Greenhouse for Winter



I always wanted a greenhouse.  In Arlington we never got around to having a nice greenhouse.  It was instead a covered enclosed patio that was crumbling and the roof had a hole in it where rain would come through. This one is still missing a window but I have the manufacturer informed and expect they will send us the piece soon and I can just pop it in.

As you can see there are already plants in it and I expect to put in shelves real soon to add even more plant storage and humidity.  The key to a good greenhouse is humidity.  This guy seals up really well and I expect to have it going in full swing in no time.

So far I have about a dozen pots in there although half of them have no plants to speak of.  The one seen in the picture though has green onion, turmeric, pineapple, and the remains of a tomato plant.  I don't expect the tomato plant to bounce back though.  It got in too late after the last freeze to help. I also have an aloe in the back (lots of moisture in there and twice the size as when I bought it). In the middle left another turmeric and day lily pot.  One of such is still up at the front of the house and a good enough size pot that I expect it should be fine.  Winter isn't usually harsh enough to kill, just enough to kill back.

I'm hoping to get some more interesting plants growing in there as well since humidity is one thing I never really got previously so this should be interesting.

Turmeric Plant Out Back

I really love the way turmeric plants come up.  The straight tall shoots unfurling and spreading out.  They have a nice thickness to them that I appreciate.  They form much the same way elephant ears and ginger do. Not sure if they're in the same family or anything but they grow similarly.

So far it seems that turmeric likes rich loose soils that drain well.  They don't mind a pot.  Currently this one is right in among day lilies and some other plants but it'll probably have to be moved to keep growing and spreading well.

As mentioned before I've heard it can go well wrapped around fish or other meats.  I wonder if they can be used like banana leaves...  We like to get tamales from Glorias that are wrapped in banana leaves and they are awesome!

Sunflowers

This sunflower has gotten pretty heavy.  I hope this means that the seeds are developing well.  I've kept it watered so this should be the case but won't know until I try harvesting.

The head is getting yellow but I want a little more darkening before I cut it off.  Once he's gone the pot will have that much more room for the other plants.  Will need to spread them out soon.

In this pot I have several things.  Among them are tomato plants, turmeric, day lilies, green onion, and some kind of fruit tree (apple I think? really not sure.)

Up front there are of course more things growing but this was out back by the bird feeder where the seeds for the sunflower came from originally.  So much going on at one time right now though.

Day Lilly After Rain

By now if you can't tell that I really like my day lilies then you haven't been paying any attention.  These flowers are short lived but have a lot of color.  One of the benefits is that, as long as the conditions are favorable for it, they will keep putt on flowers.

This year the temperatures have been significantly lower than average and thus the blooming time has extended all month.  Of course if you keep them watered well they can go even longer.

I should be able to cross them soon when I get more blooms at a time.  The plants make pods with round black seeds, a dozen or more at a time.  I crossed the lily I use for my avatar myself.  Unfortunately I planted it on the north side of the house and it got very little sun.  It died back and didn't return.

I now have 4 places I'm growing lilies and keeping a good eye on them.  I don't plan to have that happen again.  They also like being dug up and replanted.  The one on the front right of the house in the front planter was not really dug and divided like the rest of them have been and it shows.  It's put on some flowers but not like the rest.  Come fall I'll dig him up, divide, and replant more spaced out, probably 4-5 dimes the space.   Thinking doing the same around the tree and putting lilies there too.  I should have more than enough by then.

Planning on getting a greenhouse soon too.  Not sure how soon, maybe next year even, but sooner than I thought.  I was looking at 6-7 years out.  Rushing a plan is never a good idea.  See how things are working and plan accordingly.  You can always revise a plan whereas revising a yard is a lot more difficult.

Sunflower Bust / Turmeric Boon

The sunflower produces only one seed.  We replanted it in hopes of a better plant next time but I really don't know.  There are many reasons this can happen.  Looking at the flower head though, I think the culprit is poor pollination.   I only ever saw one bee hovering around and that likely is the only seed that got a good dusting.  There are bees around of course but we are a bit away from their usual grounds.  We have farms near us so they may have bee hives.  There are also woods around the lake we are next to so there could be wild hives as well.  I think the more flowers people plant the better the chance we will get some good harvests.  I know we have neighbors planting gardens, at least little ones.

I don't think the HOA wants bee hives in the neighborhood so the best bet is to plant some bee friendly plants near the woods in hopes of attracting a hive over there close by.

On a better note, we planted some turmeric in various pots.  I know at least one of them started rooting but I can't remember which one I found that way.  One of them, and of course I can see this one easily, has sprouted leaves.  This is the first time I've actually gotten turmeric to grow.  Usually it either dries out and composts or gets too soft, rots, and then composts.  Either way it ends up being other plant food.  Anyway I have high hopes of some day harvesting my own turmeric plants.  That would be awesome!

I see the entire plant is edible so I'm now looking forward to using it to cook either pork or fish.  Both would be good.  The taste is said to be gingery, makes sense because it's related to the ginger plant, and somewhat floral.

What would you use turmeric leaves for?

Turmeric

I have recently gotten a new favorite indoor plant, tumeric. If you know what it is you probably wonder why it's so good and where you can get it.
It's a great indoor plant because it's not eaten by my cats. Ok, so they nibbled on it at first but they really don't like the taste. It sits on the window sill easily within reach and where they know plants like to grow. Other plants they have eaten there include, ivy, ginger, mint, beets, basil, and who knows what I've forgotten.
You can get it at any ethnic store such as an asian market or Fiesta. Just look in the fresh produce section and look for fresh root.

Thanks to Gururaj for pointing out the correct spelling. I'm southernized and so I don't always spell things the way they should be. Everyone down here says "tumeric" instead of "turmeric".

Also here's a pic. The turmeric is the big one and the ginger is the one the cats devour.