adventuresingardening

[adventuresingardening]

Unauthorized Mario artwork with a paraphrased Bible quote, seen on the back of a vehicle in New York.

[adventuresingardening]

Yesterday 7.25.20: getting worried none of my marigold seeds will sprout, so I planted more zinnia seeds in an extra egg carton.

Today 7.26.20: transplanted a chirimoya/sugar apple in the backyard. And noooow I am exhausted.

#chirimoya #sugar apple #zinnia

[adventuresingardening]

I am compiling a list of plants that are aggressively easy to grow here where I live, south Florida zone 10, at least here in my backyard with our sandy rocky soil and full sun. By “aggressively easy” I mean that once established, I can basically just do NOTHING for them and they will still thrive.

In no particular order: lemongrass, firebush, banana, yuca, culantro (not the same thing as cilantro), plumeria.

All tropical perennials, which is not surprising. The lemongrass I first had some difficulty growing from seed (the little sprouts can get washed away or rot in too wet containers), but once I succeeded and got 2 adults plants in the ground, they eventually flowered and then I had volunteers lemongrass growing up against the fence where the lawnmower doesn’t quite reach. It does benefit from aggressively cutting it back once a year to make room for new growth, but not its necessary if you don’t want/can’t.

The yuca came from a gifted cutting, and since then I’ve been able to propagate from taking cuttings myself. My original red dwarf banana tree was a gift, and I’ve been able to gift babies from that plant as well. The firebush is native here, and I bought it as a small potted plant when I found it at Lowe’s. It has since then grown into a giant beautiful monster, always full of pollinators, including the occasional hummingbird. I haven’t tried to propagate it, but maybe soon...

Culantro was also a potted plant buy at the store. I honestly forgot it existed, and it just keeps popping out leaves, flowers, and seeds where it lives, in its same pot hidden in the shade of some small bushes.

Plumeria is like yuca: take a cutting, stick it in the ground, watch it grow. Beautiful flowers and the occasional fun alien-looking seed pod.

As much as I enjoy the ritual of caring for plants that need regular attention, I really love having plants that I can stick in the ground and then just watch them do their thing. For the most part I only go in every few months to clean up/prune. But they’re fine without me and that feels really good! I like to imagine I gave them a home perfectly suited to them.

#vanessarambles

[adventuresingardening]

7.24.20

First zinnia sprouted this morning!! And now in the evening I can see more breaking the surface. Still no activity from the marigolds or the tomatoes.

#zinnia #annuals #flowers

[adventuresingardening]

Alright we’re trying this again.

Yesterday 7.18.2020 I planted some seeds that will hopefully thrive now in the hot humid summer.

The last of my Everglades tomato seeds went into an egg carton which I am leaving outside in the shade (I have to remember to save seeds if they’re successful!!). The marigolds and zinnias I’m trying to sprout indoors, in these little fabric germination pots my mom got for me.

Since I haven’t done serious gardening in months (after starting my new job) I’m trying to ease back into it with low-pressure plants only. I’m also anticipating that I’ll be having surgery sometime in the next few...weeks? Months? So I’ll stick with low-maintenance plants for now. Despite how much I want to just... plant everything RIGHT NOW. But the temperature is also a limiting factor. Most traditional annuals can’t handle miami July/August weather.

Some of my succulents have also suffered a bit from neglect (and others have been perfectly fine without my help, which is a nice surprise), so I’m in the middle of trying to rehabilitate them. My dream is to be done with medical procedures in a few months and set up a fall veggie garden. 🙏🏼🌻

[adventuresingardening]

#ava’s demon #plant babes #i miss my boy tuls

[adventuresingardening]

farmer brain: seeds!!!! save me: i’m never going to grow this farmer brain: save

[adventuresingardening]

10/3/15 - transplanted 1 crackerjack marigold to the free standing cement block. Transplanted the 2 German lunchbox tomato seedlings to the blue bin. I also put down newspaper and mulch behind the large raised bed, blue bin, cement block, and between them to help with weed management. Tomorrow I would like to: - buy more mulch - repot mom's plants in the front - repot the Everglades tomato into the large pot I recently bought - tie wire around the bamboo poles for the snap peas to climb

#marigold #African crackerjack marigold #tomatoes #german lunchbox tomatoes

[adventuresingardening]

9/18/15 - a few cilantro seeds are sprouting

#cilantro #herbs

[adventuresingardening]

9/17/15 - more beans and peas sprouting. German lunchbox tomato sprouting but no signs of life from Everglades tomatoes yet. Borage sprouting. Lemon bee balm MIGHT be sprouting in one cement cell, but it might also just be weeds.

#black beans #snap peas #tomatoes #german lunchbox tomatoes #Everglades tomatoes #borage #lemon bee balm

[adventuresingardening]

9/15/15 - as far as I can tell, 11/12 of the black beans I planted have sprouted. A smaller number of peas have started peeking up as well.

#black beans #snap peas

[adventuresingardening]

9/11/15 - planted peas and beans in the large raised bed. Left 1 parsley and a few volunteer basil in there when I was weeding. 9/12/15 - planted lemon bee balm, borage, cilantro, and alyssum around the large raised bed. 9/13/15 - planted German lunchbox tomato and Florida Everglades tomatoes.

#snap peas #black beans #herbs #flowers #cilantro #basil #german lunchbox tomatoes #Everglades tomatoes #tomatoes

[adventuresingardening]

5/21/15 Mamey seed sprouted!

#mamey

[adventuresingardening]

6/10/15 - attempting to germinate 9 lychee seeds via wet paper towel method. 6/13/15 - planted 1 germinated mamey seed in a large pot outside, in the shade. 6/16/15 - planted a small cutting of a dragon fruit plant, bought at Epcot Disney. Plastic bag around it as advised to keep humidity up for the first 2 weeks.

#lychee #mamey #dragon fruit

[adventuresingardening]

6/6/2015 Cleared out the larger raised bed, transplanted the 2 potted bell peppers in there instead. The larger of the two has a bell pepper growing. Several of the borage plants are blooming around the smaller raised bed.

#bell pepper #borage #flowers

[adventuresingardening]

5/29/15 Planted the lemon tree in the ground yesterday! Also noticed a bell pepper growing on the yellow pepper plant. :')

#lemon #bell pepper

[adventuresingardening]

5/27/15 One of the basil plants started to bolt, so I took cuttings of all of them. Also noticed the black spots that I think indicate thrips have started munching on the leaves, on the same plant. Will spray with natural pesticide tonight if I have time. Also noticed that in general, the basil in the small raised bed are doing better than the ones at the end of the large raised bed. Probably because the smaller bed gets more hours of sunlight?

#basil #genovese basil #thrips