Being in the dead of winter, despite the occasional and unusual warm days (we all know the reason, thanks climate change), plant management has been dreadfully dull. I have no updates for this week. So I thought I’d dive into the ‘archives,’ pull some unused photos, and review a few endeavors from last year.

Store-Bought Re-Planting

With great nostalgia, I recall my attempts to grow pepper plants and garlic from store bought vegetables. I was so proud of my trick to grow the pepper seeds in clear egg cartons. Both sets started out fine, but ultimately did not grow to maturity.

I very recently found out that many foods, especially those imported into the USA, undergo irradiation to make the produce safe for eating (same as the goal of pasteurization for milk). This process tampers with the seeds and inhibits germination. The FDA website actually specifies that one of irradiation’s benefits is “to inhibit sprouting (e.g., potatoes) and delay ripening of fruit to increase longevity.” So anyone who has heard that growing avocados from pits is easy, yet failed to get the pits to sprout (me, I was one of these humans): know that it may not have been your gardening skills. To know if the snack you pick has been treated, the FDA website says to “look for the Radura symbol along with the statement “Treated with radiation” or “Treated by irradiation” on the food label. Bulk foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are required to be individually labeled or to have a label next to the sale container. The FDA does not require that individual ingredients in multi-ingredient foods (e.g., spices) be labeled.” Irradiation does not meet the USDA’s definition of ‘organic,’ and so this category of foods should not have undergone irradiation treatment (with the permitted exception of random seeds radiated for the purpose of diversifying cultivation).

Lesson learned: Buy non-radiated or organic for planting purposes. And try different watering schedules, since that almost definitely needed adjustment.

Box Store Babies

Last year also saw my first rearing of herbs, which I obtained as young-but-established plants from a large box store. The spearmint and basil plants constantly grew flowers, altering the flavor of the leaves. Even though they were outside (but perhaps because they were housed under a porch roof), they were not getting enough water to counterbalance the heat. The high heat and insufficient water would have stressed the plants and driven them to try ‘sowing their wild oats’ before death came to end their legacy. My infrequent pruning definitely allowed this trend to get out of hand.

And then the rosemary plant also turned brown and died, supposedly because of too much moisture, so really, there is no winning. But also, the soil plug. Most likely the main culprit behind the rosemary’s death. Dastardly devil.

Lesson learned: Buy from a nursery instead of a box store. Prune more often. And try different watering schedules (surprise surprise).

So. Many. Tradescantia Zebrina Cuttings.

These plants have proven to be highly self-promoting, but also harder than expected to manage. While I would prefer a thick, bushy plant, this species grew long, fast, and thin in my house, which although appearing sickly, provided multiple opportunities to propagate. Turns out the cut techniques for pruning and propagation are slightly but significantly different and I had only been using the latter method.

Lesson learned: Pruning cuts right above nodes, propagation cuts right below nodes.

The tradescantia was also on the front line of my fight against powdery mildew, in which we won the battle, but lost the war. I think advanced gardeners may do alright with solid-bottom mugs for pots, but we novices would fare better with drainage holes to help regulate soil moisture.

Lesson learned: Invest in containers with drainage. And avoid ‘moisture control’ soil.

One over-moist pot became victim to fungus gnats. After moving that dead-looking plant outside to ‘handle later,’ the zombie tradescantia zebrina bounced back and utterly flourished.

Lesson learned: Nature is a better gardener than I. Which comes as no surprise, actually.

A Loveable Nemesis

I am resigned to the ongoing war with squirrels, who chew on leaves and dig up bulbs and plant their own stashes. As I build more raised garden beds, I expect I’ll encounter this wily and numerous adversary aplenty.

Lesson learned: I must be constantly vigilant, clever, and ready to compromise, because this war has no end. The enemy persists, but so do I.