Things you can grow indoors while waiting for Spring:

[beac]

I made my first trip to the garden store yesterday b/c I am determined to have sweet peas that actually BLOOM this year (instead of just making loads of leaves) so they are going into the ground this weekend. Alas, that and one container of peas are all I feel confident about planting until March 1st.

In the meantime, I might feed my addiction by trying one of these ideas:

• Mangoes can be sprouted similarly to avocados but first you'll want to carefully remove the inner pit from the rough exterior seed casing. Once that task is accomplished follow the toothpick drill and coax your mango to germinate partially suspended over water.

• Papayas first remove the seed from the membrane, rinse in warm water, and soak overnight, discarding any seeds that are floating the next morning. Plant the seeds shallowly in a germination mix and keep them warm until they sprout. Placing them in a plastic bag or using a humidity dome will help promote germination.

• Dates grow into palm-like trees, start out by cleaning the seeds and soaking in water for 24 hours. Place on damp vermiculite in a plastic container and cover. Keep an eye on the seeds and make sure that the vermiculite is just very slightly damp. Once the seeds sprout plant them in a pot of compost/potting soil mix.

• Goji Berries are pretty easy to germinate from seed and even dried berries or those taken from a trail mix are likely to yield viable seeds. Use a container of finely sifted compost and sprinkle the tiny seeds right on top of the surface. Keep moist, humid, and thin or transplant once the plants are established.

• Ginger is a popular kitchen spice that is overlooked as a potential house or garden plant. Just break off a piece of ginger that has at least one growing point and place it on top of the soil in a planting container. Keep the soil moist and wait for shoots to sprout up.


Received the above in the today's newsletter from Veggie Gardening Tips http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com . Subscribe here: http://visitor.constantcontact.com/manage/optin/ea?v=001povWiHOjwz_n5YHq4S8Cvg%3D%3D

[Denninmi]

1. Papayas = good cheap filler plants for summer combo pots.

In the spring, the great big "mountain" papayas are generally at their cheapest, and they are full of seeds. I try to pick one up every year in May, and start a couple of flats of them in my greenhouse -- generally 3 or 4 plants per cell. They make a very nice foliage filler for combination pots in the summer with those big, lobed leaves. They usually get about 2 feet tall by the end of the season when the frost takes them.

Tamarind seeds also make a nice, quick growing foliage plant.

Aside from that, there are some other cheap, fun things you can grow:

Sow a spoonful of alfalfa seeds in a small pot of moist soil now, and you'll have a decent looking shamrock type plant for St. Patrick's day. You can also use clover of any kind (more people are likely to have alfalfa as a sprouting seed -- or, you could even plant sprouts from the grocery store).

Pick branches of spring flower shrubs and put into vases of warm water with floral preservative -- pussy willow, forsythia, cornelian cherry, quince, and star magnolia are all good. So are branches from various fruit trees -- apricot, plum, peach, almond. They will bloom in 1 to 3 weeks.

Sow seeds of various greens in trays of potting soil under a grow light, and harvest when small for baby greens.

[ellenrr]

2. hey denninmi, don't I know you ?

from Idigmygarden?

I like this place better, no loony-tune rabid right-wingnuts here.
(at least haven't met any yet.
.B-)
Altho there are a handful of good folks at Idig