Hi! This weekend I'll start a new garden, in which I'll plant some lavender, sage, basil, chamomile, cherry tomatoes and two flowers (tomatoes and flowers aren't exactly for witchcraft). I already have some dirt, tools and where to plant them, but I need some tips (although I've been reading).
Where I live, we're about to enter spring, and temperature is still pretty low although some days it goes over 20-24C. I know how to plant them, but I read that they need a lot of light and that it's good to use a special light to give the seedlings enough light to grow. The problem is that I don't have that system and I'm not in a position where I can make it or anything, so any tips regarding how to take care of little plants once they sprouted is appreciated.
Any other tips regarding watering, and all that are welcome too! Thanks for your help!
Re: Gardening/Planting help By: Misanthropy Moderator / Adept
Post # 2 Sep 02, 2016
I've never grown tomatoes or chamomile so I'm afraid I can't give any help there, but I grow sage and basil each year, along with lavender.
I start all of my plants indoors simply because the weather here tends to be fairly unpredictable. Sunshine does seem to be an issue for us too, but as long as they get around 8 hours of light a day (I keep them in one of my windowsills, the basil and sage seem to do very well inside, from seedlings to adult plants. As long as they get lots of water, proper sun, and regular plant food (I try to add mine to their water every month or so) they seem to do just fine.
Lavender is another issue. It can be a very finicky plant and I've found sometimes it can be quite hard to grow if you don't have the proper soil, light, etc. It needs well drained soil and lots of air circulation so that the roots don't rot.
I've found that with the lavender, certain types are easier to grow. English Lavender always seems to give me a problem, but I found that Spanish Lavender seems to be a bit hardier and tends to be easier to care for. However, you still need to be mindful of its soil requirements.
As long as you're careful with your lavender and give it the proper soil requirements and don't over water, I think it should be ok.
My Mum's into gardening. She says it can help to set up some kind of mini-greenhouse for seedlings at the beginning, then move them out pretty quickly. I take it you're in Oceania or South Africa...
hey! so I have a bit of experience with tomatoes, this year it frosted a lot so we had to cover them, and we put a kind of fence like cover around them too, they got pretty big but do need lots of sunlight to ripen, (depending on how big they are). Personally I took them off the plant before they ripened because it's starting to get very cold, and they're ripening really well by the window!
For sprouting from seeds you can put them on some wet paper towel and something like a plate, and put them on top of your fridge if that's available, it's always worked well for me.
Also!!!!! I'm glad to see more people planting chamomile, they're really nice and pretty, I don't seen to get a lot out of it but it's really nice to put in mixtures, I really hope it works out for you! Herb gardens are super fun and sturdy, I hope I didn't just babble haha
Re: Gardening/Planting help By: Nekoshema / Novice
Post # 5 Sep 02, 2016
Well check your region if the plants will work better or worse. You might also want to look into how much sun each plant needs [full sun, partial sun, or shade] otherwise they might not do very well [a shade plant in full sun will burn while a full sun in shade will barely grow] also, be sure to water your plants either in the morning or the evening when the sun isn't directly on them, the plant could 'burn' if you water them in the afternoon in the sunlight [like throwing water on a hot sidewalk]
you might also wish to look into the soil [don't call it dirt lol, my family is full of gardeners and landscapers and they flip when you call potting soil 'dirt'] if the soil isn't overly enriched, you could give the plants some 20-20-20 mix once a month [basically plant food, gives extra nutrients] just don't overdo it or the plant could die. [same with the water]
finally, I don't know your area but double check when the chances of frost ends. Where I live many people start gardening in late April or early May, but to be safe you should plant in June since the risk of frost is gone.
Thanks everyone! We're about to enter spring in the next two days... Of the few seeds I planted, mostly sage came out (I have those on my windowsill where I can watch them and they receive a bunch of light; they are getting really strong). Maybe it was still too cold when I planted them (I did leave them in a warmer room though until they sprouted).
I had planted them directly into soil, so maybe that was the issue; they soil could have caked due to watering, I'm not sure). A few days ago I put a bunch of seeds with litlle napkins with some water and a few basil seeds seem to have started sprouting, so I'm really happy. I hope I can plant them soon and get some little plants :)
I do realize they need good drainage and water, which is why I plant them in compost (mixed with some more plant food) rather than simple soil, and add sand and little rocks to the mixture to increase drainage. I also give them "plant food" every once in a while, mixed with the water I use to water them.
Re: Gardening/Planting help By: .StarPower. / Novice
Post # 7 Sep 20, 2016
Chamomile is really easy. But I find they need some protection from wind. And the greatest part, they will reseed themselves! So many seeds in those flowers, so be sure to save some for the next year. I had mine in a plant box, and just sprinkled seeds from the flowers of the previous years.
