A brilliant blue sky awaited this morning as I trundled out to view my seedlings. Despite a cold setback in December, things are coming along nicely at long last. A few successes and a few losses greeted the gardener. Situation – back to whatever passes for normal in South Florida.
Meet my only surviving rooted cutting of Mystic Blue Salvia. I am very proud and happy to have one more. I started with two plants, one passed on last year and the other has been flowering nearly non-stop since March 2021. I took six cuttings and only one took. I would love to know why?
I moved the Zinnia seedlings to a bigger pot to allow them to grow cut flowers. During all the jostling around plants with the freeze all the tags were lost, so I have to wait for the flowers to see what colors are left. About half of the Zinnias succumbed to the cold, dying at the base of the stem.
All the Dwarf “Sunspot” Sunflower seedlings made it through the cold. I covered them with a pillow case for two days. I am not sure what the other seedlings are though I am suspecting weeds.
This is a new variety of big red bell pepper, I have a couple of plants that are doing well. Last year I had heirloom South American peppers, designed for the heat. They were a bit weird, so this year I am trying the classic bell pepper. Hopefully, getting enough water on them.
Tomatoes, finally back in the garden. These are all cherry tomatoes. Lost Marbles, Sweet 100 and Yellow Pear, I think. Started from seed about a month ago. I have downsized to six plants this year. Last year I had nine and was overrun with tomatoes for a long time. The containers are all grow bags, reused from last year. The bamboo sticks are squirrel abatement. I have an idiot neighbor who feeds the squirrels peanuts – this gives them a maniacal urge to dig up any nearby container with nice soil and plants. This guy is obviously not a gardener and set to poison the universe in the name of lawn. Sigh.
The massive (bahahaha) culinary Ginger harvest. I watered this plant all summer and got two roots. The cost of the water probably exceeded the value of the Ginger at the supermarket. Unless these are phenomenally delicious, I won’t bother again.
That is my Six update. To see more SOS posts from the world over visit Jim at http://www.gardenruminations.co.uk.
The Shrub Queen 
I take it your idiot neighbour doesn’t read your blog; more’s the pity perhaps. I am relieved of the temptation to try growing culinary ginger, if it didn’t work for you it certainly won’t for me.
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My neighbors garden aesthetic is petrol station. I would be shocked if he even contemplated the word garden. Glad to relieve your ginger temptation, mine is gone as well.
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You got some plants to grow. I think we need to grow vegetables for the love of it, as I’m not sure how often you come out ahead. I grow gingers for flowers and they seem to come back after freezes.
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I think you are right. Though I love to eat them. I usually come out ahead on tomatoes if I grow cherries. Does the culinary ginger flower?
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I don’t grow the culinary, only flowering. Unbelievably, they are in the gumbo soil, seem to make it through freezes and reproduce on their own.
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Like me, the gingers like the gumbo! I take mine with okra. I had a culinary one outside in Atlanta for a few years – it gave its life for a Thanksgiving pie emergency.
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I have exactly the same result as you for ginger! It’s very juicy and strong tasting though, but it isn’t very profitable. You are a month ahead for chilies and tomatoes…. Florida of course !
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Hmm, my neighbor, who gave me the ginger gets buckets full!? I will try it. They are very pretty. Will you start seed for tomatoes in Feb?
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Yep! Chillies on their way already
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I know you are happy to start seed! Do you call all peppers chilies?
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For me peppers are soft and chilies hot. 2 varieties of the ones I sowed are chilies.
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Aha!
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Growing things is always a journey, and some are not that successful as with your ginger. Sad but true. Happy New Year.
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I did well with my ginger, I got 6 or 7 roots, I harvested half a few months ago and plant to harvest more now that we have eaten the first lot.
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Great! are the plants indoors?
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Yes.
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As with so many garden plants I’ve attempted, many I’ve concluded are best left to buy at the farmstand or store, like your ginger. At least you can say you tried it!
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I agree with you – ginger and salad greens from the farmers market!
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Oh my, that is not encouraging. I intend to also grow culinary ginger. I can not determine which of the many cultivars that are available online is ‘the’ real culinary ginger, so will just grow a bit from what is available from the supermarket.
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This doesn’t look like supermarket ginger, not sure what it is..it is possible the unusually dry summer did not agree with it.
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Did you purchase it as a specialized cultivar of a culinary ginger?
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No, my neighbor gave it to me – hers were incredibly prolific!
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Well done on the salvia cutting. Mine all died/didn’t root, so I will just have to put in an early order for some new ones. š Fun to see your seedlings – a nice reminder of what I will hopefully be looking at here in a few months. š
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I wish it had been a more successful attempt at Salvia, I like that one!
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