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+
I figured that my constant prattling about my indoor planting should have it's own home rather than adding on to Odin's enclosure thread.
If you haven't already seen it, it's nothing fancy and it's obviously short term, but it explains the seed trays we are currently using:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/indoor-enclosure-all-input-welcome.108222/

Being a Minnesotan,and being cheap (and broke!) indoor gardening was the only logical choice when my son brought Odin home. I don't have a fancy set-up, just a bunch of seed trays and plants in our south facing deck door, which is why I wanted to share. Buying fresh produce for a growing tortoise all winter seems crazy to me when seeds and dirt are so cheap and sun is free! Plus, I love gardening and already had quite a few plants (the aloe was taking over the house!)
Now, this does not mean I necessarily recommend getting a sulcata in Minnesota, (I actually think that for most people it is a pretty terrible idea) the point of the thread is more that indoor gardening is fairly easy and a comparatively cheap alternative for feeding our greens/veggie loving torts when outside is not an option and grocery stores are run by humans rather than tortoises.

Current gardens and food plants include, hibiscus (still his all time favorite) aloe, spider plants, african violets, christmas cactus, a bromeliad, a sun and shade grass mix, a mix called "Bucks and bosses" that includes clover, trefoil and chicory and I have supplemented the gardens with some easy to find flower and vegetable seeds. The vegetables so far are radish (another favorite) carrots (mainly for the greens) arugula, cress, endive, radicchio, a few lettuces, (Salad bowl, oakleaf and red salad bowl) and something packaged as microgreens (fancy name for picking stuff long before it's full grown. :p ) that include beets, pak choi, Kohlrabi, broccoli di ciccio and more radish. The flower seeds are marigold, nasturtium and dandelion. I have recently purchased some miniature rose bushes but it will be quite a while before I will allow them into the food chain (I am kind of a crazy hippie who does not dig pesticides. :D )

Most of the plants I have already had for years so they are pesticide free, the seeds trays I ordered from Amazon for a few bucks a piece. The "Bucks and Bosses" mix I also found there, it was pricey (by my standards-see cheap) at about 20 for a a couple pounds of seed (seeds half an acre) and veggie and flower seeds are 1-3 dollars an envelope if you have to buy them (some I bought some I had) and you can find them everywhere.

Here is how most of his food is currently housed. No magical greenhouse, no expensive grow lights, just a lot of tasty goodness for tortoises and humans alike. (there are some herbs in some of those pots, but those are mine!)
001.JPG 002.JPG 003.JPG 004.JPG 006.JPG

Odin enjoying a new tray today!
020.JPG 021.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+
Wow, I wish I had your green thumb. Terrific plants there.
Thank you, but It's really just patience water and sun.
The hibiscus is turning into quite the beast though, it can't wait to get back out on the deck this summer! And the 5 additional pots of aloe and african violets are elsewhere in the house.
 

bouaboua

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Dec 7, 2013
Messages
11,815
Location (City and/or State)
San Jose CA
WOW ! ! !

Great looking indoor garden you have there.
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Thank you! Now lets hope my outdoor gardening can keep him happy when the weather finally permits.

On the plus side, I haven't used anything unnatural on the lawn in over 20 years so I have ALL the dandelions and clover in the neighborhood! :D
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
You can see the wake of destruction, he just storms through, step, bite, bite, step, bite, bite. So glad I have so many seeds, these poor seedlings will never make it to adulthood.
Favorite seedlings are still radish, but we finally have some clover coming up, which he loved over the summer and the few he has come across are now making their way through his digestive tract :D . He is also showing an increased interest in what I think is the trefoil lately (It's hard to tell when they are so immature). With all the tasty and tender new offerings he is showing less interest in the grass, but he still eats it.037.JPG 038.JPG
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Everything looks really Great!! The Nasturtiums will look really nice in the trays if Odin lets them go to bloom:) I envy your bright window. I'm surrounded by big cottonwood trees and have only ONE window that gets remotely bright enough. -Sadly, that window is usually covered in basking cats.:) Keep up the good work and be prepared to TRIPLE your indoor growing area by next winter up there in Minnesota!!! Odin's growing appetite will thank you for it. Nice post!
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Everything looks really Great!! The Nasturtiums will look really nice in the trays if Odin lets them go to bloom:) I envy your bright window. I'm surrounded by big cottonwood trees and have only ONE window that gets remotely bright enough. -Sadly, that window is usually covered in basking cats.:) Keep up the good work and be prepared to TRIPLE your indoor growing area by next winter up there in Minnesota!!! Odin's growing appetite will thank you for it. Nice post!
Thanks! I was just doing some pruning and thinking how wonderful it is that my dining room smells like a garden center! :D
Believe me, Odin is fighting to keep both the nasturtiums and the dandelions from ever flowering! Yesterday he almost took one of the nasturtiums out at the base! Little jerk.... And speaking of jerks, It has been a challenge keeping the cats out of the beds, but since I put them on the shelves and block it off with the lids it has been better.
I am actually looking forward to it! Don't tell my husband, but I am thinking of getting the dining room table out of there next year to make room for more plants. o_O
Shh.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Thanks! I was just doing some pruning and thinking how wonderful it is that my dining room smells like a garden center! :D
Believe me, Odin is fighting to keep both the nasturtiums and the dandelions from ever flowering! Yesterday he almost took one of the nasturtiums out at the base! Little jerk.... And speaking of jerks, It has been a challenge keeping the cats out of the beds, but since I put them on the shelves and block it off with the lids it has been better.
I am actually looking forward to it! Don't tell my husband, but I am thinking of getting the dining room table out of there next year to make room for more plants. o_O
Shh.

