Spring is here, spring is here!

And that means I can start my seeds (well, that I started them nine days ago).

Basil, Cilantro, Chives (though I think two basil seeds might have escaped to the chives section). All growing well in their Chinese takeout container, basil especially!

String beans! Growing fast!

Snow peas

The string beans are in the black pot, and the snow peas are in the tan one. Both have teepees to grow upwards.

Winter citrus tree update

Sad news: Meyer Lemon kicked the bucket this fall. I tried everything in my power to save him, but it didn't work. I'm not sure how exactly this happened - the tree that looked so much better over the summer very quickly met its demise, seemingly due to root rot even though it got the same waterings as Mr. Orange. Hopefully I'll be able to find a new one locally in the spring (the ones I've ordered online are so tiny that it takes a lot of coaxing to get them to grow). 

The good news is that Mr. Orange looks amazing and currently has four tiny tiny green oranges right now. Additionally, the Bearss Lime tree that I bought near the end of the summer is also doing well. 

Since moving them inside, I've only been watering them about once every two weeks even though my house is incredibly dry. This has prevented root rot so far (the soil stays damp for this whole time), but the leaves and fruit don't like the dryness of the air. I keep them in my bedroom window, which is the warmest place in the whole house and also the sunniest. I run a humidifier at night (for myself as well as the plants), but I've also started spritzing the leaves with a spray bottle and using a big clear plastic bag as a humidity chamber on occasion.

Here's a photo update, with details about what I'm doing to keep them thriving!

First, Meyer Lemon. He died just before Thanksgiving. All his leaves fell off. I tried rinsing the roots (which looked pretty dead) in a really dilute bleach solution and replanting in a small pot of fresh seed/cutting starting mix, but it just didn't work. After another month, I got rid of the remains.

Dying tree just before Thanksgiving

All the leaves fell off within just a few days

My attempts to save the tree failed.

Next, Calamondin Orange. The first pictures were taken the same day as the lemon pictures. This tree is doing great. It had a few blossoms around Thanksgiving, and one turned into a tiny green fruit. That fruit shriveled up and fell off, though, because it was too dry. Some other buds did the same before even making flowers. Now that I've had some more blossoms, I'm being more careful with the humidity and haven't lost any more fruit so far.

Back in the summer when I was caring for this tree, I accidentally broke off a little branch. I tried rooting it, and after about two months, it finally grew roots! Now the root system is continuing to grow, and I might be able to convince myself I see evidence of new growth. Time will tell. That's the itty bitty tree in the purple pot.

Orange tree just before Thanksgiving

Flower buds just before Thanksgiving. These didn't bear any fruit because the air was too dry.

Orange tree today. It lives with rosemary (grown from a cutting),  some ginger (rooted from kitchen ginger), and the little orange tree (grown from a cutting) hanging on its pot. The spray bottle is to keep its leaves and buds moist enough.

First frost watch!

Our kitchen currently looks like a jungle, and all the remaining plants outside are snuggled against the house!

Lemon tree, lime tree, calamondin orange tree, dwarf pomegranate, spearmint, orange mint/chocolate mint, lemon balm, serrano pepper, oregano, parsley, small container of basil, ginger (new, from grocery store ginger), rosemary (from cutting earlier in the summer), and some petunias (from cuttings). All safe and sound inside the door.

Pineapple sage, cherry tomato/petunia/parsley/Thai basil, small container of Thai basil, orange mint/peppermint, cabbage, Better Boy tomato/petunia/Italian basil/snap peas are all snuggled up against the house. Since the pineapple sage and Thai basil are already flowering, I decided to leave them outside. Mint is a little hardier, so I didn't bring it all inside. Cabbage likes to be cold. The big tomato pots are just too big! Hopefully the basil and tomato survives!

Tonight's frost is only supposed to hit "areas that tend to frost before other neighboring areas," whatever that means. But later in the week, we're expecting a real frost. I think the citrus trees are in for good, but hopefully I can give everything else a few more weeks outside!

End of summer garden update

Despite attacks now by early blight (view here) and TWO types of caterpillars (hornworms and pinworms), my tomato plants still haven't kicked the bucket. The only thing that didn't make it from the beginning of summer was my rosemary plant (still have no clue what happened to it), and I've accumulated a handful of additional plants too. Here's what I have!

Dinner tonight! (Pesto - recipe here)

Italian Basil (after the pesto hair cut), some petunia cuttings on the side, and flowering Thai basil. I couldn't keep up with all the Thai basil, there's just sooooo much, so I decided to let the small pot flower. They're pretty, and I'll try to collect the seeds.

Cherry tomatoes and petunias (Thai basil in the back)

Saving baby orange tree

My little citrus trees had quite the journey while moving. They moved to my parents' house back in the end of March. Once it got warm enough, my mom moved them outside. The lemon tree grew a bunch of new leaves there. Then, after our wedding, my husband's parents took them to their house. Then they brought them here on July 3rd.

The little orange tree was in bad shape! The leaves were yellowing, and over the next few days they got way worse even though I repotted them immediately into some fresh citrus soil. Then, three of the 13 leaves fell off. I knew something was wrong.

Garden Update

It's been a while since I've given a garden update. Some things are doing great (basil, lemon, orange), and some things are struggling (lime, chili de arbol peppers, chives). Others are just so-so.

Garden update

It's been a while since I've done a garden update. My plants didn't handle the move too well (and the fact that my brother stacked the basil pot on top of the tomato pot to carry them didn't help much). Long story short: I have no tomatoes :( I moved my avocado tree outside right before I moved because it was doing very well, and I thought it could use the extra sun. Unfortunately, i got sunburned and died. I do have some plants, and they've been doing very well in the past two weeks because we've had a lot of sun. I miss my old porch, but I love this apartment, so I'll compromise.

My friend just gave me some seedlings to add to my garden (some more thai basil, some cilantro, another green onion, and a mystery plant that I have to ask her about). I also bought miniature lemon, lime, and orange trees through Amazon! I've had them in my Amazon shopping cart for about two years, and I finally bought them! They're so cute, and in about a year and a half, I should have some fruit! I planted some new avocado pits, too, so hopefully I'll get a new avocado tree.

Anyway, here's my garden at the moment!

Living room windowsill--my baby citrus trees!