Planting for Beginners?

[Guest guest]

Hi Victoria:

 

Thanks for the great information on planting and splitting Aloe. I

did have an Aloe plant at one time and managed to murder the poor

thing. I am a little gun shy now because I want to learn to do

things the right way.

 

I've been going back through all the messages since the beginning.

I wanted to check with you and others more experienced though.

Where should I start relative to growing my own herbs and plants?

 

This is what I have to get started...

 

55 gallon aquarium

10 gallon tank

10 seedling trays

 

I have a greenhouse attached to the back of my house, but I've never

used it for that purpose because I don't know what I'm doing. So, I

have an area that can probably be utilized for larger items.

 

Would you recommend a beginning take a class and, if so, what kind?

Any books that are particularly helpful?

 

TIA

mjd

 

P.S. Thanks for having this group. Everyone was so nice and helpful

during my emergency. It meant a lot to me.

[Guest guest]

Hi I have had experience working in a commercial greenhouse and living in the

country growing my own food and medicinal plants.

I would recommend starting by taking a class from someone in your area about

medicinal plants that grow locally. These plants will be much easier for you

to grow. Then you can use any number of books to compare them to Chinese herbs

to see which are similar varieties and have similar growing conditions.

Also I would start by preparing a really good growing area for annuals and

perennials and buying plant starts from either local stores or through a mail

order herb source. It's hard to grow good starts if you haven't had experience

with lights and fertilizers. Also for fertilizers you can buy organic, dry,

time release fertilizers that you only have to apply once or twice during the

growing year. Before you start planting, dig them into the soil and water

well, then do your planting later.

Then next year when you have a great planting bed and you have more of an

ides what you are doing, you can start your own plants.

 

good luck

Shad Reinstein

[Guest guest]

shadjody wrote:

>I would recommend starting by taking a class from someone in your area about

>medicinal plants that grow locally. These plants will be much easier for you

>to grow. Then you can use any number of books to compare them to Chinese herbs

>to see which are similar varieties and have similar growing conditions.

 

Hi - Interesting thread. I grew up in Minnesota where my parents and I did a

LOT of gardening. I have just a patio in CT now on the North side of the

building, however we are moving to Flagstaff AZ this year.

 

That is HIGH DESERT which doesn't have a long growing season, is sandy and

rather cold in the winter. It is just grass and Ponderosa Pines mostly there.

 

Any suggestions for a climate like that. Perhaps I'll have to drive down to

Phoenix to buy some imported Chinese herbs or get them on the internet.

 

Cheers, Cat

 

 

^. .^ ~

[Guest guest]

Hi

 

Thanks for the advice. That sounds wonderful. I printed it out to

put in my gardening notebook. I will call the community college

tomorrow to see what they offer.

 

Last year I bought some of those seed starter kits and tried to grow

peppers. I think I did something wrong because they are not doing

anything. My father used the same starters and his are ready for

replanting. He can make rocks grow though.

 

I am so excited about this! I have an Herb Guide too. I'm going to

do this!

 

Thank you!

mjd

[Guest guest]

> That is HIGH DESERT which doesn't have a long growing season, is

sandy and rather cold in the winter. It is just grass and Ponderosa

Pines mostly there.

 

When we were living in SE AZ (which is a lot drier than Flag), my

husband and I closed in our front porch with plexiglas and a storm

door. We were able to grow quite a few things in that area.

 

Even though Flag gets very cold (much colder than SE AZ and a much

shorter growing season), it does get a lot of sunshine. BTW, a solar

porch also helps decrease your heating bills.

 

There also are window greenhouses that one can buy or build.

 

I've also seen an in-ground greenhouse in SE AZ. And a house built

around a greenhouse area on 3 sides.

[Guest guest]

victoria_dragon wrote:

>When we were living in SE AZ (which is a lot drier than Flag), my

>husband and I closed in our front porch with plexiglas and a storm

>door. We were able to grow quite a few things in that area.

 

I nveer thought of a green house, what a GREAT idea. THANKS !

 

>Even though Flag gets very cold (much colder than SE AZ and a much

>shorter growing season), it does get a lot of sunshine.

 

That is one of the reasons we are moving there !!! SUN

 

>BTW, a solar

>porch also helps decrease your heating bills.

 

Another great idea !! We can get windmill and a wood burning stove (not much

wood, tho) and tell the utilities companies to take a hike l;-)

 

>There also are window greenhouses that one can buy or build.

 

I like surrounding the house with them.

 

>I've also seen an in-ground greenhouse in SE AZ. And a house built

>around a greenhouse area on 3 sides.

