Gma's indoor winter gardening (and Sulcata brag) thread

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Finally a second leaf poking out of agave #1! It seems like it has taken years :rolleyes:
005.JPG

And now to wait for the rest to follow suit.....006.JPG


Weekly rotating and seed starting (and some mini rose buds!) And who doesn't have a 55 quart bag of dirt in the dining room? That's normal, right?007.JPG

Geranium flowers brightening up all that green and brown (and scratched paint from the cats sharpening their claws on the door before I blocked it with the gardens!)008.JPG


Asparagus, rhubarb and tobacco seeds (not for Odin) reaching for the sun in front of pineberry, rose of sharon, parsley and agave seedlings.009.JPG

The large pot of pineberries doing beautifully!010.JPG


And a bright yellow sticky trap hanging from the spiderplant and catching errant whiteflies from what is now a nearly 6 foot hibiscus! I swear it was only about 4.5 feet when I moved it in the house this past fall!011.JPG


And formerly a mangled aloe stub, now a bright green baby plant!012.JPG

And WHY would I save this one aloe plant when I have all of these??????
(notice the babies sprouting up also?)013.JPG

And these.....014.JPG

Oh, and these, also pretty mangled, but coming around!015.JPG

It's because I have seen Odin eat, that's why!

OH! And African violet flowers! YAY!!!!!016.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
And new agave leaves should be coming soon! This split in the seedling is where the first real leaf comes from! YAY019.JPG


I noticed it when I put my readers on to gently sprinkle sand over the soil surface to help anchor all my babies now that it seems there will be no more new sprouts. I purchased white sand because I ordered lithops ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithops ) seeds and I am hoping that when they arrive and sprout I will be able to better see them and I think it's going to work because I can certainly see the agave sprouts better now! AND, it looks like snow. :rolleyes:

018.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
It is once again time to change out the aloe in Odin's enclosure. I know, I know, it seems like I just did that. It's because I did! What can I say, this stuff is like candy to him!
I chose my big (and pretty overgrown) aloe pot today, and I think you can see why.020.JPG

I thought pulling three big ones out would suffice, but I kept finding babies......021.JPG

So I pulled out FIVE!022.JPG


And there are well over five babies tucked in this mess to take their spots.....023.JPG

And these poor things are what I pulled out of Odin's enclosure. :(
And do you see the scarring towards the base of the christmas cactus? Yep, you guessed it. Nibble marks.024.JPG


And dropped in two big new ones (along with a few geranium flowers)025.JPG


:(026.JPG

All the ruckus woke up Mr. Grumpy027.JPG

Who proceeded to RUN down the ramp to see what I was up to.028.JPG

He couldn't wait until he actually got to the bottom and belly-slid off the side when he was close enough.:rolleyes:029.JPG 030.JPG 031.JPG

The flowers never stood a chance...034.JPG

But the big pot has a fresh addition of organic soil and more room to grow035.JPG

And these sweet little babies will be big (see # lunch) in no time!036.JPG

And hopefully these guys will bounce back like the last one did. :)038.JPG

Happy indoor tort gardening!
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
No matter how grumpy Odin gets, a giant hibiscus leaf always gets his eyes to sparkle like a kid on Christmas morning!043.JPG 044.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
New week, new garden flat, and of course Odin has to immediately check it out!007.JPG

The flat I pulled out, all reseeded and relieved for the respite.008.JPG


And if you look just right and up from the center of the pic you can see one of my friendly little garden helpers running away from my camera. The only time I really see them is when I till the gardens up or water them deeply, and it's always nice to get proof that they are still there, taking care of business.009.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
The aftermath of months of indoor gardening:

SO many empty pots001.JPG

So many bags of dirt and seeds004.JPG

So many packets of seeds!005.JPG

So many empty, dirty flats and domes008.JPG

But just because the party has moved outside doesn't mean it's over inside! Sempervivum sprouts:006.JPG

And agave007.JPG

Both slow growing, but both doing their thing!
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
When is the best time to start winter indoor tort gardening? A few weeks ago!
I bought these little beauties, they claim to be organically grown, and they may have been, but I am still going to give them time to grow out (and grow bigger!)
056.JPG

Then there are these! 4 new types of aloe to go with the boatloads of aloe vera I already have. And the jar of twigs? Trying to root more hibiscus (again)
NEVER too much hibiscus for Odin!057.JPG

The sempervivum are adorably tiny, but should be snack size by fall.058.JPG

And the cursed agave! It's painfully slow growth is sheer torture for me, but they are still growing!

