Gardening blues

[posiepurrs]

Anyone else having them? I can't wait until it is warm enough to get back out in the yard! Right now it seems like it will be forever. It is cloudy, in the low 30s and windy with some snow cover. I have already ordered the vegetable seeds for the garden - well most of them anyway. I do have indoor plants but it just isn't the same. My husband doesn't like them so I try not to have to many. Truthfully the selection that aren't toxic to the pets is limited anyway. I don't care for the regular houseplants. I got tired of them when I was working in a floral shop. What I need is a heated greenhouse!! Of course for that I would have to win the lottery. Fat chance of that. Not a fan of winter. !!!!!!!

 

[catapault]

If your husband doesn't like houseplants he is unlikely to be enthusiastic about a greenhouse. That said, there are window greenhouses that replace the flat glass panes with a window insert greenhouse. Less costly than a walkin greenhouse. Great for starting seeds and beating the winter blahs. Or growlights in the basement would be out of his sight and a place where you can garden.

Find out what public gardens in your area are having horticultural events. For example the NY Botanical Gardens will be having their annual orchid extravaganza from late February into March.

Or, on a sunny day go for a garden visit. I've been to places near me such as Wave Hill (in the Bronx) and Willowwood Arboretum (here in NJ) as early as New Year's day, even in the snow. Details of tree branches, bark, buds furled against winter sharpen the eye to details overlooked in summer's lush growth.

As a child my mother would entertain us with a cut off carrot top, radish top, white turnip top placed in a jar lid with water. The sprouting leaves were a beautiful green sign of growth and rejuvenation.

 

[DreamerRose]

I grow African violets, and now is a good time to repot them. They've got long necks and have stopped blooming. I've also picked up a couple of mini orchids. They are very satisfying to grow indoors. Easy to take care of and bloom two to three times a year. The two I have are blooming now.

This seems to satisfy my green thumb.

 

[posiepurrs]

It isn’t that he doesn’t like plants, it is just he says our tv room (the room with the most windows) looks like a jungle in the winter. I have 3 plants in 18” pots, 2 of which are over 6 feet tall, along with smaller plants. If we could afford a greenhouse he would be thrilled for me to have one. I do plan to go to the Boston Flower show in March, but I don’t usually care to visit other gardens- just not my cup of tea. I would rather be doing something than looking.
I have my orchids and I do start my seeds indoor, but it is to early here to do that. I do love African violets, but I don’t have any.
I retired last year and loved trying to get my gardens back to the way they should look. It reignited my love for gardening like I had when I got my Master Gardener certification 21 years ago. I am going through withdrawal!

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I’m not quite there yet. Once the Christmas stuff is down I might change my mind.

 

[rubysmama]

I do have indoor plants but it just isn't the same. My husband doesn't like them so I try not to have to many. Truthfully the selection that aren't toxic to the pets is limited anyway.

I have 2 Christmas cactus's and 1 African Violet. Both are cat safe, and the catctus's (cacti?) were pretty when they bloomed a month or so ago, but back to just being green again. My poor African Violet only bloomed once, and that was a few years ago now.

Not a fan of winter. !!!!!!!

Me either.

As a child my mother would entertain us with a cut off carrot top, radish top, white turnip top placed in a jar lid with water.

That just flashed me back to my childhood and memories of carrot tops sprouting!

The sprouting leaves were a beautiful green sign of growth and rejuvenation.

I can't remember what happens after they sprout roots? They're not plant-able, are they?

I grow African violets, and now is a good time to repot them. They've got long necks and have stopped blooming.

I haven't repotted mine in a couple years. Might that be why they don't bloom?

I've also picked up a couple of mini orchids. They are very satisfying to grow indoors. Easy to take care of and bloom two to three times a year. The two I have are blooming now.

Oooow... sounds nice. Got any pics? And are orchids cat safe?

 

[Boris Diamond]

I am excited to get my garden going this year. I am going to try growing jalapeños to sell. After all these years of gardening I have got this one down! I know the right variety - big and healthy with many large, hot jalapeños! I have the right organic fertilizer, I grow in raised beds with my own soil mixture so I don't have to put up with the clay soil here. I also have an irrigation system for those two week 90 degree periods with no rain. I know a guy with a roadside stand who sells vegetables from local gardeners that I will sell through. I don't expect to make much money, but at least I can pay for my garden. The raised beds will need rebuilding after this year.

 

[DreamerRose]

Here's a mini orchid I got from the Internet. I saw one just like this, red and white, in the grocery store this week. The blooms are about 1 inch across.

I don't know if they are toxic, but my cats are not interested in them. They don't have a fragrance, and the leaves are not tasty, evidently. They only require about 3 oz of water per week, and I add liquid fertilizer. They need a partially sunny location to grow new leaves, and everytime they do, they bloom.

Yes, repotting your violets will help. They need more sun than people think to bloom. Youtube has a number of videos on how to repot.

