" x 8").. and love figs. I'll
definetly have to investigate this idea! Have you any experience in
varieties?

No. I have a Brown Turkey, which is the most commonly grown in the UK,
and I find its fruits richer and more luscious than the dark blue figs
in the shops. Try Reads Nursery - they have an informative web site,
and I'm pretty sure they do figs.

Thanks.. just having a gander now.

Strawberries.. a stunning idea.. one which I haven't though of.. it's
now on my to do list. Thanks!

Not fruit, but okra are fun indoors if you haven't tried them yet.

I have to say I'm not a fan of okra.. in fact although I'll eat
anything they are below broad beans in my book of nice things to eat!

They're below broad beans in my book, too, but that places them about
third ;-)

So whats the other?

Asparagus. You'd find that a real challenge to grow on a windowsill ;-)
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article , Franz Heymann
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Mark
Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never grow
;-)

I've lost my "pip book". That comes from showing it to friends. I
have forgotten the name of the author and the publisherand would
appreciate it if any urgler would let me have the information, as I
would like to hunt for a replacement copy.

Try abebooks - internet consortium of second hand bookshops.
A name like keith Mossiman dredges itself up from the depths of my
memory - could be completely wrong.
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Mark Blewett wrote:

*blush*... I mean 11 feet.

That shows that you are human - on Usenet, only trolls never make
mistakes.

I must admit I've never heard of Feijoa. Doing a quick search
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html) seems kind of interesting.

Yes. But I can't speak from any great experience, but signs are good
so far.

But the real question is how hot you keep that room, how much
ventilation it gets and how much sun it gets.

During the summer its a very hot room.. I haven't tracked the temp..
but currently it 28c (21:50 Fri eve).. and thats with the sash windows
open most of today (normally they are fully open when I home, and
closed when I'm not).

Grrk. 30 isn't a problem, 40 can cause trouble for some plants, and
50 is bad news for anything except dry terrain tropicals.

During winter it's a more sensible temperature... but I've never
needed to turn the central heating on in the room.. it's normally 15c+
(maybe a bit less during the night)

Peaches wouldn't like that - they prefer winter chill. You should
concentrate on subtropicals - my experience is that the dry terrain
ones are usually fairly easy, but the humid area ones can be very
tricky.

Sunwise its facing almost exactly south.. there's some trees/bushes
outside to the west, so there's less direct sunlight in the eveing.

Go for plants that thrive in savanna-like climates, and they will
almost certainly do best. That is quite a choice.

I have a kaffir lime
(again from seed, bought as a fruit in Leicester Square, and the
leaves are used in Thai cooking), and can strongly recommend it.

I've just started trying to cook Thai/Malay dishes.. how easy are they
to graw?

Pretty easy. They get attacked by red spider mite and mealybug (what
doesn't), but spraying with soft soap or detergent/meths keeps that
under control. It might be a trifle hot for it in summer, but most
citrus are pretty heat-resistant if there is still some water at
their roots. I.e. you will need a decent-sized pot. And, like most
other citrus, their foliage is attractive.

But citrus don't like overheated or dark conditions.

No chance of dark conditions!.. overheated possibly.

Good. See above about the pot. They can't stand waterlogging, either,
but don't like drying out in hot conditions. Plants that CAN take
that include Strelitzia (bird of paradise), but that is not edible.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Mark Blewett wrote:

*blush*... I mean 11 feet.

That shows that you are human - on Usenet, only trolls never make
mistakes.

I must admit I've never heard of Feijoa. Doing a quick search
(http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/feijoa.html) seems kind of interesting.

Yes. But I can't speak from any great experience, but signs are good
so far.

But the real question is how hot you keep that room, how much
ventilation it gets and how much sun it gets.

During the summer its a very hot room.. I haven't tracked the temp..
but currently it 28c (21:50 Fri eve).. and thats with the sash windows
open most of today (normally they are fully open when I home, and
closed when I'm not).

Grrk. 30 isn't a problem, 40 can cause trouble for some plants, and
50 is bad news for anything except dry terrain tropicals.

During winter it's a more sensible temperature... but I've never
needed to turn the central heating on in the room.. it's normally 15c+
(maybe a bit less during the night)

Peaches wouldn't like that - they prefer winter chill. You should
concentrate on subtropicals - my experience is that the dry terrain
ones are usually fairly easy, but the humid area ones can be very
tricky.

Sunwise its facing almost exactly south.. there's some trees/bushes
outside to the west, so there's less direct sunlight in the eveing.

Go for plants that thrive in savanna-like climates, and they will
almost certainly do best. That is quite a choice.

