anyone growing their own herbs?
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 12:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eefanincan wrote:
I think maybe I'll start them inside under a grow light.


if you got a grow light you might as well grow some real herb wink smoking shame you're in canada, discount at a grow store would be sweet Smile

girldorksrule wrote:
I've heard that too. Haven't tried it though. I did once try the diluted dish soap spraying method. It did NOT get rid of the aphids and it DID make my hibiscus extremely sticky.


i'd heard of the washing up liquid method before ... but when i looked at the ingredients on them i thought that was the last thing i wanna be spraying on my herbs!

there is some stuff called neem oil, i know what works with aphids - i got invaded by them once, loads of the little things crawling all over - thought i was going to loose that harvest ... it took a few days but the neem oil did the job, and its 100% organic - it comes from some tree called the neem tree which grows in india and south east asia - they've used it for centuries apparently. its quite a thick liquid ( you mix it with water and a surfactant - i use something called 'non ionic wetting agent' ) , smells horrible, gives the leaves a nice shine - and kills the aphids no matter what stage of growth their at ( theres about 5 stages of growth for them, their like transformer insects! ). if you spray your plants with it before they've got infected it'll prevent them - as prevention is better than cure Smile i did hear something about leaving garlic cloves about the grow room but i can't remember what that was to prevent Confused
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faceless
admin


Joined: 25 Apr 2006

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 2:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

luke wrote:
i did hear something about leaving garlic cloves about the grow room but i can't remember what that was to prevent Confused


Vampires of course! I don't know... some people.
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Aja
Reggae Ambassador


Joined: 24 Jun 2006
Location: Lost Londoner ..Nr Philly. PA

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 7:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

faceless wrote:
luke wrote:
i did hear something about leaving garlic cloves about the grow room but i can't remember what that was to prevent Confused


Vampires of course! I don't know... some people.


You might try crushing 3/4 of an aspirin per gallon of water and applying that to the plant. I use it on my plants and it helps them stay healthy. That and regular applications of fish emulsion. It might be worth planting some garlic under the plant also. Some of my finikier plants like old coffee grounds.

That was an answer on this site ...... Smile

http://ask.metafilter.com/43512/How-can-I-eliminate-spider-mites
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eefanincan
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Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 9:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I heard that sprinkling broken eggshells around your plants helps..... don't know if it's true, but might be worth a try.
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girldorksrule
Arrrrrrr...scurvy!


Joined: 13 Jun 2006
Location: Walkin' the plank

PostPosted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Skylace wrote:
girldorksrule wrote:
I've heard that too. Haven't tried it though. I did once try the diluted dish soap spraying method. It did NOT get rid of the aphids and it DID make my hibiscus extremely sticky.

Not Gary! Or was it Sirius?!? Either one just breaks my heart!


It was Gary, but he recovered nicely Smile No harm done!

luke wrote:

there is some stuff called neem oil, i know what works with aphids - i got invaded by them once, loads of the little things crawling all over - thought i was going to loose that harvest ... it took a few days but the neem oil did the job, and its 100% organic


Never heard of it but I'll look into it. The only thing I've found around here that works for aphids is Bayer bug spray but I prefer using natural. Thanks!
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Skylace
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Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: Wed Apr 16, 2008 12:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

girldorksrule wrote:
Skylace wrote:
girldorksrule wrote:
I've heard that too. Haven't tried it though. I did once try the diluted dish soap spraying method. It did NOT get rid of the aphids and it DID make my hibiscus extremely sticky.

Not Gary! Or was it Sirius?!? Either one just breaks my heart!


It was Gary, but he recovered nicely Smile No harm done!


What a relief! thumbs
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 5:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

this isn't a herb, but something i'm going to try and grow ( when i can find the seeds somewhere ) - beansprouts, or mung beans to give them their proper name.

anyone ever tried growing them?

i love them Smile but here you can only buy them in big packets that would last me a week - so i'm going to grow me own. one jar of these growing a week will do a me a free stir fry Smile



Description

My other name is Chinese Bean Sprouts. I grow so fast you can eat me in 4-6 days! I'm crisp, juicy and nutritious and delicious in stir-fries, sandwiches and all sorts of your favourite foods. I can be eaten raw as well.

Sowing Instructions

You can grow me all year round indoors in a jam jar or a special seed sprouter.
Place a tablespoon of seeds in a jam jar and cover with water.
Cover the jar with a piece of muslin held on with a rubber band and soak seeds overnight. The seeds will swell a lot.
Drain the water through the muslin and rinse twice really well with fresh water. Drain the water out of the jar.
Place the jar on its side in a warm place away from sunlight.
Rinse the seeds twice a day. Make sure you drain the water or I will go mouldy.
After 4-6 days I am ready to eat.

Aftercare

When you want to eat me, rinse the sprouts and you can eat straight away. Any left over can be kept in a plastic bag in the fridge for about 3 days.
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11antoniacourt



Joined: 30 Apr 2007

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've never grown them and don't know anyone who has. But i do like them and hope you'll let us know what you learn about them. i'd make a meal with them once per week too. What a great idea.
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eefanincan
Admin


Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Mon Jan 12, 2009 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Let us know how you make out Luke --- like you, I find those big packages too much, so a jar or so would be a nice idea.

On a different note, has anyone heard of these "Aerogarden"? I'm thinking of getting one, but wondered if anyone here has one and if it worked well.

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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

i've not heard of them before but they look pretty cool! i can't see on the site what wattage the bulbs are - but i should think they're pretty low wattage and cheap to run - anything to high in that system would generate to much heat.

i guess its suitability depends on what you're thinking of growing in it? i mean a lot of herbs you can grow under sunlight so it makes it a kind of expensive herb garden - and any bigger plants it might be a bit small. they do look neat though Smile
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eefanincan
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Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 2:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I think you can even grow tomatoes in one of them if you wanted, but I'll just stick to the standard kitchen herbs. Hopefully I'll get one for Christmas next year Smile
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luke



Joined: 11 Feb 2007
Location: by the sea

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 6:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

ages back i got given a load of seeds, there was a few different herbs, some rocket, and some flowers

on a rare sunny day last week i planted the lot in various pots, i got some outside and some on a south facing window sill.

i'm not sure if they'll all grow, because some of the seeds say they're out of date now ( thats how long its taken me to get round to planting them! ) - but do seeds really go out of date?

today i noticed the rocket starting to pop through the soil, which is pretty quick - it says germination takes about 14 days but i only planted them last week! these rocket seeds were supposed to have been used by a year ago - so hopefully thats a good sign the other seeds that are out of date will also germinate

i'm actually quite looking forward to seeing if the flowers grow! i've grown various herbs, lettuce, strawberries and carrots before, but never any flowers

i will add some photos when things really get growing Smile
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SpursFan1902
Pitch Queen


Joined: 24 May 2007
Location: Sunshine State

PostPosted: Tue May 08, 2012 9:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I am pretty good at killing plants, not so good at keeping them alive. I have a fern that someone snagged for me from the stage at my last graduation, a couple of palms that I have repotted and I just planted a Confederate Jasmine vine out in my courtyard. We shall see. The fern has been alive since December and the palms a little longer, so... Laughing
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eefanincan
Admin


Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2012 8:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

My chives are already overgrown.......must get out there and cut them back.
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Skylace
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Joined: 29 Apr 2006
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

PostPosted: Sun May 13, 2012 10:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My spearmint out back has gone rogue and it's a bit of a battle actually. Need to find lots of recipes for it!
I won't be planting anything else until the end of the month. However, I am very happy my tarragon is coming in nicely. I had no idea it was perennial so that was a pleasant surprise
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