Every so often, somebody tells me that they have a “black thumb”. They reportedly kill every plant they touch. This may be a fact for a lot of folks, or it may be that they just haven’t found the right plant. There are some plants that you genuinely cannot kill. I know. I’ve tried. They simply won’t die. In this three part article series, I’m going to outline a few plants that I’ve found to be virtually indestructible. In this first part, I’ll discuss common garden plants; these include ornamentals, herbs and flowers. The second part will be houseplants, and the third part will be garden vegetables. Let’s start things off.
And there you have it; 8 plants for people who don't know jack about gardening. I hope you have good luck this coming season, and let me know if these work for you. Happy planting!
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One of the main challenges to beginning gardeners and even seasoned gardeners is finding good seeds. You receive these free catalogs from various companies, all bright-colored and shiny, and you have no idea which company is really worth dealing with. Here are my top 5 seed companies that I’ve worked with. 5. Gurney’s I think Gurney’s was the first seed company I ever ordered from; of course, I didn’t know of any other seed company, so there was really no contest. Their inventory is pretty fair. They’re not as diverse as they used to, and you’d be hard-pressed to find any heirloom varieties. I don’t know much about their customer service; I’ve never had a problem with them. 4. Jung’s I discovered Jung’s early in my gardening career. They’re a fine, family-owned company, and their customer service is spot on. My only complaints are that sometimes the seeds I bought didn’t sprout (they did replace the product I complained about, however) and they’re lacking in variety. 3. Agway Agway is a well-known and well-liked company in the Eastern US. They are a wholesale product distribution company, specializing in the agricultural industry. Each Agway store is locally owned and operated, featuring products specifically tailored to the needs of the community; including seeds. I’ve bought Agway seeds at the country store several times, and have always had good results. Variety may be limited based on where you live. 2. Everwilde Farms Everwilde Farms is a family-owned company that prides itself on offering high quality, environmentally sustainable, Non-GMO, organic seeds for a fair price. I have never had a problem with them or the seeds they offer, they are certified organic and non-GMO. I was very pleased with the seeds I bought. 1. R.H. Shumway Probably the best company I’ve bought seeds from was R.H. Shumway. They have the widest variety and the best prices on vegetable seeds. You can order small packets, you can order in bulk. Almost any vegetable you can think of, they have seeds for it. If you’re a repeat customer, they will even send you free seeds! I’ve gotten lots of free vegetable seeds from them, with mixed success. You can’t pick and choose which free seeds they send, but come on, free seeds! So these are my top five. If you have any other companies that you’ve used, drop a comment. I’ll be happy to hear from you. It’s winter in the North Country, which means the gardening season is over and done with. Or is it? There are a number of plants that you can start early and grow indoors for planting in the garden in the spring when the weather is warm enough. This can save you a lot of time waiting for your plants to grow. It can also save you the money of buying your plants at a greenhouse. But before I get to what plants you should plant, I should cover how to start seeds indoors. You should have some type of seed-starting kit. These can be purchased at any hardware store. You can also make one yourself, using clear tupperware containers, and peat discs. Peat discs are discs of dehydrated peat moss that you can start seeds in. They can be readily obtained at a hardware store or greenhouse. Water the dry peat discs and wait for them to expand to their full size before planting your seeds. If you’re planning on planting large plants, such as tomatoes, peppers, or herbs, or you expect to be growing them inside for an extended period, you should instead purchase peat pots and seed starting soil mix. The peat pots are literally just pots made of peat, that you fill with the seed-starting soil. They are biodegradable, so you can stick them right in the ground in spring. Whichever you decide to use, you should place your plants near a well-lighted window, or purchase a full-spectrum grow light. And now, without further ado, here are the six best plants to start indoors. TomatoesTomatoes come in hundreds of varieties suited to any grower or cook out there. They start readily indoors given a warm windowsill and some soil, but they need a lot of time. You should start them six to eight weeks prior to the last frost date. PeppersCucumbers
Celery
Basil Marigolds
Those are the six plants I would recommend. If you have any further questions, or have your own thoughts about planting times, please don’t hesitate to comment below. Happy planting!
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AuthorI'm Ian Wilson, a slightly eccentric amateur horticulturist bumbling his way through the garden. Archives
October 2021
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Photos used under Creative Commons from PAUL (Van de Velde) -Fotografie, NSPaul, Acabashi, amandabhslater, Free Public Domain Illustrations by rawpixel, WILLPOWER STUDIOS, krossbow, Monkeystyle3000, TwinPeaks99, ungard, RifcaPeters, Sustainable Economies Law Center, daryl_mitchell, wuestenigel