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veganblue
Apr 6th, 2005, 02:14 PM
I could do that I suppose, but honestly, would anything actually grow in there?

regarding growing plants in the garden...

If you don't have light then the best thing to grow would be mushrooms - they don't need light and happily grow in a dark damp place. We have kit form ones over here that you buy in a box - I don't know if you have ever seen them in Australia Roxy?

There are plants that will grow around the house that don't like light - such as 'parlour palms' etc, but if you want to grow something to eat inside, you will need light.

I have seen some lovely bookcases fitted with full-spectrum fluorescent globes that grow beaut indoor arrays, but after water, a plant needs light to photosynthesize and grow or it just becomes compost.

If you choose to make an indoor garden an aquarium shop will be able to help you with the lighting; but it would be more for the plants company in the room or a place to sprout seeds (snow pea sprouts) than an economical way of getting food.

On the otherhand, homegrown is priceless... ? :)

Roxy
Apr 7th, 2005, 08:22 AM
Thanks you guys :) I might make it one of my spring goals, to plant and nuture something and TRY.......really TRY not to let anything bad happen to it.

Seaside
Apr 20th, 2005, 06:04 AM
Today I repotted my gramma's cymbidium orchid. Every couple of years it just cracks the pot it grows in, and I have to get a new one. I can't remember how old it is, but I've had it since she passed away 12 years ago. It has a very beautiful spray of cream and wine flowers that last 3 or 4 months. My dad gave it to her as a Mother's day present, and it is very special to me!

eve
Apr 20th, 2005, 09:52 AM
My pots are in constant shade because of the huge mango tree, so over time I've had to find plants that grow in shade. My favourites are bromeliads, that are lovely, and they keep growing new 'pups' that can be potted (what *do* they get up to? :D). Some beronias also do well in the shade, as well as pig-face, that are in lovely colours of yellow, and red. There's also my blue boy.

There is a tiny little strip of ground at the rear of the unit, possibly 18 inches by 5 metres, and growing there is a bush of 'yesterday, today, and tomorrow' which has a beautiful perfume. Now there's a trellis going up tomorrow, and I will have some hanging pots. At the rear, there's plenty of sunshine so room for some creativity.

Seaside
Apr 21st, 2005, 05:01 AM
I wish I lived where I could grow a mango tree!
I love bromeliads, though they must be kept inside where I live. I have a couple of pineapple plants that grow like weeds for some lucky reason, and have little baby pineapples on them. They aren't the big, edible kind, and they look so cute I wouldn't want to eat them anyway! :)

tails4wagging
Apr 21st, 2005, 07:00 AM
My gardener friend gave me some runner beans to grow and some main crop potatoes, cant wait to put them in, too soon yet, he tells me as we could still get frosts. My early new potatoes are not coming up yet.

I have put in the carrots,beetroot and onions. An ideas how to control slugs/snails without killing them?.

Seaside
Apr 22nd, 2005, 06:18 AM
Hi Tails,

Snails and slugs may be hand picked at night and taken elsewhere (not MY favorite thing to do), or if you put out pieces of cardboard or plywood they might gather under them to stay in the shade during the day, and you can collect and remove them.

They are not supposed to like crawling across gritty surfaces, so some sandpaper barriers might work, or use copper tape as a border around your beds. They are not supposed to like crawling across copper as their slime conducts electricity as it makes contact with the copper and they get a shock. It won't kill them, just deter them.

When I had a garden it was visited daily by ducks, and they took care of the slugs and snails for me.

Roxy
Apr 25th, 2005, 05:01 AM
On Friday, I purchased 2 lavender plants. Well, I guess they are seedlings really - well they're a bit bigger than seedlings (about 2 inches high).

So today I planted them in some pots on my balcony. Here they will receive sunlight until about noon, when the sun goes around the other side of the building.

I hope they live :o

Seaside
Apr 25th, 2005, 05:15 AM
Good Luck Roxy! Lavender plants have such a wonderful fragrance, even without the flowers. Your balcony will smell really good once they get a little bigger, especially in the rain! :)

Roxy
Apr 25th, 2005, 05:19 AM
Thanks Seaside :D The frangrance is the main reason that I bought them. Although I also love the little flowers that come up. They look so pretty. I wonder if the flowers will attract any bees or butterflies?

Seaside
Apr 25th, 2005, 05:41 AM
I'm not sure lavender is especially attractive. If you really want to attract butterflies, Buddleia, also called butterfly bush, will, but they become very large shrubs. Monarda, also called bee balm, is very attractive to bees and butterflies, and is a smaller plant that should grow in containers. You can try honeysuckle in a pot. It is hard to kill honeysuckle, and you can train the vines around your balcony railings. Honeysuckle will attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. :)

tails4wagging
Apr 25th, 2005, 07:32 AM
Thanks for tips on snails and slugs, I will try cardboard. I have baught some sharp sand to put round the tender plants so that may help.


I will be putting the the runner beans out this week. Hopefully no more frosts.

Lavender is lovely I have four plants of these. There are a few different sorts out there.

I went to the Norfolk Lavender fields last year, lovely the fields of lavender are stunning. I would love to live next to one of those fields!.

The company is non animal testing and you can take your dog with you on a lead and outside on the patio area next to the rest, they have water bowls for your dog and they are even purple!! Sitting on the patio next to loads of different lavender bushse and the smell is lovely.
The only BIG hiccup they do not do anything vegan at there rest,. Ihad a word with them about that!

There are three shops there and you can spend loads of money there!!. Well worth a visit.

Aurora
Apr 25th, 2005, 05:54 PM
I went to the Norfolk Lavender fields last year, lovely the fields of lavender are stunning. I would love to live next to one of those fields!.

