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Gardening

What' growing on your windowsill?

(37 Posts)
JessM Tue 05-Jun-12 09:57:01

I've got a rather nice succulent from Ikea that looks like a mass of little trumpets.
Some basil seedlings. Growing very slowly. They like sun.
A pot of easy to grow salad leaves (an experiment)
Six leggy courgette seedlings - when should I plant them out? Any advice re growing courgettes in grow bags?
What's on yours?

Grandmanorm Thu 07-Jun-12 09:31:47

Aloe vera plant on the dining room window and on the kitchen window basil and Greek basil which I love but is seldom in the stores in Scotland, the Greek one that is!!!

Butternut Wed 06-Jun-12 18:46:56

Ok Jess - your courgette babies are now my babies - keep me informed of their progress. grin

AlieOxon Wed 06-Jun-12 18:25:53

The latest from Chelsea - this year - for me is a similar begonia with a green and a cream stripe on the spiral leaf...I wannit!
But my kitchen is a bit full of begonias, as it is the one place in the house where they do really well..............

I grew an even fancier Datura last year from seed, it had double trumpet flowers, but disappointing - it didn't smell. Told my sister and she produced these cuttings which she has guaranteed to have perfume. Poisonous though.

JessM Wed 06-Jun-12 14:48:26

Gosh Datura quite a fancy thing isn't it. Big dangly trumpets? Oh right, nice spiral begonia leaves.
That is not the worst habit of the slug family but in case anyone is having lunch I will restrain myself.
Good news is the the courgette plants survived their first night out, intact. smile
I have a dahlia in a pot in front of the patio door. It has sprouted but it is growing incredibly slowly. I am losing patience. How is it ever going to bloom in a UK summer if it can't even grow in front of a window that gets afternoon sun?
Also a rather large aloe vera next to it, that is flowering, just like they do in gardens in Oz and NZ. They are worth cultivating in a kitchen as their juice is great salve for minor burns.

AlieOxon Wed 06-Jun-12 13:53:09

Kitchen windowsill? One 'Escargot' begonia and a small papyrus plant...at the moment. Things go on there for attention, as it gets the morning sun.
There have been a series of seedlings this spring.

I saw this begonia about four years ago on TV from Chelsea - and thought 'I want that!' - and found a spindly one with one leaf in a boot sale, with one leaf...now two BIG plants and one little one, getting bigger. Fascinating shape.

Bathroom window did have four rooted datura cuttings that my sister gave me, now outside - and one in the side passage is is in the process of producing its first enormous flower, not quite open yet.

AlisonMA Wed 06-Jun-12 10:20:19

Drink the coffee, this morning's news is that is staves off dementia!

whenim64 Wed 06-Jun-12 07:46:29

Last year I put sprigs of rosemary and crunched up eggshells around my tender veg plants, and had no slugs on them, although there were lots nearby. I have also put used coffee grounds in a circle around plants and that works, but you do need to drink an awful lot of coffee to have enough!

whenim64 Wed 06-Jun-12 07:42:54

Tomato plants longing for some sunshine - looking a bit spindly, so I think I'd better plant them today.

Butternut Wed 06-Jun-12 07:23:59

shock Cannibal slugs!

JessM Wed 06-Jun-12 06:51:25

I don't like slug pellets. Might affect the hedgehogs. Two things I have learned about slugs:
1. if you have a delicious plant like a daliah that you want to plant out, scatter a circle of nyger seed around it. it germinates rapidly into a nice salad that distracts the slugs from the dahlia. (glad i remembered this - my strawberries in pots are a prime target.
2. the other thing that distracts slugs from eating plants is the opportunity to dine on a nice meal of dead slug. If you slaughter a dozen or so at bedtime they will be nicely cleaned up by morning.

Anagram Tue 05-Jun-12 21:44:02

Told you!

j04 Tue 05-Jun-12 21:26:46

Oh shite Butternut!!!!

I'd better get out there with the pellets. I know I've got two spindly plants left.

Annobel Tue 05-Jun-12 20:52:00

A pink orchid and a white orchid. On the kitchen windowsill, a pot of basil.

Tosh Tue 05-Jun-12 20:47:32

parsley, Chives and Basil in lovely Duck Egg pots to match my new kitchen decor..but window boxes of newly planted Busy Lizzies & petunias on all my ledges.
Hope the Impatiens are ok this year. The Garden centre didn't have any but a friend gave me some he had grown in his greenhouse.
Always love to have Tulips on my kitchen window ledge when in season.
I am not a keen gardener as we have just fairly large areas of grass which I pay someone to cut...but love all my tubs, baskets and boxes.

yogagran Tue 05-Jun-12 19:25:41

Isn't it crushed egg shells or ash that deter slugs? Something gritty and uncomfortable for them to slither on

Butternut Tue 05-Jun-12 16:38:22

I am willing those little courgettes to survive! Lay a few rose stems with good thorns criss-crossed on the soil or make a tepee around them - that might deter those hungry critters.

JessM Tue 05-Jun-12 16:22:47

I have put the courgettes in their grow bags in the rain. I fear an instant slug attack. I have not been patrolling diligently after dark. On your head be it butter grin
But if they do get eaten i will try something else in the grow bags.

Butternut Tue 05-Jun-12 16:17:00

jO4 My slugs definitely eat cosmos - they chomped them all last year whilst they were still little! sad

Anagram Tue 05-Jun-12 15:57:11

grin

j04 Tue 05-Jun-12 15:46:17

Anagram I don't know. I can't find them! I'm as confused as you are!

I don't think slugs eat cosmos.

That Grannynet probably put a curse on them. shock

gracesmum Tue 05-Jun-12 15:10:50

Mould on the upstairs window sills where I can't reach and the window cleaner "doesn't do sills"

Anagram Tue 05-Jun-12 13:30:05

I was querying the fate of jingl's cosmos.

No slugs on my windowsill - maybe a couple of dead flies....

Anagram Tue 05-Jun-12 13:28:23

confused

JessM Tue 05-Jun-12 13:27:38

that slugs, to clarify. Thanks butter re grow bags and glad you had a lovely day

JessM Tue 05-Jun-12 13:20:17

indoors?