Self-Watering Plant Boxes

I picked up some new grow boxes today. Not just any old boxes - these ones have a two-week water reservoir and the stress plants face when the pot dries out is eliminated. I already have twenty or so of these boxes in different applications. I use them in my greenhouse as a modified hydroponic system for growing cucumbers and tomatoes. I also use them at my cabin  for flowers since there are extended periods of time when I can't be at the cabin in the summer to water but I want some colour there.

Anyway these are not boxes for starting things indoors right now - I just wanted to get ready to get ready for spring. I have hauled them up to my second floor balcony which will be my veggie area this summer because it has the most sun. I have also bought one for my step-daughter's new balcony in Vancouver. She wants to make use of her new 500 square foot balcony and I suggested she raise herbs for her other new venture - cooking. So this is just a heads up, if you have a growing area where it is inconvenient to water or if you just don't have time to water, try a Maxikap (self watering plant box) for your gardening ventures this spring.

Have  a look on-line at Maxikaps (http://www.buyagreenhouse.com) and think about whether you need to add one to your garden this spring.

Rosemary Cuttings- Grocery Store Gardening

It happens to even the best gardeners. We leave our favorite and critical herbs outdoors come fall and unless you garden in Palm Springs it is long gone and buried under the snow by March.

While buying fresh rosemary for my favorite toasted pecan recipe I realized most of it would go to waste. You know how it is - you leave it on the counter or in the fridge or in water and next time you need rosemary it is black and dead and in the compost.

I am happy to report I put my leftover grocery store Rosemary to better use a few weeks ago. After using the two tablespoons I needed for the pecan recipe I cut the rest into 2" pieces (about 5 cm), pulled off the lowest leaves of each piece, dipped the end into liquid kelp (to take advantage of the natural growth hormones in kelp) and then stuck the pieces into a pot of moist potting soil. I put several cuttings into one pot and put the pot in a plastic bag so they won't dry out while the cuttings are rooting. The bag keeps the hunidity up while the cuttings root. They are all growing in my sunny windowsill although none show roots yet. (I cheated and carefully pulled a few out to check)

Grocery store gardening - who knew?

Basil is Busting Out!

It's a humble beginning to spring but the basil I started at Christmas is ready to eat. Wow! My first crop of 2009. I really hate buying basil in the winter and I have been spoilt - I really hate using dry basil at any time of year.

Having trouble with basil? Keep it warm. It suffers from life in a cold greenhouse or cool attic room and easily gets damping off disease in a cool overly wet environment. (this happened to me in my cool attic where I have my grow lights - I over-watered before going away so that the plants would not be forgotten and some plants perished in my absense).

A warm sunny south window is ideal for a heat loving plant like basil and for me that sunny space is in my kitchen. What could be better than fresh basil in the kitchen?