whispers: "DO IT! DO IT!"

I'm very lucky. My husband is JUST as crazy as I am. We have several grow spaces throughout the house right now. I lost my dedicated grow space due to slow-going home renovations. Here's my most insane/embarrassing-but-proud-at the same time---light set up...
small pic grow light set up.jpg

Please also share your stuff on the garden chat thread in the off-topic chit chat section. We'd love to see what you're up too:D
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
whispers: "DO IT! DO IT!"

I'm very lucky. My husband is JUST as crazy as I am. We have several grow spaces throughout the house right now. I lost my dedicated grow space due to home slow-going home renovations. Here's my most insane/embarrassing-but-proud-at the same time---light set up...
Ooooooh.... Grow lights....
*jealous face*

Please share your stuff on the garden chat thread in the off-topic chit chat section. We'd love to see what you're up too:D
I didn't know there was such a magical place! I sure will!
And I need it more than ever, just noticed a whitefly problem on my hibiscus! D*@N it!!!!!!!!!
 

puffy137

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
1,283
How lovely , thanks for the photos , I have a few like you , spider plants & aloe vera, Both these are now outside , but in the summer they will have to come into the AC. as it reaches 50*c . How lovely that hibiscus looks ! I will see if I can get one next time I go to the nurseries. I'm also happy to see you have one of my favourite books on your shelf. Atonement by Ian McEwan :D:D:D
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
How lovely , thanks for the photos , I have a few like you , spider plants & aloe vera, Both these are now outside , but in the summer they will have to come into the AC. as it reaches 50*c . How lovely that hibiscus looks ! I will see if I can get one next time I go to the nurseries. I'm also happy to see you have one of my favourite books on your shelf. Atonement by Ian McEwan :D:D:D
Thank you!
It is a wonderful way to pass the time when it's -10 F outside!

Fantastic book, isn't it?
 

puffy137

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
1,283
Thank you!
It is a wonderful way to pass the time when it's -10 F outside!

Fantastic book, isn't it?
Yes it is a great book , & surprisingly the film that was made of it was good too. I don't often watch films , the actors these days are not as good looking as they were way back when . However because I admired the book & did watch Atonement & the hymn the soldiers sang on the beach was very moving . It took me back to my childhood in Devon.
 

puffy137

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 31, 2014
Messages
1,283
By the way , is your ginger cat a Tom ? I think there was a rumour going round that all marmlade cats are Ginger Toms .
 

Odin's Gma

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Dec 21, 2014
Messages
1,035
Location (City and/or State)
USDA Zone 4a+
Yes it is a great book , & surprisingly the film that was made of it was good too. I don't often watch films , the actors these days are not as good looking as they were way back when . However because I admired the book & did watch Atonement & the hymn the soldiers sang on the beach was very moving . It took me back to my childhood in Devon.
I've not seen the movie, I don't even think I knew it was adapted into one.
I tend to avoid movie adaptations of books that are really well written, they rarely live up to my expectations. Although I make an exception for Stephen King movies because I adore him and I also have a weakness for horror films even if they are badly made, so either way I win. :D
By the way , is your ginger cat a Tom ? I think there was a rumour going round that all marmlade cats are Ginger Toms .
He is, his name is Big Jim and he is reigning King of the Beasts in our house. He keeps the other two cats in line with a healthy thump to the head if they get too rowdy, but he is a sweet, gentle soul and he loves Odin.
I love this thread, right down to the beautiful cat. :)
Aww. Thank you!
 

New Posts

Top