Recent Garden Acquisitions

[Roland Deschain]

potatoes are also from the nightshade family iirc.

They are indeed, as are tomatoes, peppers, aubergines, and their ilk. Look at the leaves and compare them. Very similar. I like the nightshade family, even though large portions of it are poisonous. As long as you don't have any little ones liable to start eating the berries, they're a nice addition to a garden. I have one in my parents' garden that has popped up in several places, including next to an empty trellis in one place. This one has been trained onto the trellis, and has lovely small green flowers. It's definitely a vine, but i've yet to identify the variety.

My plans for the garden are rolling on, regardless of the drop in temperature recently. It took 2 days for the seeds to reach me, and they are now planted into seed trays in the conservatory. Germination will take anywhere from 7-40 days, depending on variety, and as soon as the weather warms again, i'm expecting great things from them (they better do great things! ). Here is the full list of what i've bought:-

My Seed List

Ambitious is not the word, but then if you're going to do something, you may as well make it spectacular. Please also note that not everything has been sown, as some will need to wait for next year.

[Swatopluk]

Since I have no idea what is in the 'soil' after all these years, I'd not eat even the subterranean parts.

[pieces o nine]

That looks like quite a project, Roland!   

[Opsa]

What the heck. Go for it, Ro. You can never tell what will take.

Ah, I wish I could grow Meconopsis here. We're too hot for that beauty. I love them, and I love Poppies, which alas we have too heavy a soil for the gorgeous perennial kind. Still, every once in a while I give it a whirl, just in case.

I'm taking advantage of a cool streak here to sow new lettuce.

[Roland Deschain]

I'll keep you posted. Eventually, lol.

The Meconopsis really caught my eye, as it did yours, I take it. Maybe you could spend time thoroughly preparing a patch of ground for them if you really like them. Not sure what it would take, although somehow I imagine it would involve carting away an amount of soil and replacing it. Once it gets going, i'm more than willing to share seed with anyone who wants it, although it will be the end of next year before that is a viable option.

EDIT: I forgot this:-

Info on growing the Meconopsis

[Opsa]

Good info page, there.

The main problem we have with growing Meconopsis is that it's too hot and humid here over the summer. I read somewhere that the only place that they'll grow in the states is way up north. I saw them blooming in Seattle once and they were fantastic.

[Roland Deschain]

Yeah, they're not fond of too much heat. They like a little light, but prefer it a little cooler, and definitely sheltered somewhat. Luckily, I have just the place for them. I really hope they take. Maybe i'll try them in different places, and move to wherever they like it the best.

I'll take HQ pictures when they bloom, and you can have those instead.

[Opsa]

That would be delightful, thank you!

In other news, I nearly killed my mazus reptans. I put them in the tops of two strawberry pots (the kind with the holes in the sides) and a small amount of dry weather was all they needed to wilt and wither in a most pathetic manner. I'm just glad I caught them in time and placed them in saucers of water. They are now perking up. I need to get them into the ground.

[pieces o nine]

The 'mints' herb tub looks like Times Square on New Year's Eve, which is just what I was hoping for.  I've now culled away the 'fertilized' bits enough to reach washable-and-edible new growth, which is being methodically harvested and dried for a long winter of tea and such.


The 'basil' tub is growing too, but not as luxuriantly. It's difficult to convince V that basil loves hot sun and would do better if not 'helped', thank you kindly anyway.

[Opsa]

My basil has been very slow to get going, too. The sprouts I started on the windowsill are only about an inch high. The weather has been cool, and I think you're right P09, they thrive in hot weather. I sowed a few more seeds out in the garden a short time ago, and they look like they'll catch up with the early ones as soon as it gets hot again. Warmer weather is predicted here starting today. Of course, the lettuce is bound to frown upon the heat at that point.

*Juggling wildly*

[Aggie]

Picked up some basil (sweet and thai), a silver thyme, some zucchini plants and the Solanaceae bedding plants today.  Can't recall all the varieties offhand, but I did get a Bhut Jolokia pepper.


The selection was getting sparse out there, so I largely chose some randoms from what was available. I didn't manage to find the hot-but-manageable cherry bomb peppers that made such nice sriracha last year.

I'll probably have too many tomatoes, and certainly too many zucchini.  The former freezes well, and I vow to keep picking the latter when small and tender (can probably sell 'em to work, we go through 5-10 lbs a week).

[Roland Deschain]

So much harvesting going on. I may be jealous enough to harvest some Rocket, although with all the rain we've been having, its previously upright posture is now a kind of lounging around one.

Opsa, the juggling is annoying, but all part and parcel, as you know. If it's not one thing, it's another, lol.

PoN, tell V that she's not the herb gardener, she's a very notty girl.

[pieces o nine]

Someone   has clipped *all* of the chives -- two beautiful, well-established, lush patches of them! -- to about 3" above the ground, as thoroughly as if weed-whacked.  The sad, dried-out stumps that remain are like straws.  Now I thought we were sharing the herbs; I must have missed the memo that the chives would be executed at the end of May.

Sometimes I think I am living in Bizarro World...   

[Opsa]

It really is Bizarro World sometimes, innit?

Only one thing to do. Try to get back to Everything Okay World. Here, I'll toss ya some juggling bottles.

[Roland Deschain]

I should really start my own thread on my gardening adventures.

The seeds I planted 1 week and 4 days ago are starting to show signs of life already. The Melica Altissima Atropurpurea and Setaria Macrostachya 'Will Scarlet' have thrown up shoots. Many shoots. The Melica now has 8 individual shoots coming up, with the Setaria having 4. The tallest shoot is now a good 2cm. None of the others have done anything yet, but i'm keeping them moist but not soaked, as per the instructions. In spite of my impatience to see them all growing successfully, i'm pretty impressed, as they started coming up after only 1 week!