Green Thumbs Gardening

[Sunbeam]

I spent 5 hours today in one of the largest public greenhouses in this country, at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia. Orchids are the featured plants this time of year, but the array was wonderful. I also visited the Philadelphia Flower Show, which much more glitzy and commercial. It is wonderful to be spending time with all these plants. I'm on a bus in a snowstorm now, will be getting home on the early morning hours.

[Rags]

Do you have any pictures you can post?
Orchids come out in August - September here.
Googled it and came up with these pics. Pretty spectacular. Wish I had the
imagination to create stuff like that. Love the wheelbarrow sculpture.

http://www.visitphilly.com/events/philadelphia/philadelphia-international-flower-show/

I'd love to get to the Chelsea show one day, but it would be sooo expensive and you probably couldn't move for4 the crush of people.
Years ago I was holidaying in New Zealand and juist happened upon a huge and most wonderful flower and garden show.
Unfortunately, I can't find the photos I took.

"I'm on a bus in a snowstorm" sounds either like a good song title or the opening words of Lee Childs "61 Hours".

[Spiritfree]

I came across a crowd funding site (scientific research funding) that intends on additional bee studies -extremely specific in this case. The funding/research is based in Europe.

http://walacea.com/campaigns/come-dine-with-bee/

[Rags]

I came across a crowd funding site (scientific research funding) that intends on additional bee studies -extremely specific in this case. The funding/research is based in Europe.

http://walacea.com/campaigns/come-dine-with-bee/

How disappointing that they only got 18,00 quid.
Shows where people's interests are I suppose.
But I bet it never even got into the local news either.

[Rags]

So, what is everyone planting, growing, cultivating and sowing?

[MossRose]

Rags - I started 3 flats of microgreens this morning. I'm still growing indoors, but they do well under lights. I found out that if I store them in glass jars in the refrigerator, they last up to two weeks. I'm ready to start some seeds, but it's still a bit too early.

It's sunny and nearing 60 today, so I'm going to get outside and clean up my patio a bit. I found some milkweed seeds that a friend gave me. That's high on my list this year, along with butterfly weed (pleurisy root). I want to give the monarchs a place to rest during their migration. I am also going to grow some medicinal herbs this year. I am taking classes on making my own medicine, so figured it starts with the plants.

That's all for now. Heading outside.

[abcowboy]

Hi everyone! I got to open the door to the greenhouse yesterday! It was +8C outside and +32C inside! In 2 weeks I'll get the English cucs and peppers seeded and some of the flowers planted! I can hardly wait!

[Spiritfree]

Hi everyone! I got to open the door to the greenhouse yesterday! It was +8C outside and +32C inside! In 2 weeks I'll get the English cucs and peppers seeded and some of the flowers planted! I can hardly wait!

Ok -maybe I will give it a go this year -a garden. Been a long time, but man I use to love growing -stuff (35 years ago was my last garden). If nothing else, I will dedicate myself to helping my father-in-law with his -but it is just not the same as doing my 'own'.

[Rags]

Hewllo gardeners!
Wow!
Looks like lots of stuff happening out there.
I never realised there would be that much of a temperature difference with a hot house and the environmental temp.


Mossy, thats interesting about how long the microgreens last in the fridge... I have stuff that goes off in just a few days.

Oh, and while I was away camping last weekend, Gerald the rat got in, shitted all over the floor and ate bits of 2 lovely avocados I'd left out on the kitchen bench.
So I had to scrub down all the bloody kithchen when I got home.....
IOn the next day or so Gerald is going to be offered a tasty bit of peanut butter attached to bits of springy steel.

I'm going to be off air for a bit over a week as I'm driving up to Queensland to visit some friends and won't have internet access.
So, please keep the thread growing....
See you soon,
Raggsy

[MossRose]

Raggsy, enjoy your trip. That Gerald sounds like a nasty critter.

Mick - where are you? I miss your great posts. You inspired me to try using a cold frame. Well, I haven't actually done it yet, but I'm trying to talk a friend into building me one.

Which leads into my post. This same friend is building me the trellis/frames for my grow boxes that I posted about. I am so excited. They are unique and I can't find anything sold online that would be quite the same. Unfortunately, he lives in Texas, and I don't. So, he is going to ship them. Or, maybe I'll take a road trip and pick them up. Hard to believe, but I've never been to Texas, so it could be fun. They aren't finished yet, but here's a photo. I'm going to paint them so they add some pizazz to my patio.

Trellis.jpg.jpg

[abcowboy]

Howdy everyone! Turned the heat and exhaust fans on in the greenhouse today. It still gets to -6 to -10 at night, so need the heat, but gets to +30 to +35 (Celsius) during the day when the sun is out, so need the exhaust to cool it down lol
Mixed up the ammonia/water blend and saturated the growing beds and put the water on my jiffy pellets to get them ready for seeds. Peppers, cucs, and tomatoes get planted tomorrow!

The frames look pretty cool Moss, what plants will be using them?

[Spiritfree]

Ok, you folks are really starting to get on my nerves -lol. It is time for me to put up or shut up. I am going to go get some seeds and a small-small standup greenhouse and grow some tomato plants -ToDay. I will transplant these to my father in law's garden till I get my own garden started next year. I know this may (and is) a rookie step compared to some of you pros, but its time for me to step up.

Thanks for the thread and any advice that may come my way.

[Tabbers (a.k.a. KTAB)]

Hello fellow green fingered folks, the weather is warming here, soon be time time to start sowing some veg seeds in the greenhouse, I only have a small heating cable table and a paraffin heater in there.
Good for you Spirifreet on having a go, hope you get as much enjoyment from it as I do. I only started a couple of years ago but couldn't imagine life without my gardening time now. Strange how, for all those years, I completely ignored it, mind you the grog does that to a body.
Abcowboy I was wondering if there is anyway to harness that daytime heat in your green house, kinda thinking along the line of the old storage heater bricks or something. I sunk an underground water tank in mine, not sure it makes any difference though tbh, mind you we don't get much of a swing in day and night time temperatures.

[Sunbeam]

I put the cover on my cold frame this week. It is still below freezing most nights, but the soil will warm under this glass. I will soon plant some cold weather seeds. There are also people who say they have started some warm seeds including tomatoes under glass, I will be trying a few of those. There is a Facebook group on Wintersowing, where you can find more of this information.

[Mick]

hiya folks...problems with computer at the mo..mine is getting fixed so I am using a notebook thingy,,,been to Gran Canaria too...hiya moss....hows your cold frame is it up and running yet?so far over here the sun is out during the day not a lot of heat and cold at night...at present making an indoor planter,but next week its into the garden proper....sunbeam ...put some bubble wrap round your plants at night ..will give them extra heat tabbers I use a paraffin heater too..to maximise the heat to your plants ..section off the area where you are growing your seed.and put the heater in that part...good for you spirit go for it..dont forget to use your window sills in the house too