@lilacsofthedead XD I'm always afraid of killing my plants, but I had the cheering thought the other day that if I plant my seed babies out too early /don't harden them off before planting right / whatever, I'm doing it early enough and still have plenty of seed that I can use later on in the year. Just toss 'em in the ground and *gasp* thin them like you're really supposed to. The only thing I'm really confident about is my radishes. It takes a lot to discourage a radish.
Thanks for the tips friends! I've been busy with allergies so my gardening was stuck to "water them", but today I went to take some balcony photos. Unfortunately I'm currently laptop less and I can manage to figure out why the photos won't load up here so have a link instead. The nicely growing plant in the seventh photo is the quirquiña, whose starting to sprout a few buds. It does well with surprisingly little water. The first photo is my newly dead thyme :( I only just saw a white fluff spot on it which is confusing because that is what appeared with my first thyme, but it didn't appear on this one until was this... Dead. I might have to seriously consider just... Bleaching out the ceramic pot. I think the ones with a glaze won't get damaged. The others, not so sure, maybe I'll put them on a terrace while it's still summer so that the heat dies out. Second and third are my basil which was doing super well but... Now it's not doing so well. I just found white things on it and am now worried. And also annoyed. When I lived in NY I had an indoor basil plant and all I did was water it when I remembered and it did SUPER WELL until I had to move out. I had a nice African violet too and I never killed it :/ Fourth and fifth are the soil in the now utterly dead parsley and cilantro pots. I don't know it looks weird to me and one part started building up the weird crust thing I talked about :/ I might just... Try gardening in the terrace, which is more exposed to sunlight and weather so hopefully the humidity won't reign supreme :/ the sun is pretty strong right now so I'm not sure! The sixth photo is the pine tree pot where I scrapped off the horrible crust of doom.mit was a horrible crust. I blame it for everything. Nine is the chives. They're still a bit wilted from when I let them dry out too much, but slowly the green shoots are getting more vertical. Tenth is the heroic pine tree. It's survived so much. Its still sprouting more green so I'm eager to keep a hardy survivor. That's it for now. I'll see about taking my dead plants to a nursery to ask wtf is going on, advice, and buying new ones. Oh, and I took the old soil from previously dead plants into sunlight on the terrace in white blogs where it's absorbing as much heat as possible to kill off any nasties.
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who can't keep their plants alive ;;_;; idk what I'm doing wrong with the chives, they stay small and tiny and then die. And I killed my monk's cress. .._.." Oh well, will plant another one come april.
Aw, man. That sucks. ;; Would definitely separate the basil from your other plants, and if possible, put in a dry, sunny place, with a breeze. You may want to just cut off the affected plant parts; basil needs some pretty aggressive pruning anyway. That looks like it's probably a fungus, but I'm not sure what's endemic in your area. It doesn't quite look like scelerotina drop... http://entoweb.okstate.edu/ddd/diseases/sclerotinia-drop.htm If you can take that to the nursery and get it checked out, it'd probably be a good idea, just to make sure you're not going to spread something nasty to your other plants. It's a good sign that the foliage and stems look healthy; most major plant diseases would be showing signs there, so hopefully it'll clear up! (I'd be particularly worried about bitemarks, yellowing, dropping leaves, "burn" marks, mottling on the leaves...) And damn, African violets are hard! Props on that. (/spergs a lot.)
Are the chives indoors or outdoors? Do they just die all of a sudden, or do they look sickly in some way?
Indoors. It's entirely possible I've got too many in the planter and don't water them enough. I tend to forget stuff like that. .._.."
Hm. I think it's probably not overcrowding; chives are pretty damn tolerant. My best guess is that you need water and fertilizer. Possible troubleshooting: - Water some more. Chives are very drought-tolerant once they get established, but any baby plants are vulnerable. If the planter's got holes in the bottom, you can probably leave it in a shallow tray of water; as long as the water's gone within a day or two, you shouldn't increase your pathogen risks much. Don't worry much about overwatering. - If the soil's not new, toss in some general-purpose fertilizer or compost; slow-release is nice if you've got it, because it won't burn baby plants' roots. Most vegetables are nutrient-hungry, because they're putting out so much foliage. - Try to get them in a south- or east-facing window; chives prefer full-sun, so if they're unusually long and skinny, or straining toward whatever lightsource you have, that may be the problem. - If the soil is really hard and clumped together, try breaking it up a little. You can probably turn the soil with a fork or something like that; you just want to make sure it's not too hard for the chives' roots to get through the soil. If none of that works, it might be root rot or a pathogen, but that doesn't sound likely in this case. Next step would probably be to fully replace the soil, and sanitize or replace the pot. Good news is that chives are RIDICULOUSLY UNKILLABLE if you can get them established. I can't get them out of my garden for love or money. (Hit me if I'm talking too much, guys, okay? >>; I don't wanna oversperg, I am not Most Expert.)
