Growing stuff is a great hobby. And it’s good for your health and general well being. Not all of us have green thumbs (and some of us may even think we have black thumbs!) However most of us can grow at least something, and who knows where it might go from there.
Indoor Plants
We haven’t had many indoor house plants recently. We did when we were younger but somehow busyness has taken over and so fewer and fewer house plants. However when I look at all the possibilities at the home centers and even the grocery stores they are hard to resist.
I’ll mention two easy possibilities. First there is cactus, and there is an unbelievable number of varieties. Some don’t even look like cacti! The big advantage here is for those of us that forget to water our plants until they are dried up sticks! In fact the biggest mistake would probably be watering too much!
I also want to suggest an Aerogarden. I covered this in detail here. An Aerogarden is a product that is basically a little hydroponic system. It consists of a tank to hold the growing medium, an overhead light for artificial sunlight, and electronics that keep track of everything. I had great luck growing an assortment of lettuce varieties, and next I think I’m going to try cherry tomatoes.
Flowers
I can remember gorgeous catalogs of flowers and bulbs showing up every winter. It seemed like once you got on one mailing list you were on many. The variety was incredible and it was hard to resist giving gardening a try. Of course the reality of what they showed in the pictures and the amount of time and work it takes to get there would soon become apparent! Now with the Internet there are less paper catalogs and more online, but the draw is the same.
One more idea on flowers. Instead of giving cut flowers maybe give something to grow. I would often bring my wife flowers for anniversaries and Valentines
Day, regardless of her being somewhat allergic! I suggest instead switching to something that can quickly be planted in a garden. The sentiment will still be appreciated but the flowers might be around for years instead of just days.
Vegetable Garden
A vegetable garden is a great way to get into growing things. It is probably the area I’ve had the most experience, although I’m certainly not a guru! Here are some pointers for what I’ve learned.
Start Small
A new gardener wants to try growing everything. I was guilty of that early on. When you plant a lot of things they will grow all over the place, and you can’t keep up with weeding, watering, and even basic care.
So What Is Easy To Grow?
Of course you’ll get different answers depending on who you talk to. I’ve always had good luck with tomatoes. I would usually try two varieties and some cherry tomatoes for salad. There is no comparison between a tomato fresh out of the garden and store bought. I’ve also had good luck with cucumbers and green peppers. Only issue with cucumbers is that the vines go all over the place, and when they start ripening you can’t use them fast enough.
Not Much Space or Bad Soil?
If you don’t have much space consider container gardening. There are books and a lot of information available on how to do this. Tomatoes do well in containers.
If you have bad soil don’t despair. When we first moved into our house the developer had scraped away all the topsoil leaving only clay. The first couple years were tough, but gradually over time the soil improved due to fertilizer and plants left over the winter to decompose.
Another option is a raised bed, which is something I would like to try. This is basically just an above ground frame that you fill with good soil. This option is a little easier to care for and again, gets better over time.
So I hope this article has got you thinking. It has me. I think I’ll get my Aerogarden working again now and think about spring!
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