[Meenuh]

I was wondering if any of the 20+ people here garden (I kinda doubt anyone does this though ... *crosses fingers). Lol. I know I sound like an old lady but I do like to plant stuff but I have a hard time maintaining what I plant.

I used to live on a farm when I was younger and I loved it and I miss it. I don't really have an area to plant stuff since I live in an apt. so I can only do it in pots. Does anyone have any suggestions and tips?

I don't wanna grow edible stuff anymore because I don't grow enough of it to really do anything with it so I wanna plant some pretty flowers. I bought some Freesia bulbs and Lily of the Valley. Oh, I also bought a daisy plant. Any tips and suggestions on how to grow these flowers? Any other flowers that are good to grow? Will they grow okay in pots or would I need to plant them elsewhere?

[HERMIT]

Wow, now this is an original thread.
I wish I could help you out, but the extent of my knowledge in regards to farming is to avoid stepping on rakes if you want to have kids later on in life.
I had a neighbor who I thought was a pretty avid gardener, but that was until the cops came by and confiscated his "crops".

[emma007]

I have the same issue here. I live in the desert and it just gets too hot I think. This year I am trying to grow things in bags, and so far they are still alive, so that is a plus! I don't really do any flowers though, just annuals stuff like marigolds, which seem to last the best out here. My dad planted several rose bushes around, and those have done well, but that doesn't help you much!

[Meenuh]

I have the same issue here. I live in the desert and it just gets too hot I think. This year I am trying to grow things in bags, and so far they are still alive, so that is a plus! I don't really do any flowers though, just annuals stuff like marigolds, which seem to last the best out here. My dad planted several rose bushes around, and those have done well, but that doesn't help you much!

How do you grow stuff out of bags?

I bought this venus fly trap and I totally killed it. It was so confusing. I didn't know how to maintain the humidity levels and yeah .. I named it too. Vinnie. Poor Vinnie shriveled up and died. Now my bf thinks i'm incapable of caring for anything. *sigh* Lol.

[questions987]

get orchids - the small kinds. They're pretty easy. Plenty of sunshine (indoors though) and put an ice cube in it once a week and you have a pretty pretty plant.

[Meenuh]

get orchids - the small kinds. They're pretty easy. Plenty of sunshine (indoors though) and put an ice cube in it once a week and you have a pretty pretty plant.

My bf bought one for my mom and he's convinced that she has killed it. Lol. I went downtown on saturday to the flower district and orchids didn't really catch my eye. The freesias did because they smell .. so... goood.... lol. I kinda wanna plant it from bulb or seed. I also bought some forget me not seeds.

[Prot]

I don't know the names of any of the plants I have at home but I've kept them alive since I was 5 simply by watering them once a week with about 100ml-200ml of water pending plant size and my dad waters them since I dorm for college. Some of them grew quite a lot so we had to trim it or cut off a branch and replant that (cause it grew into another plant just like that).

Anyway, it is important to get pots with holes and a little tray so you never overwater the plants. Over watering them cause the roots to die. If the soil is moist, it does not need water. Also, certain types of plants grow better with a little bit of fertilizer and certain plants are very sensitive to excess water, best way is to research on the ones that you know are hard to grow. It is also best to keep them by the window (sunlight) and when your heat is on for the winter, to put an open container of water or use a humidifier once in a while so that the air isn't too dry.

[Tuffcore]

I was about 9-years-old when i discovered my true love for mangoes and on one hot Canadian summer day after enjoying a plump juicy mango, i took the mango seed outside to the back of our house where my mother's flower garden was flourishing. Using my bare hands, I dug a hole 6 inch deep into the soil and even conveniently removed my mother's lilies to make room. I laid the mango seed inside the hole and with the most innocent enthusiasm, i buried the seed with soil, water, and love.

For the next few days, my mom would be cooking in the kitchen and cursing at rabbits while i sat near the window and prayed for the rain and sun to reward me for my optimism. I waited and waited but rightfully so, nothing happened. I never understood why but i was not heart broken for shortly after that, i discovered my true true love for watermelons. And my mom discovered more reasons to hate rabbits.

True story. I was never a good gardener and even raised two unsuccessful bonsai trees recently. I'd like to start though. I even promised my mom i'll help her plant some flower seeds this Spring in her backyard but don't know where to begin.

[Meenuh]

I was about 9-years-old when i discovered my true love for mangoes and on one hot Canadian summer day after enjoying a plump juicy mango, i took the mango seed outside to the back of our house where my mother's flower garden was flourishing. Using my bare hands, I dug a hole 6 inch deep into the soil and even conveniently removed my mother's lilies to make room. I laid the mango seed inside the hole and with the most innocent enthusiasm, i buried the seed with soil, water, and love.

For the next few days, my mom would be cooking in the kitchen and cursing at rabbits while i sat near the window and prayed for the rain and sun to reward me for my optimism. I waited and waited but rightfully so, nothing happened. I never understood why but i was not heart broken for shortly after that, i discovered my true true love for watermelons. And my mom discovered more reasons to hate rabbits.

True story. I was never a good gardener and even raised two unsuccessful bonsai trees recently. I'd like to start though. I even promised my mom i'll help her plant some flower seeds this Spring in her backyard but don't know where to begin.

Lol. That's a really cute story. I love mangos too .. it's just too bad i'm allergic to them.

I guess the first thing would be is to choose the flowers you want to plant. Anything your mom has in mind or maybe that you have in mind? We used to grow a lot of watermelons. We had these one watermelons that was a golden yellow inside. They were sooo gooood.

