Do You Plan on Starting Seeds Indoors?

It seems hard to believe, but in about a month or so (depending on where you live), it will be time to start seeds indoors.

Photo by joaobambu

Seed starting, for the uninitiated, is pretty simple. By sowing seeds inside, in the warmth of your home, you can get a month or two head start on the growing season, which also means you have more time to garden. When your neighbors are just starting to toss a few seeds into the ground, your plants will already be 4-6 weeks old.

I plan on starting one set of edible plants inside, and then another set of the same edibles a month or so afterwards so that I can have “waves” of veggies coming ripe at different times. Or at least that’s my plan. I’ve purchased cucumbers and eggplants made for container gardening, Green Zebra and cherry tomatoes, peppers, chard, fennel, herbs…

I’m interested to hear your plans. What seeds have you already purchased? Which do you have your eye on? When do you plan to start? Are you going to do anything different this year or trying any new techniques or products?

December 16, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening, General, Winter Gardening | 9 Comments

Using a Colorwheel to Create a Beautiful Balcony Garden

Backyard Living Magazine recently asked 100 Master Gardeners to give their best gardening tip, and I thought I would share a few of them in the coming weeks.

Master Gardener tip #2 is to use a color wheel if you need help figuring out a color scheme for your garden. I thought this was a great tip for people who feel a bit paralyzed when it comes to making color choices, but many people don’t know how to use a color wheel, so the tip is kind of incomplete. It’s too bad, because in such a small space, such as the typical balcony garden, a color plan can really help the entire garden look put together.

Photo by Claire L. Evans

In college I had to take a whole class on color theory. I won’t bore you with all the things some scientist thought worthy of putting in a textbook (did you know you can literally torture people with colors?), but using a color wheel is pretty easy once someone sits you down and explains how it works. You probably even know some of this already…

First, and perhaps easiest, you could pick colors right next to each other on the wheel. These are called analogous colors. For example, yellow, yellow-orange, and orange. Chosing analogous colors often is a more subtle approach, and can look sophisticated or modern.

Another easy way to pick harmonious colors would be to chose complimentary colors, which are directly opposite each other on the color wheel. For example, yellow and purple (technically called “violet” by color experts/scientists) or orange and blue. Choosing complimentary colors usually brings out the best in each color making them both “pop.”

A third way to chose colors would be to imagine an equilateral triangle connecting three colors on the color wheel (i.e. every fourth color on the wheel). When you go this route, you’re either selecting primary colors (red, blue and yellow), secondary colors (purple, green and orange) or tertiary colors (Yellow-orange, red-orange, and red-purple or blue-purple, blue-green and yellow-green). These color combinations tend to be the most intense and often seem “energetic” or “fun.”

Finally, remember with container gardening, you’re not just chosing the colors of the flower and foliage, but the pot and possibly the wall color behind your pots.

What are your favorite color combinations? See some flower color combos in action below the jump…
Read more

December 15, 2008 | Filed Under General | 8 Comments

Holiday Cheer And Indoor Greenery, Win-Win

I’m not Christian, so I wouldn’t exactly be the best source for innovative ideas for Christmas decorating, but I really liked Rachel’s idea, and it’s perfect for my fellow small apartment dwellers.

December 14, 2008 | Filed Under General | 2 Comments

Did You Know You Can Grow Jasmine Indoors?

You didn’t know that? Me neither. But Cindy over at Walk Down the Garden Path is having a fun series of posts, “12 Days of Gardening Gifts,” and day two is a hanging basket of jasmine meant to be grown indoors. Can you just imagine how amazing your house would smell with a blooming jasmine growing inside?!

Click on over to see what kind of conditions indoor jasmine likes.

Photo by tassiesim

Note: Jasmine is not toxic to cats, but it is for dogs, so keep that in mind. Even if a hanging basket is out of your pooch’s reach, leaves and flowers are bound to drop on the floor and be discovered by your dog before you have a chance to clean them up.

December 11, 2008 | Filed Under Indoor Gardening | 7 Comments

Buy Gardening Books for Less

Barnes and Noble just emailed me with a coupon code you can use to get 10% off: D9E4E3T. This would be a great way to get some gardening books to ponder during the short dark days of winter, or to use to buy a gift for a friend.