I'mma just sit here and quietly envy you guys, because I'm currently in an apartment where I cannot seem to get anything to grow. Granted, I have been trying with orchids, which are hella fussy, but I'm reluctant to bring in anything that isn't a $10 orchid from Walmart. Partly because this apartment seems to be where green, growing things go to die, and partly because what I really want is a garden. And I'm not putting in a garden in an apartment that we're planning on moving out of as soon as possible.
...yes please. I'm in Zone 5a/5b, in Cape Breton. I'm not sure I can start any seeds right now, because it's snowing (again) and the general expectation of when winter will finally pack up and stay gone is "late April, possibly mid-May". But if I can, I'd like at least a little herb garden.
All of these should be pretty easy to grow, easy to acquire, grow well in a pot, and handle being moved to a new apartment. o/ Easy indoor herbs: All of these will be happy indoors indefinitely; all but mint won't survive winter temperatures outside, but they can go outside as long as it's above 45F/7C or so. Keep in a sunny window if possible - south- or east-facing is ideal. Water regularly - once or twice a week, more often if it's really hot out, or if the pots are on your balcony. If you stick the tip of your finger in the dirt to the first knuckle, and it stays dry, it needs watering. Pour out any standing water in the saucer under the pot, if it lasts for more than a day or two. Pinch off the tip of each branch, and any flowers that try to form. Besides being delicious, this is good for the plant, and it keeps it bushy and healthy. Basil: Either get a small pot/seeds, or get a cutting (a sprig a few inches long). Some grocery stores will sell sprigs of basil, which should be usable. If you get a cutting, you can just leave it in a glass of water in the windowsill until it grows some roots. http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/herbs/basil/propagating-basil.htm Once the basil is in dirt, keep it near a sunny window, and keep it pretty wet. Basil is hard to overwater; you're basically only going to kill it if it gets totally dried out. Mint/Rosemary/Lavender/Oregano/Bay: Pretty much the same instructions! http://naturehacks.com/5-herbs-that-are-easy-to-grow/ You're less likely to find sprigs of these at the supermarket, but seeds or a small pot will work well. If the plant grows well, you can cut sprigs and make more plants. Spearmint, peppermint, lemon mint, and so on, are all going to be similar to grow. Even if it gets dried out and looks dead, mint will often come back if you keep watering it. DO NOT plant mint in the ground. Pots are great, but mint spreads like crazy in the ground. Other easy edibles: Lettuce/Kale/Dill/other leaf crops: Pretty much any salad greens will grow happily in a windowsill or balcony. This can stay indoors or outdoors; the plants should last through the spring and summer if you start them from seed now, and many places will sell "salad green" seed mixes. Most of these guys won't live more than a few months, though dill will produce seeds that you can grow more babies from. A longish pot like this works well if you want to grow a good bit of food - http://www.climatestore.com/media/c...6e5fb8d27136e95/w/b/wb-gr-lettuce_800x800.jpg . Care instructions are pretty much the same; sunny window, regular watering, keep the tips pinched off. (You can let dill flower if you want to produce seeds. Be aware that dill is a fertile little dick and you may end up with "volunteer" babies in your pot next year.) Small citrus trees: This is a more expensive option, but a neat one. In my area, a small tree will run you about $30; they're more aesthetic than practical. Many small citrus trees will grow happily inside: calamondins, limes, lemons, and so on. https://fourwindsgrowers.com/tips-and-advice/growing-dwarf-citrus/as-houseplants.html They flower and fruit year-round, and will live for years. As usual, sunny window, regular watering; in my experience, these guys are pretty hardy. They can go on the balcony above 50F/10C or so, but won't stand winter temperatures. You'll want to "harden" them if you keep them on the balcony: keep them outside for a few hours for the first few days, slowly increasing to full-time. This will get them used to outdoor sun and wind. (Go figure, plants can get sunburn. This is an actual thing.) Before buying, peer real closely at the undersides of the leaves, for pinhead-sized red bugs or spiderweb-like webbing. If you see any, or if the plant seems unhealthy, do not buy, those are spider mites and they are dicks. