]]> http://buddygarden.com/blog/2010/07/09/hens-and-chicks-and-flowers/feed/ 1 http://buddygarden.com/blog/2010/05/16/herb-garden-in-a-cereal-box/ http://buddygarden.com/blog/2010/05/16/herb-garden-in-a-cereal-box/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 19:33:45 +0000 BuddyGarden http://buddygarden.com/blog/?p=652 I love gardening projects, especially the ones that calls for recycled materials! I picked up this herb garden kit from the annual  2010 NYC Grows.  The kit includes everything you need to build a beginner herb garden.  However you don't necessary need the kit to build your herb garden.  The only thing you really need to buy are the seeds, you probably have the rest of the materials in your kitchen.  Next time when you finish a box of cereal, save the box and the plastic bag and you can build your own herb garden!

Materials

1 empty cereal box (don't throw away the cereal plastic bag)
1 Parsley seeds
1 Basil seeds
4-5 cups of container soil
Tape (or glue gun)
Scissors (or razor blade)

Instructions

1. Remove the plastic cereal bag from the cereal box and set aside.

2. Use a hot glue gun (or tape) to seal both ends of the box.  If you are using glue, make sure the glue is cooled before proceeding.

3. Laying the box flat, use scissors (or razor blade) to cut the front panel of the box.  Leave a 1/2 inch edge around the box.  I didn't leave 1/2 inch edge all around so I had to tie a string around it to keep the box in its shape.

4. Cut out the center of one side of the plastic cereal bag and place it in the box as liner.

5. Pour soil into the plastic lined cereal box.

6. Plant basil and parsley seeds according to the seed packet instructions.

7. Water according to the seed instructions.  Put a tray underneath the box to catch any water that drains out.  Overtime the box will warp from watering.

8. After the seeds have developed two sets of leaves, it's time to transplant it to a larger container.

Enjoy your container herb garden made from a cereal box!

Orchid (Phalaenopsis)

Below is a popular plant but I forgot what it is called.  It has such cool behavior.  It closes up at night and opens up during the day.  Love plants that have this kind of characteristic.  This plant didn't do well in the living room and I was about to throw it out.  After I moved it to the bathroom, it took off and never stopped growing, as you can see new shoots are still coming out.

Night (left), Day (right)

Back in December I wrote a post about forcing paperwhites and I realized I never came back and post the updates.  The paperwhites did really well but nothing really happened with the Amaryllis.  The Amaryllis just kept growing long green leaves but the flower stalk I was waiting for never came out.

Paperwhites are fool-proof and it's great if you're looking for some blooms during the winter months.  I grew the paperwhites in a tall narrow pot but I think next year I'll look for a wider and shorter pot so I can put more bulbs in it.  Paperwhites look great when planted in groups.

Previous post I talked about forcing Amaryllis bulb in container.  BJ's sells this gift pack which includes one Amaryllis bulb and five Narcissus bulbs for under US$20.  The bulbs look healthy but don't expect these to be high quality bulbs from nurseries but if you just want to have some blooms for the holidays this might be the cost-effective way to go.

Box comes with a nice green ceramic pot, one dehydrated coco peat, and five paperwhites 'Ziva' bulbs.

Follow the instructions from the previous to hydrate the coco peat and fill half of the pot.

Paperwhites don't mind to be in a small pot and the bulbs can touch each other. Just remember to keep the soil moist and not wet. Oh and they like bright light too!

Did you know you can add vodka or gin when you water to stunt their growth? Now that's something I want to try! Take a look at the gorgeous paperwhites from Flat Bottom Flowers.

Box comes with planting instructions, a nice ceramic green pot, hydrated coco peat disk, and one Amaryllis bulb.

To rehydrate the disk, add 3 cups of warm water. Here I put the disk in the bottom of the pot but I think it's easier to do this step in a separate container and then transfer the coco peat back to the pot after it expands. At one point the coco peat expanded so much that it overflowed the pot. Let the coco peat absorb water for about 15 minutes. Drain excess water.

Fill half of the pot with coco peat and place the bulb in the center. Continue filling the pot with coco peat until one third of the top of the bulb is exposed.

Place pot in bright indirect light and keep the coco peat moist but not wet. Flower should appear in a few weeks. I'm keeping my fingers cross.

We're getting 14 inches of snow tonight.  Just in time for Christmas! Happy Holidays everyone!

After some serious deadheading, it doesn't look too bad! Please don't die on me!

Some cuttings for my colleague who happens to love gardening.

As expected, the Calibrachoa didn't do too well (Drip-It pro at the back... more on that later).  It looks pathetic.

So is the Lobelia:

I just need to repeat this again... Drip-It Pro Watering System does NOT work! DO NOT BUY IT! After a week, the water level is still the same.  I've given it a second chance and that's it, they are going into the trash.

The good news is my Earthboxes did a really good job of keeping my vegetables alive.  Although I think the water reservoir was close to empty when I got back.  Not only did my vegetable plants survived but I got some harvest too:

Plants that had the watering crystals did fantastic and they were nice and healthy.  Once again my DIY watering system did a great job of keeping the Mandevilla, Fairy rose, and herbs box alive.  Look at the Mandevilla... it's climbing higher than my modified trellis.

From this:

To this:

Drip-it Pro Watering System - I don't have much luck with these but it's better than nothing.  Last time I used them the water level was the same after several days and I couldn't figure out how to make it work.

Fill up the water tank and secure the solar panel for my DIY solar drip water system - this system is setup to water my most water hungry plants - Mandevilla, Fairy rose, and herbs box.

Load up the two Earthboxes with water.

Watering crystals - first year I've used these and they seem to do a decent job.  I mix them with the soil and use them mostly for the plants under shade.  So far the plants only need occasional watering on hot days.  I don't use them for edible plants because I'm not sure if they are scientifically proved to be safe.

And hope for the best! Stay tune for my next post to see what my garden looks like after I come back from vacation.

I wanted to make an Asian spicy eggplant dish, so I got two chilies from the Thai dragon pepper plant.  I knew it was too soon to harvest the chilies because it's best to let the peppers develop the spicy seeds a little longer to get the maximum scoville count! These peppers were not spicy enough.  It's fun to pop fresh peppers in my mouth right from the plant! But only for now when the peppers are still young, I dare not to do that for the older peppers! If you're interested to grow peppers, take a look at the Organic Gardening article about techniques and tips of growing different kinds of peppers.