December 10, 2008 | Filed Under General | 4 Comments

And the Winner of the Indoor Plant Contest Is…

First things first. Thank you to Nell Jean, Janie (check out the photos from her kennel’s website if you want to see the most adorable French Bulldog puppies), Robert, Julie, Zach, Denny and Cindy for participating. I know I speak for all the judges when I say that we had a lot of fun looking at your photos and reading about your plants. It was a tough choice, and I will say that there was a (somewhat) heated debate about who should be the winner.

Okay, enough babbling and more announcing, right? Click the link below to see who won a copy of The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual…

December 10, 2008 | Filed Under Contests | 5 Comments

The Ten Commandments of Container Gardening

Drainage is king. Or queen if you want to be PC. The point is, if you’re gardening outside, you need drainage holes in your pots, pot feet to raise your pot off the ground, and good draining soil.
Do not neglect your pots. Containers can dry out quickly, especially small pots. Water until you see it draining out of the bottom of the pot.
Do not plant a full sun plant in part shade. Know how much sunlight your balcony, patio or porch gets and choose plants accordingly. If you get full sun (more than 6 hours of direct sun a day), you’ll have the most options, but you’ll also have to be careful that your pots don’t dry out too quickly. If you have dappled light, part-shade or full-shade, there are still plenty of options for you.
Remember to take a break from time to time. Too much water can be as bad as too little. Unless you know for sure that a plant likes constantly moist soil, only water your plants when the top two inches of soil feels dry.
Respect your plants’ needs. Since there is a limited amount of dirt in your pot from which to nourish your plants, and some nutrients will wash out of your pot each time you water, you need to fertilize more often than you would an in-ground garden.

Almost any plant can be grown in a container, you just need to match the right sized container to your plant’s needs. However, don’t plant perennials in containers that are too big for them, it could cause their roots to rot.
Containers look better in groups. Just like man needed woman, your pots need friends.
Multiple pots look good, and multiple plants in a pot look even better. A simple way to put together a great looking pot is to use the “spiller, filler, thriller” philosophy.
When planting more than one plant in a pot, mix up foliage colors, textures and sizes for more visual interest. Be sure to pick some plants with interesting leaves, because flowers are fleeting, leaves are forever.
Do not covet your neighbor’s garden, do your own thing! Anything that can hold dirt can be used to grow plants. Plastic pots can be dressed up and personalized with paint. And if you’re converting something into a pot, make sure to drill some drainage holes in the bottom.

My husband keeps on telling me that there were originally 15 commandments, but he watches too many Mel Brooks movies. Anyway, let’s just pretend that there are 15 commandments. What would you add? Think I got anything wrong? Feel free to let me know, I’ll only track you down and smite you…
Just kidding.

p.s. Don’t forget, today is your last chance to submit your entry to the indoor plant contest.

December 9, 2008 | Filed Under Container Gardening, General | 8 Comments

Banish Hum Drum Hummingbird Feeders!

Have you seen the “high end” hummingbird feeders out there? Hummingbird feeders have come a long way from those red and yellow plastic feeders. Some of the feeders out there now that are truly works of art!

It is really easy to incorporate a hummingbird feeder into a balcony garden. Simply hang the feeder from a shepherd’s hook (found at most garden centers) stuck into a large pot filled with dirt (and plants, no reason wasting gardening space!). You could even train a vine that attracts hummingbirds to grow on the shepherd’s hook, maximizing the attractiveness of your garden to hummingbirds (and humans!).

Looking Glass Hummingbird Feeder

Landmark Hummingbird Feeder

Red Cherries Hummingbird Feeder

Hummingbird Design Feeder

Triple Bouquet Hummingbird Feeder

Related Posts:

December 8, 2008 | Filed Under Attracting Birds Bees and Butterflies, Container Gardening, General | 5 Comments

Monarchs Here, Monarchs There, Monarch Butterflies Everywhere

On Friday I posted about monarch butterfly cupcakes, and I just got to see this guy in the flesh:

Update: I’ve uploaded the rest of the photos I took of this butterfly, you can see them here.

Please don’t forget to submit your entry to the indoor plant contest!

December 7, 2008 | Filed Under General | 4 Comments

Weekend To Do List: Take a Photo of your Favorite Indoor Plant

Don’t forget about the Indoor Plant Contest. All you have to do is take a photo of your favorite indoor plant, an easy peasy way to win a free book! There’s no need to bemoan the end of the gardening season, you can garden indoors, and the prize will help you get the most out of your indoor plants.