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/90/Tetranychidae.jpg Tomatoes/Peppers: This is actually a great time to start tomatoes and peppers indoors, in 5a/b. Starting from seed is way less pricy than buying a plant, and it's good to start them a month or two before the last frost, in our growing season. You can start them in a sunny window as usual, in seedling starter trays like this: http://www.amazon.com/Seedling-Star..._UL160_SR151,160_&refRID=1F34ERJ07FD50F3626E9 . These should be available at any garden store, pretty cheaply. Transfer to progressively larger pots as they grow. We usually go to a quart-size container next; an empty plastic yogurt container works well, if you stab some holes in the bottom. After that, a gallon-size pot should work well. https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/9...BaseShopping&gclid=CIjzzbfgyssCFYU2aQodgB8K6A (If you want your tomatoes to get Big, you may want to do a several-gallon pot when it starts outgrowing the gallon pot. I've found that a gallon pot works well for cherry tomatoes and for balcony gardening, because I don't really want a seven-foot-tall tomato plant on my patio. XP) These should work inside, but I've usually seen them grown on a balcony when they get big enough, and when the temperature's around 45F/7C. As with citrus trees, you'll want to "harden" them if they go on the balcony: keep them outside for a few hours for the first few days, slowly increasing to full-time. This will get them used to outdoor sun and wind. Once the tomato plant gets tall enough that it starts trying to fall over (around 6-10in., I think), you can tie it to a stake or to your balcony to keep it upright. Some cherry tomatoes will grow upright without support, but the full-size ones generally need support. Once the tomato plant is as tall as you want it, just pinch off the top to keep it from growing taller. Otherwise, sunny window, lots of water. You really can't overwater these guys. Watering directly into the saucer/basin beneath the pots works well, so you don't disturb the soil too much.
I grow bitty little thai hot peppers, and I dry any that don't get used right away. I just broke open one of the dried ones to get a few seeds started and then immediately scratched inside my nose :/ Don't underestimate your hot peppers, folks. This has been a psa.
Oh god, I did that this year too; I thought I'd washed my hands well enough, but there was still capsaicin under my nails. My face was burning FOREVER.
Oh jeeze. (...and now I'm wondering if I can start some of the seeds from the jalapenos we bought a couple weeks ago. Sorry.) I'm thinking of buying some of the little single-serve yogurts and, once those are eaten up, washing them out to start seeds in. They should be small enough to work well, and then I can either transfer them to a bigger yogurt tub or into a real pot, idk.
You probably can! Most peppers work from seed, and if they were grown with other jalapenos then they should breed true.[*] You'll find out pretty quickly if they're not; the seeds probably just won't sprout. Give them two or three weeks to germinate before worrying. That sounds perfect. :D Stab a couple holes in the bottoms of the containers, for drainage, and use a saucer / tupperware / tray to catch the water. That just keeps them from sitting in soggy soil for too long. (* Bell/chili/hot peppers are interfertile. So if you have multiple kinds of pepper close together, they're gonna make weird hybrid babies. This can be good or bad - the big consequence is that the hotness is a total wildcard. Capsaicin is dominant, so they're going to tend toward the hotter parent, but you can't always tell hotness on sight in hybrid babies.)
Ooh, interesting! Well - these are grocery store jalapenos that hail from Mexico. So...we'll see, I guess? I'm either getting more jalapenos, or Weird Hybrid Peppers.
I had a pepper, but it died when winter hit - I didn't bring it in soon enough. It was hardy and produced well up until that point, though! Right now I have various cacti/succulents and parsley. My former housemate was growing tomatoes on their balcony, and all the pots/dirt are still there, so I'll probably start some more tomatoes, peppers, basil, mint, or rosemary in some combination once it warms up for good.
Seeds and (some) gardening supplies have been acquired! Walmart had a lot of seed packets - I got lemon basil; chives; "buttercrunch" lettuce; "King of Denmark" spinach; rosemary; flat-leaf parsley; beef tomatoes; fernleaf dill; and catgrass. The packets allege that everything except the tomatoes and the catgrass is an heirloom variety, although I wasn't particularly looking out for that. What Walmart didn't have was potting soil or anything else that'd be helpful for planting seeds, unless you wanted to buy a whole "grow your own herbs" kit. (Which I did get - it's got sweet basil, oregano, a second parsley, sage, thyme, and cilantro. all pre-mixed into one packet.) I also got labels on sticks, so that I can remember what's where. We'll probably go to a garden center later on, and see if they've got potting soil and saucers or trays yet. I did get yogurt, though, so once I've got soil to work with (assuming there isn't any left over from the herb kit), I can get started on sprouting some of this.
I'm going out of town today for about two weeks, here's hoping that if I put enough water in the trays below the pots my plants don't die "_"
