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Zone Maps, Worldwide by Continent
The purpose of this and further posts in this area is to give members an idea of their growing zones. These are general guidelines only, as there are places on this map that I know are a different season by one week of growing days in either direction within my zone. *My zone is 3a according to this map, but a more…
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Recommended Seed Companies
Please recommend your favorites & finds here. Please list the: 1. company & website 2. state/province & country 3. type of seed (seedlings) that is sold by the company: Vegetable, Tree, Flower, Herb, Medicinal Herb, etc. or any combination of category. 4. Your review on value, customer service, promptness, variety, cost of…
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Lets talk about Houseplants
These are not always edible nor medicinal. Some can be downright toxic. But I'm putting this discussion in this subcategory because it is important if you are going to grow anything indoors. Of course, if you are a gardener, you know that there are many factors... various lighting needs, watering schedules & amounts, soil…
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Tropical seed/Plant sources
Right now, a Canadian supplier of exotic/tropical plants, Tropic of Canada, is taking pre-orders (Nov/Dec 2021 for spring 2022). I think this is the coolest selection of great plants. Some can be container grown indoors. 😍🤩 It's a dream list as far as I'm concerned & very drool worthy.
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Local Flour
Another addition to our local food supply! I stopped at a market stand on the way home from picking up my dairy and eggs to get some corn and they had LOCALLY grown and ground wheat flour. Its hard, red winter wheat. I'm very excited to try a loaf and a batch of local haskap muffins. Maybe even a batch of pasta. Several of…
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A New Avocado Variety
Sounds like this could be a good variety for Texas and the avocado industry. Does anyone grow them at home? I've ever only seen them in groves. Meet Luna: The New “Great-Granddaughter” of the Hass Avocado (texasmonthly.com)
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Using non-acidic vegetable water for houseplants
I had some cooled leftover water from blanching peas. I used it to water my plants. I had a random thought as I was watering my plants. I wondered if anyone knew if since peas fix nitrogen, if there might be any extra nitrogen benefit in the leftover water?
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Juniper berries
Juniper berries. Can you do anything with Juniper berries?
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Garden Losses
I'm blaming the warm spell we had in late January/early February for this. I've lost most of my cherry trees this year. We'll be removing them later today or tomorrow. One is nearly 30 years old, two are about 25 years old and the other two are 15 years old. One of the 15 year olds has enough live parts on it that we will…
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Gardenia are Edible!
Turns out Gardenias are edible (except for dogs) and while researching this I discovered this website Botany Culture - EVERYDAY HERBAL WELLNESS | RECIPES & REMEDIES and it had a recipe for Gardenia Flower Infused Honey. www.botanyculture.com
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Sap Collecting Time
I just realized it's that time of year again - time to collect the maple sap/water. Well, I call it maple water as it is mostly water that is collected and then turned into syrup - if I get that far. You see, I like to drink the water straight up. Unfortunately, I've been dealing with family issues so can't really collect…
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Flax Seed and its uses
I was just looking up flax seed and the article talked about how to use flax seed meal to make egg substitutes: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/how-to-make-flax-egg/. Also 18 ways to use Flaxseed: https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/ways-use-flaxseed/. I have used it in baking before but never thought about using it in…
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Spotted dead nettle
I have 4 varieties of the spotted dead nettle. This article explains more about them. I do have the yellow, which is a more aggressive spreader but if its planted in a sunny dry place it stays under control in my area (zone 5 B in USA) And yes, it is edible and has herbal uses. Link below: It is a good ground cover, shade…
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Doing a garden inventory
With our weather being nicer, my perennials are beginning to pop up. I also had plants in pots that I overwintered. This next week will be quite nice for Northwest Pennsylvania, so I can get a head start on seeing what I have and might need to replace. So far it looks like my plants are surviving this weather roller…
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winter foraging
This will be different for where you live but it shows how much is available in what we consider "off season". Winter Foraging in Cold Climates: 50+ Wild Foods in the Snow (practicalselfreliance.com)
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What New Plants Are You Planning on Growing in 2023
My Botanical Interest catalog came the other day and I ended up ordering seeds for next spring – Rocky Arugula/Wild Rocket; Windsor Fava Beans; Georgia Southern Collards; Umami Asian Blend; Edible Beauties Flower Mix; Fairy Meadow Flower Mix and Jewel Blend Nasturtium. What new plants are you planning on growing in 2023?