I have a kaffir lime
(again from seed, bought as a fruit in Leicester Square, and the
leaves are used in Thai cooking), and can strongly recommend it.

I've just started trying to cook Thai/Malay dishes.. how easy are they
to graw?

Pretty easy. They get attacked by red spider mite and mealybug (what
doesn't), but spraying with soft soap or detergent/meths keeps that
under control. It might be a trifle hot for it in summer, but most
citrus are pretty heat-resistant if there is still some water at
their roots. I.e. you will need a decent-sized pot. And, like most
other citrus, their foliage is attractive.

But citrus don't like overheated or dark conditions.

No chance of dark conditions!.. overheated possibly.

Good. See above about the pot. They can't stand waterlogging, either,
but don't like drying out in hot conditions. Plants that CAN take
that include Strelitzia (bird of paradise), but that is not edible.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Kay wrote:
In article , Mark Blewett
writes


Not fruit, but okra are fun indoors if you haven't tried them yet.

I have to say I'm not a fan of okra.. in fact although I'll eat
anything they are below broad beans in my book of nice things to eat!

They're below broad beans in my book, too, but that places them about
third ;-)

I am a great fan - I was weaned on them :-) - but have failed dismally.
Last year, none germinated. This year, they did OK until I planted
them out in the polytunnel, when they started to lose leaves. This
correlated with cold conditions - I suspect that they really can't
handle temperatures of below (say) 15 Celcius at night.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Kay wrote:
In article , Mark Blewett
writes


Not fruit, but okra are fun indoors if you haven't tried them yet.

I have to say I'm not a fan of okra.. in fact although I'll eat
anything they are below broad beans in my book of nice things to eat!

They're below broad beans in my book, too, but that places them about
third ;-)

I am a great fan - I was weaned on them :-) - but have failed dismally.
Last year, none germinated. This year, they did OK until I planted
them out in the polytunnel, when they started to lose leaves. This
correlated with cold conditions - I suspect that they really can't
handle temperatures of below (say) 15 Celcius at night.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Mark
Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about
them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never
grow
;-)

I've lost my "pip book". That comes from showing it to friends. I
have forgotten the name of the author and the publisherand would
appreciate it if any urgler would let me have the information, as I
would like to hunt for a replacement copy.

Try abebooks - internet consortium of second hand bookshops.
A name like keith Mossiman dredges itself up from the depths of my
memory - could be completely wrong.

Thanks for the lead. I will try it.

Franz

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Franz Heymann
writes

"Kay" wrote in message
...
In article , Mark
Blewett
writes
I did try to germinate a few seeds last year (from a shop bought
lemon), without success.. any tips?

Just drop pips into any pots you have around and forget about
them -
sooner or later one of them will germinate. Watched pips never
grow
;-)

I've lost my "pip book". That comes from showing it to friends. I
have forgotten the name of the author and the publisherand would
appreciate it if any urgler would let me have the information, as I
would like to hunt for a replacement copy.

Try abebooks - internet consortium of second hand bookshops.
A name like keith Mossiman dredges itself up from the depths of my
memory - could be completely wrong.

Thanks for the lead. I will try it.

Franz

In message , Kay
writes
How long should I forget about them?

Until just after you can't remember them

--
regards andyw

In message , Kay
writes
How long should I forget about them?

Until just after you can't remember them

--
regards andyw

On Fri, 30 Jul 2004 01:03:13 +0100, Mark Blewett
wrote:

I'm a relatively newcomer to gardening.. and looking for some
ideas/thoughts for someone who has no garden.. just 2 very large south
facing windows.

Over the last couple of years, I've grown in pots: various herbs,
tomato's, chillies and even had a go at some salad leaves/radishes
with mix success. As you may well already guessed.. I like food and
cooking and hence prefer to grow something that is edible!

Onto the question... in uk.food+drink.misc there was a part-thread
about peaches (and patio variaties).. which got me thinking (ok
hoping).. could these grow indoors? If not what would be a good choice
fruit for growing indoors in a pot?

Thanks for any ideas and thoughts would really be appreciated.

Regards
Mark
(An enthusiastic newbee!)

Just a quick follow up.. to say thanks for the advice/ideas.

Today I bought (from Reads Nursery).. not a peach tree but..

- A Kaffir Lime (Citrus Hystrix)
The one to grow for authentic Thai style flavouring. 3yr bushy plants

- A Vine (Black Hamburgh)
Universally known. A reliable mid-season swee****er grape producing
large bunches. Excellent for pots.

- A Fig (Osbournes Prolific)
(Archipel) Large pear shaped fruit. Brown skin with purple tinge when
ripe. Rich and sweet golden flesh, very productive. Greenhouse or pot.