By Janet Sellers
February indoor gardening
Our coldest month is typically February here, but we still can start up some of our gardening and nature plans now. It is a perfect time to plan the spring garden. Planning is key to success. With a plan at hand, taking action is simple and offers an organized method to work from, even if we change our plans.
It is deceptively simple. Starting with soil and seeds, a quick and simple indoor starter plan can include a daily calendar for soil checks and watering reminders. Making a mini-greenhouse from a plastic salad greens container or milk jugs is as easy as container washing, rinsing, filling with soil and seeds, and covering. The key seems to be a bit of air flow and even moisture. This year I am going to try the layers of pinecones, soil, seed, and water sprinkling.
My mini-greens salad containers with indirect light will stand in for a real greenhouse. I have a lot of saved seeds, so I’ll choose veggie or flower seeds. Deer- and pest-resistant plants that protect the garden include marigolds, mint, and “stinky” plants like lavender, iris, purple sage and salvias. Alas, the iris, lilies, daffodils, and most bulb flowering plants are toxic to pets and I avoid them. My garden is full of purple sage, asters, and wildflowers.
Potted indoor plants
I love to have pet-safe flowering indoor no-soil plants like cymbidium orchids around the house. Indoor plants with soil can be tricky with root issues and can get root rot or mold quickly. That’s likely a drainage problem, overwatering, or mold. It’s best to make oxygen available by aerating the soil and finger-checking the soil top and mid-section often. The cure is in the soil and microbe health, not fertilizer or adding water. Moisture balance is key for microbial health.
Indoor potted plant health
Smell the soil—it should smell pleasant. Any unpleasant smell indicates bad soil and that means soil replacement: Remove the plant with soil from the pot; check soil. If the soil smells bad or the root is balled up in the pot, shake off the soil onto paper (and toss in the garden), rinse the roots, and repot with new potting soil. I put pinecones at the bottom of the pot, add soil part way, place the plant, then fill up with moist potting soil and water immediately, letting it all drain well.
Janet Sellers is an avid lazy gardener, letting Mother Nature lead the way for indoor and outdoor gardening and landscaping. We’d love to know your spring garden tips; sent them to JanetSellers@ocn.me.
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