Kates Garden Journal » Indoor Plants

Bringing the boys inside

Kate — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 23:18:24 +0000

Normally it is recommended that you inspect plants for bugs and isolate them before bringing them inside. These guys were put into pots yesterday, and tonight I saw a rather colder night than I had thought. Forecast low is 38 and we are in a rural area rather than the city, so I don’t know what temp we will get down to. Tonight will be a good one to note what the actual low here is vs. what the recorded low is. These delicate fellas though really object to anything below 40 so it really was time to drag them in – bugs and all if there are any.

Fall Chores Begin

Kate — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 20:59:14 +0000

With the weath so nice, I decided that it was time to pot up the poor patio hibiscus that have been in very temporary homes since we moved in July. The evenings are getting cooler and they need to be inside soon, so I had to make an effort. They are now safely in their own pots and can come inside when the need to.

I also dried some seeds from the fuzzy peach tomato. This yellow tomato has a sweet taste and a really fuzzy skin. Sometimes the skin has a hint of red on it making them look just like a real peach! I soaked the seeds for 48 hrs in warm water then dried them on paper towel. They are now ready to be put into envelopes until spring planting time.

Now time to clean the gardener up!

Southeastern Flower Show

Kate — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:12:19 +0000

Last weekend I went to the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta – I even joined the Southeastern Horticultural Society after meaning to for several months!
The show was a great place to meet great landscape designers and innovative products. I hope that some will come onto the radio with me over the next few months.
Here are a couple of interesting images:
To the left is a Rabbit in the garden – this cute set up was very popular with kids of all ages!

On the right: This set up uses a kind of hydroponic growing mechanism but the source of water comes from the fish tank below. The theory being that the fish water is enriched with nutirents, and that is sufficient for the plants. I forgot to ask if/what they feed the fish.

A Rabbit in the Garden The Fish/Grow System

Taking the plants back outside

Kate — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 18:07:42 +0000

After a full week indoors the plants went back outside today. This really is better for them and will give me a second chance to get new saucers and other protective devices so that they do not drip over the floor. One thing I am going to try is the watering globe. These not totally unattractive objects are suppose to water the plant as it is needed without giving ann excess amount. The only problem that I can see with this is that there may be a build up of residual salts in the potting material. As a general rule it is necessary to water the plant well so that the water comes out the bottom, and this flushes out any salts. Too much reliance on the perfect amount of water, may, in the long term, be more harmful than the trial and error version.

Still, it is worth a try and I will see what happens.