 

Excellent - THANKS!

Cheers, Cat

 

 

^. .^ ~

[Guest guest]

> >I've also seen an in-ground greenhouse in SE AZ. And a house

built

> >around a greenhouse area on 3 sides.

 

I want to post some more on that house surrounding the greenhouse on

3 sides like a U. It really was extraordinary.

 

A hallway in the house ran around the 3 sides that enclosed the

greenhouse. Every few feet there was a large picture window in the

hallway so one could look out on the greenhouse garden. The

greenhouse area was paved with stones and had planting areas built

out of stones as well as fountains built out of stone. I first saw

the inside of the house in January. Outside, everything was barren

and chilly, but there was lushness in that greenhouse garden. I kept

expecting to hear a tropical bird.(grin) Because low humidity is a

problem in the desert even in greenhouses in warmer weather, there

was a large evaporative cooler in the fourth wall. Evaporative

coolers (aka swamp coolers) cool by adding humidity to the air. In

the desert, it's not just a matter of irrigating plants but providing

enough humidity in the air for them. Because of this, some plants

will never grow well outside no matter how often you irrigate them or

how much you improve the soil. The air is too dry.

 

You may want to Google for Horizon Herbs. I don't know if they are

still in business or not, but they offer a number of seeds and/or

cuttings for Chinese as well as Western herbs. I've never ordered

from them, but some people I know have and recommends them. There

probably are other sources of Chinese herb seed, roots, and cuttings

though this is the only one I know of at present.

 

I'm not familiar with the geography of China, but herbs that do well

in regions of China similar to Flagstaff may do well outside in

Flagstaff (if there are no import restrictions). High altitude (7,000

feet above sea level), dry, coolish even in summer.

 

BTW, some herbs will only grow at high altitudes. One of these is

osha which is particularly useful for Fire in the Lungs (pneumonia

maong other things). Osha is native to the SW US. It smells sort of

like celery. The TCM herbalist I saw in SE AZ used SW US herbs as

well as TCM herbs. I believe twice a year he went wildcrafting

(gathering herbs in the wild), and part of this was going high into

the mountains to gather osha. It only grows above 7000 ft.

 

One thing he said which stood out for me was that me wanted American

sources of Chinese herbs in case the day came in which he longer

could get herbs from China.

 

Victoria

[Guest guest]

It's spring here in the good old south and time for planting I pray for all

of the plant murderes,self included, to have fewer fatalities and major

successses this season.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Chinese Traditional Medicine , topshelf@a... wrote:

> Well good kuck I can get the to grow sometimes but they all die

off eventually,I keep trying though. I find tha things you don't

have to tend to work best look for perennials:)

 

 

Hi,

 

Thanks. I used to say that it should be illegal for me to touch

plants I killed so many, even the " low maintenance " ones. I am

learning slowly, but surely. Cross your fingers for me please!

Good luck with yours too.

 

Take care,

mjd

[Guest guest]

victoria_dragon wrote:

>I want to post some more on that house surrounding the greenhouse on

>3 sides like a U. It really was extraordinary.

 

That sounds like heaven . . . awesome !

 

>You may want to Google for Horizon Herbs.

 

http://www.horizonherbs.com/

 

>I don't know if they are

>still in business or not, but they offer a number of seeds and/or

>cuttings for Chinese as well as Western herbs. I've never ordered

>from them, but some people I know have and recommends them. There

>probably are other sources of Chinese herb seed, roots, and cuttings

>though this is the only one I know of at present.

>

>I'm not familiar with the geography of China, but herbs that do well

>in regions of China similar to Flagstaff may do well outside in

>Flagstaff (if there are no import restrictions). High altitude (7,000

>feet above sea level), dry, coolish even in summer.

 

That is an excellent idea . . . thanks - no wonder I liked Flagstaff

so much.

 

>BTW, some herbs will only grow at high altitudes. One of these is

>osha which is particularly useful for Fire in the Lungs (pneumonia

>maong other things). Osha is native to the SW US. It smells sort of

>like celery. The TCM herbalist I saw in SE AZ used SW US herbs as

>well as TCM herbs. I believe twice a year he went wildcrafting

>(gathering herbs in the wild), and part of this was going high into

>the mountains to gather osha. It only grows above 7000 ft.

 

That is sooooo interesting ! Thank you !!

 

>One thing he said which stood out for me was that me wanted American

>sources of Chinese herbs in case the day came in which he longer

>could get herbs from China.

 

SMART !

 

Thanks - Cat

 

 

^. .^ ~