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Dahlias - How to grow them and their edible and medicinal uses
Does any one here grow dahlias? I have always loved them but never grew them. I like the idea you dig them up and they will multiply year to year but I am not sure how to store them. My one friend will not grow them saying they are hard to grow. So for fun I had top look up a few facts on dahlias. They are in the sunflower…
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Free plants!
Its that time of year in NW Pa. People are cleaning out their gardens or downsizing and free curbside plants are everywhere. I saw a listing today on one of the plant sites and picked up peonies, daylillies and rose of sharon. The rose of sharon I will pot up and sell. Peonies I will pot and keep half of them and give away…
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Pine tree borer has taken many of my trees
The pine borer found my pine trees and most will have to be removed. Once attacked they harbor the insect and spread it to the other trees. You can have you other trees sprayed hoping to prevent infestation but I figured I don't have many so I will slowly take them down and replace pines later when the bug had done its…
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Have you ever watched a primrose flower unfold.
We are in a heat period, thus I prefer earlier morning and late evening hours in the garden. Yesterday, while I was drinking my evening herbal tea, the primrose flowers started unfolding. First one petal and then the whole flower. And one after another. Fascinating. Not speaking of the pleasant scent. I collect some of…
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Trying to Find French Tarragon
I have been trying to find plants or seeds for French Tarragon and all I can find is Russian or Mexican Tarragon. Has anyone else have this problem or if you have found it and where? Thanks, Yes, this is a similar post I did in question form, but it looked negative as "Rejected" when Torey made a post (sorry @torey) so I…
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Favorite Seasons
My two favorite seasons are Spring & Fall. Spring is when the days start to get longer and plants that have been dormant come alive! To me Daffodils are the epitome symbol of Spring. Fall is when you get to plant some of my favorite vegetables and my roses do well in Fall. What is your favorite Season(s)?
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Challenge of poor herb germination
I planted a variety of herbs a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, hardly any of them came up. A packet of broad-leafed sage produced a single large plant. Cinnamon basil was slow to sprout, but produced several tiny plants. Orange thyme doesn't seem to have sprouted at all. I was disappointed at the tiny size of the seeds and…
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Arabica Coffee Tree
I came across a site selling roasted beans for coffee, and it claimed all parts except the bean itself are toxic...which is incorrect. They are actually quite healthy! You can use the leaves for tea. I was looking for a good fertilizer for it, preferably espoma citrus tone 5-2-6, and can only find it on Amazon Canada where…
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The Pawpaw
This is an interesting article. We had pawpaw trees when I was very young. I don't recall how they tasted. Gonna have to see if I can find some to try. The revival of a forgotten American fruit - BBC Travel
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Planning an herb garden
I have grown a few herbs here and there in the past, but with a limited amount of fertile, sunny space, I've always focused on core vegetables. Recently, however, I am seeing many empty shelves in the grocery store spice and herb racks, week after week. Some other shelves are empty one week and refill the next week, but…
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Millet
I was watching an episode of the Good Dish (yeah, the show with Dr. Oz's daughter) and saw a section regarding supermarket hacks. They were comparing bulgar to millet.
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"Bonus" mystery plants in my seed trays
I've also got these in some houseplants! I don't recall putting tomato seeds in my indoor worm compost (maybe it got caught up in scraps), but I've now got one with a banana tree & had one with my lemon tree, one sharing a plug with a smaller motherwort plant, and what I am suspecting could be chickweed in some other…
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Has anyone tried juicing grass from their backyard?
Sorry if this is a silly question, but I'm curious whether anyone has tried juicing grass from their backyard. We don't use any chemicals in our backyard, and our grassy areas are surrounded by beds of wood chip mulch. Even so, I understand it's still susceptible to other outdoor elements (e.g. animal feces and urine) that…
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Question about black chokecherries
hi everybody. I moved to Alaska many years ago from Poland and what I miss the most is fruit trees. There are some black chokecherry trees though that grow on our property but I was always told that they are poisonous. However, now since I try to learn more about gardening, I come across information on internet that you…
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Growing sorghum
So in Japan, sorghum is considered to be a trendy health food (it is called 'takakibi'), and is quite expensive at health food stores. Some cafes also sell sorghum burgers. I bought a pack of sorghum seeds last year (at the health food store, of course), and planted about fifteen stalks in my garden. The good news is that…
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How to Kill A Tree
Be kind to your trees.
