Free Plants

Someone left a tray of giant sunflower seedlings outside my gate the other day. I still haven't figured out who it was, but Thanks, Plant Fairy! This is a perfect demonstration of gardening with what you've got--in this case, with Dixie cups.

There is something about sunflowers that agrees with a chain-link fence, and I actually have one growing, though it's just from fallen birdseed and will have a smaller head.

I have decided to keep one and give the others away. So anyone who's interested, let me know.

The plants are a little leggy and bedraggled, doubtless due to the long cold spring, but several looked plenty healthy enough to save...

I re-potted a few and put them in the ICU, or the sheltered side of my garden where weak or sick plants reside. Here they are looking a bit happier next to a nicely recovering house plant.

And here are two morning glory plants I started this spring. I have no use for them. They are almost exactly the same size as the seedlings in my garden.
I can also dig up a few more directly from my garden, in fact, if demand exceeds supply.

I thought I could get a head start on my privacy screen by using grow lights, but it didn't work out very well. My morning glory likes to grow when it likes to grow. So next year I probably won't bother starting them early.



By the way, morning glory is pretty invasive, so before you adopt, be sure you know what you're getting into!

Grow Light vs. Freezing Sunlight (cont.)

So, how are those grow light seedlings doing now? And how are they doing in comparison to the outdoor seedlings?

Today I planted the grow light cilantro in this pot. I also threw in a few sprigs of cilantro that I found growing outdoors (it pops up spontaneously if you let it go to seed the year before). The grow light cilantro cannot stand up on its own, but it is (actually was) about 5 times bigger than the outdoor cilantro. I had to nip it back a little, and we even got to eat some....So, the grow light cilantro gets high marks for early edibility, and low marks for the general sturdiness of the plant (for now). ...However, the root structure of the grow light cilantro is much more substantial at this point.

Nasturtiums. I threw a few seeds outside in regular dirt about 6 weeks ago. So cute! Nasturtiums are quite nice on a chain-link fence if you take the time to weave them in and out (they are not self-attaching). And hummingbirds love them.

And here is the grow light nasturtium--much taller, but also falling over. I have been hardening up these indoor seedlings...I hope this one eventually takes off.

These are both plants that do okay outdoors anyway. But I have also started zinnias, a variety of lettuce, alyssum, and some unknown wildflowers (pinks? aster? phlox?) and they seem too delicate to make it outdoors without any help (cold frames etc.). Indoors, they have received steady light and consistent moisture and temperature. And, for now, they're alive!

That Grow Light System



The Huntington Botanical Gardens


Recently, I went out to the Huntington Library in California to do research. They take away your manuscripts for an hour at lunch, and force you out into the garish sunlight to walk through their hideous botanic gardens. You have to eat at these strange little tables in the open air (in mid April!) next to camellias and roses and hummingbirds before they finally let you back into the windowless reading room.

As you can see, it's an appalling state of affairs over there.




Whereas here in Chicago, especially on a day like today, no one would dare suggest that you spend any time in the garden. Which is why I bought a grow light...

This is my Hydrofarm Jump Start T5 Grow Light System. I got it from Amazon for about $55. It was far less expensive than the Aerogarden units, or any other grow light system. The lamp was defective, but I wrote directly to Hydrofarm and they replaced it immediately. It features a T-5 24 watt 64000K full daylight spectrum fluorescent tube.

In other words, it's nothing too special, but it seems to be working.

I think this contraption would work even better, and perhaps throughout the year, if I had better window light.

Here you can see the parsly, basil, zinnias, and some sort of lettuce doing okay. They are cute, but very leggy and delicate...I have my doubts as to how they'll take to the outdoors.

HP Produce is selling a lot of plants now. Some are quite large and it's hard not to notice the difference. But then, they've never (yet) sold live cilantro, parsley, chives, etc.

Plus, there's the joy factor--of watching things grow! And knowing that if you wreck them, no one will care!

Welcome

Welcome to my new blog about plants, trees, and green things in and around Hyde Park, Chicago!


Clematis, just beginning to leaf out

I have a tiny garden with a chain link fence and problematic sun conditions. Yet I seem to spend a lot of time out there, messing about, trying new things. I am no expert at gardening. Despite several years of experience, I could horrify you with stories of vegetal abuse and neglect. You'll see some evidence of this, I'm sure. But I hope also to share my various successes--perhaps some of it due to your help!

I'll start with a comparison of my indoor and outdoor seedlings. I didn't start anything until April 1st this year. I only have afternoon sun in the garden, and indoors I lack any south-facing windows. But I did buy a grow light...


Outdoors:

This is supposed to be cilantro, although the red shoots to the left and right look a lot like my Swiss Chard seedlings. As you can see, sown outdoors in a flower pot, it's not doing great. Yesterday, I put a plastic dome over it. I don't know anything about 'cold frame' gardening, but I guess I'll learn. First problem: where to get supplies, or how to make them...






Indoors:

You can see the cilantro in the back there...It really did well. But perhaps the fluorescent lamp was hung too high above it, so the seedling got very leggy and fell over. I'm going to go with it though!

In front, you can see the morning glory. Morning glory grows into a great privacy screen on chain-link fences. It is quite invasive. However, my garden is small enough that it gives me something to do every day, whether plucking off excess seedlings in the spring or nipping off excess seed pods in the fall.

My biggest problem: they do not grow up high enough until mid-July in my garden, probably because I have limited afternoon sun. So this year, with a head start indoors, I hope I'll get some coverage a bit earlier than that. By the way, those are chives there too. They're doing pretty well indoors.