Tried planting some seeds in hopes that they would do halfway decent in the winter so I could move them outside in the spring.
Greens onion are the only thing I've had success with, well kinda. The dying stringy ones are from the seeds, the bigger ones are the left over bulds from the grocery store that I soaked in water a couple days than put to dirt. If I had of known replanting used onions was so easy, I'd have 3 or 4 pots full by now.
The Cilantro started out good, but then started to fall over. I'm not sure if its cause of lack of water or insufficient sunlight. I was ready that they don't need alot of water, so I just put them under the fish tank light. Hope this makes a difference.
Pipes, My parents always had a garden, and they started a lot of plants from seedlings. They always used a flourescent "grow" bulb to simulate the sun. The other bulbs don't give off the right light.
Pipes...I feel your pain. Sometimes it's just easier buying green onions, cilantro, and basil at the store during the winter months. All three of these herbs need lots of light. Also you need to get things started in the fall that you plan to winter over and provide a grow light. Green onions are pretty much undestructable once you get them going (outside) as they self seed, especially if you have a designated spot for them and don't pay to much attention to them. Freezing cold weather will destroy the green tops but like their cousin "Chives", in the spring they should start back up. Green onions also seem to divide amongst them selves and continue to shoot up tops seemingly forever. Just find a good spot in your garden or flower bed for green onions and they'll come back every year. As far as growing them inside during the winter, forget about it. The amount of electricity needed to grow them far exceeds the value of the plant. Green onions are usually pretty cheap for a bunch at the store. Most gardeners end up shopping for stuff at the store during the winter and early spring months, no shame. Cilantro/Parsley are another item best purchased from the store during the winter months. Cilantro and Parsley are very slow growers. Takes almost a month to just germinate and another month before you have enough of a plant to take a snipping or two. They can't handle freezing weather at all. They don't mind cool weather but need lots of sunshine or light. I usually plant them twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. They also don't like real hot weather as they bolt. If you want to try the indoor growing of these two, gotta have grow lights. Cilantro and Parsley are another inexpensive item at the store, usually less than a buck a bunch. Think about your power bill when you decide to have grow lights on 16 hours a day all winter. Basil...I love basil a lot. I usually start basil in mid to late February with my tomato starts. Basil is a heat and light loving plant like tomatoes and peppers. I germinate them all in flats tucked underneath my wood stove to get that 70-80 degree temp needed. Then it's time for the grow lights for a couple months. Once Basil starts growing good, just a sunny windowsill will keep you in basil for months. Basil actually grows pretty good indoors if you have lots of sun and warmth. Basil is a herb that grows well in pots and crowded meaning if you sprinkle 20 seeds in it and 10-15 plants sprout, there is no need to thin. If you prepared a pot of basil once of month during the spring, summer, fall, the latter will be you're best shot at having basil during winter. I usually end up drying alot my basil each year. Nearly as good as fresh in cooking. My local megamart sells live basil, basically a plug of basil that has been hydroponically grown, that you can keep alive in a glass of water for a month. Great for when your recipe calls for a tbsp or two of fresh basil. Hope I've been of help Pipes.
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Thanks Cal and Krink. I'll definitely be using your post as a reference guide. After a half a day under the fishtank light the cilantro have all started to sprout back up towards the light. I wish spring would hurry up and get here.
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Dont feel bad, Pipes...I tried my hand at one of those herb garden things and had the same problems you did...Everything sprouted up quickly and than died...It was weird...
I was thinkin maybe winter had somethin to do with it...
Gonna try my hand at a shit load of jalapenos again this year when it warms up....Theyre pretty easy to grow...
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I've seen on TV an ad for a all-in-one herb growing kit/setup with it own growlight. Looks like it would work just fine but any time you have to plug something into a wall outlet, your losing money. Growing your own food/herbs has to be approached from a whole year aspect. 8-9 months out of the year you can grow whatever you need. The other 3-4 months depend on what you've preserved or dried or frozen. I always find myself buying potatoes, garlic, fresh herbs at the store during March-April-May year after year. My storage potatoes are sprouting like crazy, my garlic is sprouting or dehydrated. Fortunately Chives are one the first signs of spring. I have rosemary and oregano available year round. Yeah...I'd have to say March-April-May is when the U.S. populace is very vernerable. I guess it's a good thing that that the produce section at most stores looks the same year round thanks to the importing of items from the southern hemisphere and Mexico. Asparagus from Peru, oranges from Australia, tomatoes from Mexico. Actually a lot of things come from Mexico during that time period. California gets into the picture with a lot of things during April. It takes a bit of planning to grow all the food you need for a whole year. The oldtimers had a system of what to grow and how to store it. It's a good thing to read a gardening book or two. It's also a good thing to read books on indoor growing and growing things in pots/containers. And since we're in the middle of winter, they are books on how to grow things in winter or how to overwinter some plants. Mostly it's keeping a healthy plant from the late fall still producing throughout the winter months. It's all in a book somewhere if you want to know. (or you can ask me a specific question)
-- Edited by The Krink at 02:41, 2009-01-29
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Following the Asparagus trail. January-February and the first week of March, Peruvian asparagus is what's in the stores. 2nd week of March through the first week of April, asparagus comes from Mexico usually priced $2.99 a lb or less. 2nd week of April until the 2nd week in May, it's all California asparagus for the same price. 3rd week of May until the 1st of July, it's Washington State asparagus. Now I have my own asparagus bed and I rarely get to sample the Washington State asparagus sold in the stores. If you're settled some place and have a fair amount of garden space, asparagus is a good thing to plant. Plant it once and you don't have to do a darn thing to it for up to 100 years other than harvest it.
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If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