[awdark]

I am terrible at remembering to maintain and water the plants. I only sometimes have luck when I deal with plants that stay in water... like an avocado seed to mini tree.

Although I am slightly proud of the rose bush I rooted from a cutting. I soaked it in water until roots began to sprout and planted it in the dirt... whenever I wash my car I would dump the bucket of water there, now I have a small rose bush that actually flowers! Sadly my previous attempt failed because I planted the dumb thing upside down. =[

[emma007]

How do you grow stuff out of bags?

You just get a plastic shopping bag, fill it up with dirt, and then put the plant in it. I can take a picture if you would like.

[Meenuh]

You just get a plastic shopping bag, fill it up with dirt, and then put the plant in it. I can take a picture if you would like.

Ohhh please do. and some pictures of it growing? What are you growing?

I found a growing guide for lily of the valley

Forcing Lily of the Valley Indoors

Lily of the valley are among the easiest, most rewarding plants to force indoors. We have a friend who orders these at 3-week intervals all winter and enjoys wonderfully fragrant blooms throughout the cold months. Then she plants the pips outdoors. You should see (and smell) her shady side yard in the spring - incredible!

1. Find a pretty container that is 3" or more deep. Add planting medium that will hold moisture well. A potting mix with a high percentage of peat moss is a good choice.

2. Here's an insider's trick. Soak your pips in lukewarm water before planting. The pips will absorb water, wake up and be ready to take off. Just take the plastic bag your pips are shipped in, add enough lukewarm water so the peat in the bag is saturated and leave the bag in your sink for a couple of hours. The pips should swell a bit and become hard.

3. Before tucking your pips into the planting medium, snip the last inch off the roots. This will activate the roots, encourage moisture uptake and jump start the growing process. Plant your lily of the valley so the tops barely poke above the soil surface, about 1 1/2" apart. Don't wait too long, as pips can dry up if left out of the ground (and out of a humidity controlled cooler) for more than a week or ten days.

4. After planting, water generously, soaking the soil. Top growth will begin to form very quickly, usually in just a week. Keep the soil evenly moist as these grow rapidly and need water to do so. Place your pot in a cool area - 60-70 degrees is ideal - with the lower end of this range producing taller, stronger plants. Low light is preferred; do not place on a sunny windowsill.

5. When in bloom, feel free to cut the petite bell-shaped flowers for bouquets. This will not hurt the plants.

6. After blooming has finished leave the foliage in place; don't cut it off. Transplant to a shady area outdoors when the weather is mild, if you like. These may take a year to recover from forcing, but once settled in will flower for many years to come.

I'm a little confused about step 2. So.. I take the pips out and soak them in my sink or directly add the lukewarm water into the bag?


For those of you that don't know what they look like.. this is lily of the valley. They're adorable and I can't wait to plant them. Lol. I sound like an old lady.

[iridescent]

^ Those look absolutely lovely if finding them cute makes you an old lady, I'm sure most girls are older than they think.

When I have my own place, I don't really plan on having any furniture but I fully expect to have a garden. I'm sure I'll be horrible at taking care of it, but I think I'll get it right before I die.

My mom doesn't have a garden, but she recently put these huge radishes in big kimchi jars full of water, and they've been sprouting flowers...?

Tuffcore, I was waiting for the happy ending where you ended up with a mango tree. And then I thought you got it with the watermelon vine

[vividified]

has any one tried aero garden? looks like a piece of junk but tempeted to try ><

[Meenuh]

has any one tried aero garden? looks like a piece of junk but tempeted to try ><

What is an aero garden?

[HERMIT]

Does having a chia pet count as gardening?
Someone told me that having silk plants doesn't qualify you as having a green thumb, but I don't know. Somehow my silk plants died. I think it's because I failed to pretend watering them.

[justwildbeat]

Oh I've grown random things over the years. My first green thumb adventure was with watermelons. I took seeds from the grocery store melons and planted it. They did grow, but the melons weren't exactly huge. My largest one was the size of a grapefruit.

Next came the Egglings. Clay "eggs" filled with soil inside, they give you a packet of seeds that you drop in and grow. I bought 2, one was lavender and the other strawberry. The lavender one was nice, and I got pretty excited when it started to sprout but I didn't transfer it to a bigger pot carefully enough so it just shriveled up and died...

The strawberry plant however fared much better ^___^ I grew it in the egg, transferred to a pot and eventually let it live outside. It lived to bear fruit! Extremely small fruit but fruit nonetheless. My family and I ate them hahaha. Eventually the plant died as winter came around and my pet rabbit sort of ate it too...

So maybe this spring I'll try again with different stuff.

[vividified]

What is an aero garden?

http://www.aerogarden.com.au/

[Meenuh]

http://www.aerogarden.com.au/

Ohhhh that's awesome! I think i've seen it before though.. expensive no?


justwildbeat Lol. I love how everyone has cute stories about gardening. I had strawberries too and they came out rather small as well. I think it's because no fertilizer. I didn't wanna buy a bunch of fertilizer and not even need that much... When I get around to planting my seeds i'll take pictures as they grow! Lol.

[silver-typhoon]

Best solution ever: Buy a cactus. Several cacti. They do bloom if you provide ample moisture and sunlight! They're portable (if you buy the small ones) AND you don't have to water constantly... quite forgiving when I forget to water it for more than 2 weeks...