And at this rate may be snack size by 2045. :rolleyes:059.JPG

The outdoor garden is rapidly becoming tort heaven!
061.JPG

And I purchased another hibiscus that is on the no eat list for a minimum of six months.062.JPG

And the big hibiscus took a heck of a hit with some late frosts but it is already rebounding beautifully after a hard trimming.063.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
gorgeous i wish i had a green thumb like yours!
Thank you! It's a bit of work, but with the way Odin eats it is certainly a money saver!
This morning I did a bit of flat maintenance while waiting for the sun to hit his outdoor enclosure, swapping out the old, raking and seeding it, and dropping in a terribly overgrown new one!
005.JPG

Poor try, but look at all the seeds choices in the box behind it! I reseeded this one with clover, buffalo grass, cat grass, a few specialty lettuce seeds, dandelion and rose mallow. Yummy!001.JPG

The one at the top of the pic will go in next week while the other two large ones grow (the one at the top right is a half tray that we grow just for clipping to mix bits with his rare mazuri treat)003.JPG

Yet despite the treat of a large hibiscus leaf, a few flowers and a brand new delicious grazing tray, he has chosen to pout until we take him outside. Typical Odin.:rolleyes:004.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Went away for the weekend and came home to the six pounds of opuntia pads I ordered! Holy smokes, I did not expect there to be so many!

Planted a ton:
014.JPG

Still have a half a box!

015.JPG


I think we're going to need a bigger planter......:p
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Thanks! I figured with this many I can plant most of them, just keeping a few for food, and by the time they are gone I should have plenty of my own growing well!
Plus, with the abundance of food in his indoor and outdoor gardens during the summer I don't need them as a food source just yet, but in 4-5 months I will. With an appetite like Odin's I have seen that it is best to plan far ahead.
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
MY dwarf mulberries arrived!007.JPG 008.JPG


With a special bonus! A stella d'oro daylily! YAY ME!!!!!! Oh, and Odin, of course.;)010.JPG
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Trays doing beautifully!024.JPG

Big hibiscus rebounding gloriously!025.JPG 026.JPG

So. Many. Opuntia.027.JPG

So many new aloe!029.JPG

Agave and sempervivum still tiny but still growing! (lithops in the middle, those are mine!)030.JPG

What? More Opuntia?032.JPG

He is tired and full just thinking about the fall!036.JPG

And, soon to come, starting opuntia macrohiza and opuntia humifusa from seed! YES! There are opuntia that are hardy in Minnesota! WHAT?
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
So, both of the packets of hardy opuntia recommend a cold period of 2-3 months before sowing, BOO! Of course I am just not that patient so I sowed three of each and put the rest in the refrigerator for now. If even one or two germinate I will be pleased, but with the rest I will start them at the end of the summer indoors and let them grow through the winter before putting them out in the spring.

This is a mix of my indoor and outdoor stuff, which for the next few months are outside, of course.
See the flats on the right side of the table? Yeah, those are his enclosure snacking trays, the growth is ridiculous! The grasses are nearly a foot high!
002.JPG

The basil is going to seed and it is making all the tiny bees so happy I just can't bear to cut them down, so they stay! and the small pot in the front are the dwarf mulberry trees! SO excited!003.JPG

I moved all the opuntia pads into one long window box, no idea where in the house that will be living, but I have time to figure it out.004.JPG

Indoors I am rooting more geranium (since my son knocked a couple of big branches off) and hibiscus, along with tons of aloe vera and the christmas cactus001.JPG

And the sempervivum and 4 new aloes are all coming along nicely.002.JPG

The agave are still adorable and miniature. So. Painfully. Slow!005.JPG

Oh yeah! and I sowed the white mulberry seeds! We will see how much growth they put on during the summer before I decide if they will go outside permanently this year or not. I hope they can, I have no idea where I will keep them if I have to bring them in the house!:oops:
 
Last edited:

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Dropped in a new tray this evening after he spent hours outside in the playpen and instead of going into his hide or the burrow he dug under the ramp, he decided to sleep in his new noms. Awwwwwww.:<3:
Delicious dreams, Odin!002.JPG
 
Top