Is it an ornamental cabbage? They look nice in a container planting. You could keep it on a sunny porch. Here's directions (geared toward autumn, but probably applicable to spring too).

Oh, and I have packets of bluebonnet seeds that are free to a good home... a friend sent them to me a couple of years ago and I would think they're still good.

Last thing... one of my friends told me you can't grow plants from seeds of supermarket vegetables because they won't grow, that you have to buy seed. (I had bought a butternut squash that was full of lovely seeds.) Any opinions or learned wisdom on that?

I've done it. You won't have as good of luck as bought seeds, but you can luck out. I grew tomatoes that way once, just to see if I could.

It's hit and miss. Some varieties are sterile and others aren't.

But if it germinates then there will be nothing wrong with it.

One little tip I do know is that if you want to grow peanuts then buy crop ones rather than seeds - way cheaper.

Of course, I don't mean dry roasted there - shell on, uncooked...

Same with potatoes. There are seed potatoes too. I don't think you can grow them from the ones in the store.

I've covered my love for the Moonflower, it's definitely my favorite flower I've grown. It blooms huge at night, some blooms up to eight inches wide or so, and you can smell them from five feet away. I've got enough seeds this year where I should be able to have a few blooming every night. They take a few days to bloom, and once they do, it falls off in the morning.

What I'm looking for is some recommendations. I'd like to grow some more somewhat exotic stuff, nothing too crazy, just some stuff you don't see everywhere else you go. I've got a pretty good size backyard that I've slowly been trying to turn into something nice. It's coming along but I need some ideas. What are your favorite flowers?

Googling around and checking out some nursery sites, I think so far I've come across two I might be getting this year.

The Kopper King Hibiscus:


and the Egret Flower

Most of the potatoes I've ended up growing have been store bought ones that started getting too soft and growing eyes.

I've never had luck that way. I do know you can buy seed potatoes though.

Thanks

I managed to grow a whole bunch of fruit flies like that once.

I'm going to have to start my own spring gardening thread, no food allowed.

I should point out that I never intentionally grew the store bought potatoes - generally I've dumped them in an area on the edge of my garden and don't even bury them, figuring they would either grow on their own, or they decompose and eventually be of some use to the soil.

We call those Morning Glory here and we must pull them out as they are pernicious weed-like flowers that will swarm and overtake everything in the garden very quickly with their climbing, strangling vines.

Very pretty though. Always sorry to yank them.

Common misconception in photos I suppose, you would never mistake them for morning glories if you saw a real one. They're huge and they're not vines.

I am sending you some of Cannas. I think my parents only have the red ones. If you miracle grow them, they get TALL! Over 6 ft. They attract hummingbirds and are beautiful. If you live where you get frost, you must dig them up and replant them. You will always have more than what you started with, they multiply like crazy. This pic doesn't do the plant justice. They are full, tall and beautiful. Plant in May, water like crazy and dig up end of Oct. A little work, but worth it.

I have hibiscus. I need to find out how to get the seed from them and I will get you some. They are so beautiful and they have huge flowers that bloom in late summer.

This is what I have.

The cannas here on base bloom almost year round. There are some well over 6 feet, in a variety of color.

I really need to wander around and take pictures of the various plants on base. The agave are awesome to see bloom!

I planted this dish garden today and filled in the window boxes and a couple of other containers.




Also installed No-tie Tomato spirals for the first time. Tomato plants may be too big now, though, to be completely tie-free.

Heh, I planted the garden - peas, carrots, beans and lettuce - yesterday because I think the risk of at least snow is gone. My neighbours were all doing the same. I'm hoping the nights of rushing all the potted plants inside are done until August or September!

Intriguing - Can you keep me updated. All mine get tied to canes, but these look like fun.

I usually wind up rigging up all kinds of things to tie the tomatoes to, including netting attached to the balcony railing. I'm hoping that this works.

Both plants are already growing so I may have the best luck next year with the wee ones.

I have to try to keep the branches inside the cage so that they start following the spiral.

Suebe, may I say you have lovely plants, and a gorgeous view from your balcony!

Even though spring has gone and now summer well under way I think this thread is still relevant as now I'm reaping the rewards of what I did in spring.

I contemplated putting this in the smile thread because it really did make my mouth turn up at the corners.

"What did?" I hear you cry*.

The site of potatoes rising up through the ground as I pushed my fork through the soil beneath them.



Those potatoes first saw the light of day in the hour or so before the picture was taken.

And to give you an idea how many, have a look at this:



Quite literally a barrow load of potatoes there.

And in other parts of the allotment, this is how the chilli plants are looking:




*Humour me.