Experiments
Rosemary
Last year I stuck a sprig of rosemary into water. I waited until the roots sprung out, planted it, watered it and now I have a lovely plant and I am creating new plants as a result.
My success triggered my adventurous nature so I have decided to also propagate thyme.
Propagation
to produce (plants) by layering, grafting, cuttings, etc. The Free Dictionary.com
One needs a good dose of patience as thyme roots only start to be well established 3-4 weeks later. I will plant them very soon in potting soil.
Garlic
At the end of autumn, I place 9 cloves of garlic in my table garden. Initially, I watered them until shoots popped up. Then I left them to hibernate for the winter. As a result, they were the only plant in my garden at the start of spring.
They did not look so great- with straggly yellow leaves. However, my trusty garden app assured me that it was quite normal and that it was all about the bulbs underground.
I transplanted the garlic shoots in March; then I decided that 9 plants were not enough. I did some research on Youtube and learnt that I could place cloves in the refrigerator for 4-6 weeks to mimic the winter planting.
The process is called vernalization.
The induction of flowering by prolonged exposure to low temperatures, as during the winter in a temperate climate. The Free Dictionary.com
They seem to be coming along nicely.
Cabbage
I planted cabbage from store bought seedlings which are growing well.
However, from YouTubers I learnt that cabbage can grow from scraps - so I placed the hard center at the bottom of the cabbage in water and waited patiently for these green shoots to appear. Thereafter, I carefully carved them out and planted them.
Fingers crossed that these shoots will really become a whole cabbage plant.
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I will keep you informed on the progress of the propagated thyme, vernalized garlic and scrap grown cabbage experiments over time. 😀
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Crop cover
Today was cool and grey, so I kept the crop covers over the plants.
The germinated winter and snow peas are now seedlings and are gearing up to climb the trellis - so they stick above the cover.
These plants do well in colder weather but for the other plants, this horticultural fleece cover has been very handy.
It has been great for my plants:
- protecting them from the elements- cold days and frosty nights,
- blocking pests and curious peckish birds and
- accelerating the growth of the plants by creating up to 2 degrees warmer temperature.
It is good to ensure that a high quality porous fleece is used; one that will allow sunshine in on warmer days but will prevent overheating due to its porosity.
Here’s a sneak peak beneath the crop cover; the plants look quite healthy.
I hope you will journey with me as I learn, experiment, plant and harvest from my balcony/terrace garden.