I'm a plant killer...

[ziggystardust]

I admit it. I kill them, all of them. I don't know how or why but I do.

I would really really like to have a small garden though. Herbs, veggies, etc. Is there any 'starter' one that you would recommend? Any tips? I'm in an apartment but have a small patio with some sunlight throughout the day. ANY advice is welcomed!

Thanks!!

 

[irishsharon]

I would love some help too, I want to grow tomatoes and basil.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Include me, I would like strawberries and tomato's and some herbs.

 

[JandJ]

I feel your pain. I've killed every plant I've ever had. You're not supposed to be able to kill Lucky Bamboo. I have killed two of them.

DH is a pretty good gardener, though, and we're hoping to start an herb garden this year. Specifically I want cilantro, basil, thyme. Have to figure out where to put it. We had a full garden in our backyard a few years ago - tomatoes, cilantro, basil, carrots, beets, collard greens, snap peas - but we have too many stray cats in our area and let's just say you don't want to eat anything that stray cats have "been" in

 

[Jaya]

I have a black thumb.

I've been known to kill off artificial plants. Really. I bought a preserved fern once and it shriveled up by the end of the first month.

Plants die of sheer angst in the back of my truck on the way home from the nursery. I can hear them screaming. It's very unnerving.

 

[kymom99]

I have a black thumb.

I've been known to kill off artificial plants. Really. I bought a preserved fern once and it shriveled up by the end of the first month.

Plants die of sheer angst in the back of my truck on the way home from the nursery. I can hear them screaming. It's very unnerving.

This is hilarious!

My husband is a good gardener. He learned a lot from my dad and the rest he learned from google. We managed to can tons of pickles, green beans, salsa, and pasta sauce last year

 

[mum of two pirates]

So glad I'm not the only one, we used to say my kids are lucky to have made it. lol IKEA has a cool wall hanging that you buy like smaller buckets or squares for and they attach to it and then you grow whatever in. It was pretty nifty looking. If I thought I could have made stuff grow I would have ordered it. I grew about ten tomato plants last year and cucumbers. This year I bought 6 whiskey 1/2 barrels to put my tomato's in so they could be on my patio to give it some color. I want to grow peas up the fence also.

 

[mum of two pirates]

was to buy a 10 foot rain gutter for $8, I cut the end pieces outta wood and one for the middle. The plastic pieces in the store where way to much. You attach the end pieces with two screws one in each side. you leave one end up about a 1/4 in and then attach wire around the rain gutter to hang it up so one end is a bit lower then the other. (we used the wire to control what end was lower) Anyway we hung it on the chain link fence and grew strawberries in it. if you googled or pintrest rain gutter garden you will see lots. It worked great. Were going to do a bunch more this year. You have to water them a lot because there's not much dirt. If they are getting to dry or stayi9ng to moist just adjust the end piece where the water flows out. If you put it on your patio you can put a different plant under it to catch the water coming out, or you can tilt one rain gutter left then the one under it right that way what runs outta one goes into the other one. Its pretty cool, people grow all kinds of herbs in them. or get the round metal buckets from the dollar store and put them in a hanging long planter on your railing.

 

[Nancy F]

My Mom once killed a plastic plant. She put it on the radiator and it melted.
Nancy

 

[Jaya]

I killed an artificial Christmas tree by putting it in a Florida attic. Got it down, decorated it and BAM! the branches started breaking off. By Christmas Day, it looked like a Charley Brown Christmas tree wired together with fishing line. I learned the hard way.....don't put anything in your attic that you ever want to see in the same form again.

 

[stasijane]

I cant even grow grass. Seriously.

 

[usd2bmd]

My problem isn't with vegetables and outside plants. It is always houseplants. They do fine until I have to transplant them to bigger pots. They always die.

I have a bamboo at work right now that was given to me when my mother passed away 2 1/2 years ago. It is huge and really needs to be transplanted but I am terrified that I'll kill it.

 

[Sandy61]

I am a reformed plant killer here to say you can have plants that thrive. My sister is a Master Gardener and has helped me along the way. She used to give me plants and say "You can't kill this" and of course I did.

Indoor plants don't like to be repotted so choose a container just a little bit bigger than the one it was in. Stick your finger in the dirt, it should be dry to first knuckle (1 inch?) before you water again. Fertilize once a month or so. Watch to see if yellow leaves at bottom = too much water. Dead leaves on top = too little water. Gently spread out the roots, press the plant down slightly, put dirt around plant to the same depth as before, and make sure you don't have air pockets around the roots. Put dirt in a little at a time. Use good quality potting soil.

Outdoor veggies that are easy...tomatoes, chives, lettuce, spinach, green beans, strawberries, herbs. Everything but green beans can be planted in pots or buckets also.

I have already planted onions, carrots, lettuce, spinach in Iowa. I will plant green beans and tomatoes in May. Google when to plant in your area or call your extension office.

Strawberries just do their own thing so I don't have to do anything to them. They also spread like crazy, so plan on ripping the runners out if they go where you don't want them. I even canned strawberries for the first time last year. When I opened the jar it smelled like heaven.

 

[North of Mouse]

I 'love' all these replies!

I was brought up on a strawberry farm and enjoy growing both veggies and flowers. Basically all you need is good soil, sun, and water to grow things.

Hubby does 'not' have a green thumb and often laughs at me for talking to some of my plants. I even apologize to them if I bump into them LOL.

But really, my biggest challenge where we live are deer!! I've completely stopped being in love with 'Bambi'. I have to spray some nasty solutions on my flowers and around my veggies to keep them away.

Growing most things just comes with experience - anyone can get the hang of it eventually. Just don't give up!!

 

[hlg22]

I admit it. I kill them, all of them. I don't know how or why but I do.

I would really really like to have a small garden though. Herbs, veggies, etc. Is there any 'starter' one that you would recommend? Any tips? I'm in an apartment but have a small patio with some sunlight throughout the day. ANY advice is welcomed!

Thanks!!

I would highly, highly, highly recommend the book McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container. At my old townhouse I had a small deck over the driveway. I decided I wanted to try and get some plants out there. I started out with zero gardening experience - I had no houseplants, and the first plant I got for out on the deck, I actually had the nursery plant a dracaena spike surrounded by a few petunia and lobelia plants in a pot for me, and then dragged the planted pot home and upstairs to put it out on the deck because I didn't think I could successfully manage to dump potting mix into a pot and stick transplants in it all by myself. That's how clueless I was. But after I managed to keep that alive for a summer, I decided I wanted to try edibles. I bought the McGee and Stuckey book and with its help was able to plant and grow tomatoes, peppers, herbs, blueberries, beans, a type of passionfruit (maypop), lavender, Meyer lemons, and figs. And lots of pots of flowers, all in a space that was maybe about 10'x7'. There was some trial and error, but the book was extremely helpful for the fruits and veggies. Self-watering containers helped too in making sure the pots didn't dry out too quickly, and a benefit to gardening on a deck in containers is that you don't get nearly as many pests. Now at my new house, I have 4 raised beds and other perennial herbs, vegetables and fruits interplanted throughout the yard. It is a lot of work but really addicting once you start learning!

 

[holycow]

Me too! You aren't alone!