 

[LTS3]

rubysmama try the growing info on the African Violet Society web site to troubleshoot why your plants aren't blooming.

Front Page - African Violet Society of America

www.avsa.org

There's good info here, too:

African violet care - Violet Barn

Basics of African violet care: propagation, potting, watering, grooming, and environment. How-to lessons, library of articles, FAQ, and search function.

www.violetbarn.com

I wish I had outdoor space to grow plants but I don't so I have to content myself with indoor cat-safe plants and visiting the garden center during the warmer months to indulge in the greenery and flowers.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I really like the idea of a greenhouse window for growing herbs. I don’t have a good spot though. My kitchen window is north facing so I don’t think it would get good light. Fresh basil would be awesome right now.

 

[Lari]

It rained a bit in Sydney tonight! Normally I'm not happy about rain on vacations, and I'm sure it's not enough, but I figure any water Australia can get at this point is better than nothing!

 

[rubysmama]

Here's a mini orchid I got from the Internet. I saw one just like this, red and white, in the grocery store this week. The blooms are about 1 inch across.

Oh, that's so cute, and pretty.

I don't know if they are toxic, but my cats are not interested in them.

Must Google, as I know Ruby would be interested in them.

Yes, repotting your violets will help. They need more sun than people think to bloom. Youtube has a number of videos on how to repot.

Hmmm... so maybe the north facing window is part of the problem. I will try repotting it as well.

rubysmama rubysmama try the growing info on the African Violet Society web site to troubleshoot why your plants aren't blooming.

Thanks! Will check them out.

 

[LTS3]

I really like the idea of a greenhouse window for growing herbs. I don’t have a good spot though. My kitchen window is north facing so I don’t think it would get good light. Fresh basil would be awesome right now.

AbbysMom got an AeroGarden two Christmases ago. There's a thread on her AeroGarden and the herbs she was growing at the time. That might be an option to grow herbs in your kitchen.

A small lamp with a bulb for plant growing would also be an option in a kitchen that doesn't get much natural light.

posiepurrs what catalogs do you buy seeds and plants from? A friend of mine is planning her garden and would like new ideas. She gets the Burpee one.

 

[Winchester]

I have two African violets; one pot has three plants; the second pot has two. Each separate plant is blooming. I wanted to transplant them all when I got them into the shed from my office, but figured I'd give them some time to acclimated to the shed first before I traumatized them further. I keep saying that it's time to re-pot, but haven't gotten around to it yet. When my niece had her bridal shower, one of the violets was a gift to me. Since then, I have these five, plus I transplanted two into separate planters a few years ago and gave them to friends.

FWIW, violets love to be tight, meaning they like being somewhat rootbound.

Rick really wants the warmer weather. He wanted to put out a vegetable garden last year, but then got side-tracked with shed work and we never did get the garden started. Hopefully this spring, we can do something. And now that I'm retired, I'd like to get the flower beds in some semblance of order.

 

[AbbysMom]

Fresh basil would be awesome right now.

The basil is in the back and is after trimming the other day.

I used a bunch and still have this in the refrigerator.

 

[posiepurrs]

I don't know if they are toxic, but my cats are not interested in them.

According to the SPCA Dendrobium orchids which thos appears to be, are not toxic. Lady Slipper orchids however are considered toxic from what I have read. My cats never bother my dendrobiums and phanlenopsis.

posiepurrs posiepurrs what catalogs do you buy seeds and plants from? A friend of mine is planning her garden and would like new ideas. She gets the Burpee one.

Usually I just buy seeds locally. This year however I ordered from MIGardener. He has a YouTube channel that I watch. His seeds are very reasonable - most just 99 cents a pack. Of course they aren't huge packs but being there are just 2 of us at home now, I don't need a 100 tomato plants! I will let you know later in the season if I think it is a good place to order from. I ordered everything except my potato starts from him. Those I will buy locally.

 

[susanm9006]

I always get excited in January when the seeds come in to the stores. Can’t do a thing with them here then of course but they are a sign of spring anyway. Around March I will start my leek seeds which have such a crazy long growing period that you need to start them indoors. They will get artificial lights until some time in May when I can get them into the garden.

 

[posiepurrs]

I will start my onion seeds in early February. under grow lights. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and I will be able to get them out is March sometime. I usually plant onions, potatoes and peas when forsythia blooms in my area. While it is too early to do anything yet, I am getting ready. I bought my first seed tray and some soil yesterday. I still need seed starter mix but that isn't out yet. My seed trays from last year are pretty beat up - they are made so cheaply it is difficult to save from year to year.

 

[DreamerRose]

About seed catalogs. Order from one, and the rest will come. I still get a dozen or so and haven't bought seeds in years.

 

[rubysmama]

I have two African violets; one pot has three plants; the second pot has two. Each separate plant is blooming.

Oh, they're very pretty.

FWIW, violets love to be tight, meaning they like being somewhat rootbound.

Interesting. Maybe that's another problem with mine. Could also be the tooth/claw marks in some of the leaves.