Houseplants

I have three houseplants on the table in front of the breakfast area window - complete with a grow light to support their growth through the winter.

My experimental plant is ginger. A root that I had purchased to add to stir fries sprouted - and I cut off the two areas that sprouted and put the pieces in soil. They have done very well. The original sprouts now are stems and leaves...and there are additional sprouts at the base.

The aloe that had gotten way to large is survived by some smaller versions of itself as my second houseplant. How long will it be before these small ones graduate to the parent’s pot?

So far the sweet potato vines that I rooted in water and then planted in soil are not doing well at all. It is very frustrating. My goal had been to have three pots of the vines so that I could harvest the occasional leave to add to winter salads. Right now they are acting like they preferred to stay in water rather than grow in soil.

Still these few plants are my brace against the coming drabness outdoors. Right now there is still a lot of leaf color but it won’t be long before the color variety in the outdoor scene will be dominated by browns and piney greens….until it snows and we’ll enjoy the clean white for a few days.

Aloe Harvest

I made the decision in September to not bring the big pot of aloe back indoors for the winter. It overwhelmed the breakfast area last year. By mid-October when we started having some cooler days, I dug up two small plants that had come up from the roots of the parent and moved them to smaller pots that would easily fit on the plant table in front of a sunny window this winter.

I also harvested some of the larger plant. Instead of doing a lot of work peeling the pieces - I cut them in small wedges to expose the gooey pulp and piled them into ice trays to be frozen. Now the aloe cubes are popped out of the trays and stored in the freezer in a gallon Ziploc bag. My plan is to thaw a cube frequently to pamper skin and hair all winter long.

The Deck Garden - September 2014

I walked around the deck before beginning the harvesting. There are signs of fall. Some of the leaves are not quite so green. Both the sweet potato and carrots have some yellow leaves are parts of leaves. The sweet potato has done very well in the trough container; the soil is heaving and the sides are bulging….a sign that the part of the plant under the soil is as robust as the vines above. There is a pepper that came up from immature compost in the trough too!

The tomatoes are leaning on garden ornaments and stakes. Pretty soon - the weather will get too cool and I’ll pick them all to (hopefully ripen inside). The carrots and beans will come in too. I am re-potting one of the small aloes to bring inside. The big one will be sacrificed since I don’t have enough indoor space to dedicate to it.

I’ve enjoyed the deck garden this summer. Green has been the dominate color although the zinnias, marigolds and morning glories offered some variety. It surprised me how much textures and shapes caught my attention even from the kitchen window. I am already planning the new things I’ll try next summer!