The Backyard: Gardeners, Assemble!

Wild green onions?

Considering the recipes you can find for green onions... maybe it's a boon?

I googled it and apparently they are a nuisance plant that can cross pollinate with the non-edible allium. And the directions for getting rid of them were moderately horrid and involved a rototiller.

Some people said that you can transplant them to the garden.

Yeah, wild green onions.

Three of the dishes that I made for Thanksgiving had ingredients that we grew in our garden. The carrots in the dressing, the beets and the squash for the pie. When I realized that it was pretty cool.

That's very cool. What sort of squash?

Kabocha. It was a surprise when the plant fruited. There was acorn and then there was this other squash. But, squash is squash.

Never say no to randomised seed packets. Well, unless it's rue.

The last couple weeks have been very rain heavy. The cucumbers, which I've ALWAYS had trouble starting from seed, are doubling in size every day and the potatoes have pretty much taken over everything.

It's awesome.

Trying to get all of the grass and creeping charlie out of the strawberry patch. We are going to have a lot of strawberries this year.

So, it doesn't involve much actual gardening, but lately I've bought myself a few air plants. They're quite small at the moment - I don't know how big they're going to get.

Two of them came already stuck to ornaments - I'm planning on finding a nice attractive rock or something to attach the others to.

My seventh attempt to grow irises has been a colossal failure, I just cannot get them to grow, it is very disheartening. At least some seedlings came up this time.

A classmate suggested that I plant something in memory of my dog. Since Harley loved sleeping and I love tea, I thought about chamomile. A quick look and it's suitable for a medium-sized pot, which is great since I'm moving in August.

Now to find the time to buy all the stuff I'd need and get good potting soil.

Somehow, despite getting, like, two feet of rain, my cucumbers have managed to dry out. What.

Also a duck made a nest in my potatoes. How am I supposed to dig around a duck??

^ That is one hell of a wet garden you have there Bur. If the duck is nesting as in hatching eggs, that problem is self correcting. Eventually the duckling will grow up and move away. There may be some beer cans during the teen aged weeks, but no big problem. Now, if the ducks have dug a foundation and are putting in a patio, you have a problem.

Actually I have no idea.

We've also had a lot of rain and my garden has exploded.

Possible explanation for the cucumbers: no matter the rainfall, if the roots don't work, the rest of the plant can't drink. I suspect waterlogged ground meant rotted roots.

edited 16th Jul '15 7:10:30 AM by Euodiachloris

That sounds like it makes sense. Poor cucumbers.

I don't understand why I can't grow nasturtiums and it is beginning to get a little humiliating Everything I read about them says they're so easy to grow, they can put up with poor soil, they germinate easily, they're ideal for children because they're so easy to grow - and yet whenever I try to plant them from seed.... nothing.

I think this batch got waterlogged when it decided to pour with rain for three days immediately after I planted them?

Have you tried starting them in little cups first and letting them grow indoors for a bit, then planting them when they can stand on their own?

Either that or they're just hiding and you're in for a surprise.

On a side note, it really is impossible to kill roses. I had to cut Kitty down to one cane due to mould. A day later, she's got two new leafbuds already.

I'll be happy to repot her, though. She's pretty close to getting rootbound, if she isn't already.

That's what I'll do if this next batch doesn't germinate... maybe the soil here isn't good enough? I did water in some seaweed for them. The climate's pretty mild here.

In other gardening news, my friend gave me a leaf from her african violet. I'm told it will eventually grow more leaves, but for now it is a solitary leaf. I am going to repot it into an old teacup, once I've drilled some holes into the bottom.

The housemates seem to view gardening as a mysterious art, so they are under the impression that the handful of potplants I own means I am a gardener.

It's a miniature rose, right? What colour? My mother used to collect those.

edited 19th Jan '16 4:33:31 AM by LoniJay

White, when it actually has flowers. If I can, I want my rose to develop rosehips so I can make my own tea out of them :D.

I am so fucking pleased with myself. Since every resource I've seen on the net states that thyme is difficult to grow from seed, but I wanted to try, I planted about ten thyme seeds and expected a modest yield after a week or two.

It's been 5 days and 9 out of 10 have sprouted◊! My babies!

I repotted my african violet leaf; I am now watching it anxiously in case it dies.

If anyone knows anything about african violets, should it have sprouted more leaves by now? I got it at Christmas.

They are the world's most frustrating plant: years of nothing, then suddenly triffid when you've done nothing different; or random death. Ditto on the regime. Oh, and aphids love them.

I'm not good with the buggers, and I grew up where they supposedly thrive.

Oh. So it might remain a single leaf for years? Hum. Okay. I guess I can live with that, weird little plant.

I've been told the climate here's not very good for them, but my friend has success growing them in her bathroom (she gave me mine). So... I guess we'll see.