My indoor growing space is bursting at the seams with mountain mint and some very leggy tomatoes I’m babysitting for a friend while she’s on vacation. The weather has been relatively pleasant though, so I’ve gotten a few more things potted and several more trays going now as well.
• Some grasses, elderberry, and Carolina allspice in pots with some hibiscus cuttings in the box 
• Chokeberries, more elderberries, a few types of raspberries, and a few lowbush blueberries I’ve managed to keep alive after transplanting 
• Even more chokeberries, and a whole other type of raspberry (these ones are red) 
• Another round of brassicas started 
• My worksite supervisor taking a break under a second type of mountain mint I’m growing this year 
What’s growing on with you all?
we had to cut down a native cherry tree last year because it was crowding the deck. a new one popped up just far enough away that we decided to keep it, and it is absolutely thriving!
we also have some weird fruiting trees out there, which are dropping all over the place. might be an almond tree? and another one might be a plum or peach tree? whoever planted these was really going wild.
whoever planted these was really going wild
Hah that’s going to be my memorial plaque at the farm when I’m gone! I’m glad that native cherry decided to leave you with some offspring that were in a better place for you to enjoy.
The pair of apple trees I ordered from Fedco arrived last Saturday, so I planted those out - the weather has been pretty mild and wet this week so hopefully they’re settling in well. Just starting to break dormancy.
I’m also starting to plant out some of my seedlings in the new garden beds, it’s super exciting to see some foliage in them!
One area of my yard that was overrun with invasive garlic mustard is now overrun with native violets, so I’m happy with that! I picked a bunch of flowers today to try making a tea out of them.
Very cool! Which varieties of apple did you end up selecting, and have you decided how you’d like to train or manage them?
Yay violets! The tea is nice, and you can also use the flowers in salads for a pop of color. Also, garlic mustard -> violets; pesto, change-o?
I ended up getting Honey Crisp and Baldwin, semi-dwarf rootstock. I’m a total newbie to pruning, but I’m leaning towards the “don’t try too hard, trees know how to be trees” school of thought, lol… open to any advice from more experienced people though!
The violet tea was fun, I love the pH based color change from pouring in lemon juice! Planning to use it in cocktails next time, that would make a great party trick.
:D Most of the garlic mustard ended up in the compost because I was lazy but I definitely want to make some more pesto in the future.
Looking good!
My seedlings are arriving next week and hopefully I can start growing soon. Still haven’t actually built anything to grow in but it is on my todo list. Some tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchinis, and bunch of greens. Not much space here but I have a small backyard that should do the trick.
That sounds like a lovely summer veggie garden, I’m excited to see what you do with them! Small spaces can make it challenging to fit everything but they also make you use the space more creatively, and they look awesome crammed full of plants.
I cut my indoor basil and mint plants way back because they were making a mess. I hope they bounce back! This week, I’ll go out looking for a couple pepper plants to try kratky for the first time outdoors. Basically, I make a big nutrient solution in a bucket, I leave the plant’s dirt slightly submerged in the water, and hopefully the plant roots into the nutrients and grows like crazy. I have a small backyard and no hose hookup so I want this to be a simple solution to grow red peppers or poblanos’ as well as a spicy pepper like a jalapeño or Thai chili. Step 1 is finding the seedlings!
I’m very excited to see how this works for you! Wishing you the best luck finding your peppers and remembering to take lots of pictures to share here
Will do!
That looks incredible! So envious of your skills. As for me, I have been trying desperately to grow a basil plant indoors. I’ve tried many times in the past, but they always end up with those little mites. I purchased neem oil spray too, and still they got to it. My partner said they saw some worms in the most recent plant, like transparent worms almost? so we got rid of that one too. I am going to grow from seed next time I think. I feel like I have just had bad luck and gotten infested plants or something, so maybe growing from seed will be better? I don’t even know. I just so badly want to be able to walk to the corner of my kitchen and grab some fresh herbs. Ina Garten has a whole ass garden of herbs, can’t I have one plant? lol! I will be trying again though. Wish me luck, I will absolutely need it.
Thank you! The secret is killing a ton of plants until you improve enough to keep them alive, and then killing more until you can keep them happy
Spider mites are a tricky pest when the plants prefer a dryer soil, but I’ve had some success with a layer of sand on top of the potting mix, which might be worth a try. And there are so many cool varieties of basil that I totally encourage you to try from seed! I know you’re going to have that kitchen garden rocking in no time
Well if that’s the secret then I’m well on my way! Lol. Thanks for the encouragement!!