The company is non animal testing and you can take your dog with you on a lead and outside on the patio area next to the rest, they have water bowls for your dog and they are even purple!! Sitting on the patio next to loads of different lavender bushse and the smell is lovely.
The only BIG hiccup they do not do anything vegan at there rest,. Ihad a word with them about that!

There are three shops there and you can spend loads of money there!!. Well worth a visit.

I used to live in Norfolk and went there regularly. Beautiful isn't it?

I also love lavender and take cuttings each year to fill in the holes where the rabbits have eaten the plants!

Our greenhouse is full to bursting with pots of tomato plants, melons, aubergines, peppers, cucumbers, runner beans, lettuce, sweetcorn and seedlings of all sorts of flowers!

Outside we have broad beans, garlic, onions, strawberries and potatoes.

Isn't spring wonderful :)

eve
Apr 26th, 2005, 10:37 AM
I just have potplants, but at last Sunday's flea market, I bought a little tray with three strawberry plants. Today I bought a new hanging plantpot for them, and in the morning I'll be filling it with some good potting mix, to make it ready to receive the three lovely strawberry plants. Hope to have a reasonable supply of strawberries before too long. :D

gertvegan
May 1st, 2005, 03:05 PM
This is kinda thread related.

The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers has their green gyms, set up to promote fitness, and well being and health for everyone through physical work, and improving the local environment.

For more info click ME. (http://www.btcv.org/greengym/) :)

cedarblue
May 3rd, 2005, 04:38 PM
over the bank holiday weekend we planted out our broad beans, sugar snap peas, some carrot seeds and some spinach seeds. also the tomatoes are out now, and a few lettuces.

my sweetcorn seeds are just sprouting and so are the sunflowers. strawberry plants are coming on wonderfully in our new little plastic greenhouse and so are the pots of basil. in garden pots we have mint, fennel, chives and parsley. maincrop maris piper potatoes have just gone in too and the first early spuds are just popping out.

the pond is looking good with the newts still in residence and i noticed one of the toads i rescued the other day is still there :)

we have been clearing an area of brambles and rubbishy grass to make a little area to sit out in during the summer and hope to buy a chimenea to sit by and cook on too.

Peas'nHominy
May 4th, 2005, 02:01 AM
I stepped out the other day to check on the garden (I'm particularly looking forward to the tomatoes), and I was quite surprised to see that I'm growing....doggie toys! It was just so funny to see the toys half buried; it was like they were growing as part of the garden! :D

Danny, my black lab, is always right at my side while I garden, and seems to be watching me closely while I work. I guess he's decided to take up gardening, too! :D ha, ha

Danny's doing a great job keeping the rabbits out of the garden for me. But he absolutely loves the birds. He shares his food, water and our garden with them! I've tried that purple netting stuff to try to keep the birds out, but it SO didn't work. :rolleyes:

tails4wagging
May 4th, 2005, 06:08 AM
I have three strawberry plants in my greenhouse, so forcing them up a bit early.

Ive planted lettuce and surrounded each one with sharp sand to try to stop snails/slugs getting to them.

Some young lettuce and home grown spinach I had on a salad yesterday. Lovely.

Ive just baught young tender tom, plants and grow bags to put them in.Too soon to put them out yet.

kokopelli
May 4th, 2005, 09:39 AM
I just have potplants, but at last Sunday's flea market, I bought a little tray with three strawberry plants. Today I bought a new hanging plantpot for them, and in the morning I'll be filling it with some good potting mix, to make it ready to receive the three lovely strawberry plants. Hope to have a reasonable supply of strawberries before too long. :D

The really good thing about strawberry plants is, as well as making strawberries, they send out 'runners' with new baby plants on the ends, and you can peg them down into pots till they grow roots, then cut them off from the mother plant and so you get new strawberry plants for free! :)

DianeVegan
May 4th, 2005, 12:44 PM
I live in a development with very lovely, pesticide sprayed and petro-fertilized grass. Stunning! Fabulous for the home values! And the association won't go organic - too much money they say.

So.......I container garden on my deck. The beauty is that you can avoid many pests but the watering can be tricky, especially during hot, dry spells.

My perennial herbs are growing, arugula and rapini are about 1 inch tall. I started my peppers inside. This is the first year I'll try zuccini and eggplant in a container - does anyone have tips on this? And the beans went in yesterday with spinach, kale, chard.

No tomatoes this year. Those damn chipmunks LOVE them!

veganblue
May 4th, 2005, 02:09 PM
No tomatoes this year. Those damn chipmunks LOVE them!

Have you considered growing your tomatoes in cages?

I am going to try tomatoes in wire mesh tubes next Spring as they make good support but I figure if you cap the top you might even get a tomato or two?

DianeVegan
May 4th, 2005, 09:52 PM
Hahaha!!! You have obviously not met the predatory Connecticut Chipmunk :eek: Not cage nor fence nor Havahart animal trap can keep the chipmunk from his prey. Not even a large Macaw shrieking every time one comes on the deck!

They are truly horrid. I hope they never make their way to Australia!

(I usually do get more than a few if I pick them green - but what's the fun of that?)

Peas'nHominy
May 4th, 2005, 10:52 PM
I usually do get more than a few if I pick them green - but what's the fun of that?

ooo-oooo!! Slice'm and fry'm! Fried green tomatoes rock!! :D (no, I'm NOT referring to the movie, ha ha)

tails4wagging
May 5th, 2005, 07:05 AM
Green tomato chutney??

Aurora
May 5th, 2005, 05:41 PM
Grow them under glass?

We grow Aubergines, Melons, Peppers, Tomatoes and Cucumbers in the greenhouse.