why is my life awesome?

[rm]

My life is AWESOME because bodlon sent me a letter written on the back of a found sign proclaiming "VELOCIRAPTOR ENTRY POINT" and enclosed with it alpine strawberry seeds.

I am very excited about the strawberry seeds, although considering that we're already having problems with the basil Patty bought (bigger pot? too much water? lack of sun? WHAT DOES IT NEED? -- the thyme and rosemary are doing okay though), they might be beyond our skill-set. But then I'm the lunatic that wants to grow tomatos. In the house.

Anyway. Letter. VELOCIRAPTOR ENTRY POINT. Also, little ducky stickers.

(Email soon, sir. I've been doing that working all night since Patty's away dumb shit thing again).

Comments

[kel-reiley.livejournal.com]

growing tomatoes in the house - totally works *nods* yep

[graene.livejournal.com]

I was recently told by my supplier of organic plants that if you put strawberries in hanging baskets and pinch off the daughter stems when they get long, you will get more strawberries. Basil might be lack of sun or just not enough heat, really doesn't like cold.

[fuyukodachi.livejournal.com]

take a picture of your basil, if you can. i, or the rest of your flist, will try to diagnose it.

[kill.livejournal.com]

Hah, I freaked out for a minute because there is a sign that says "VELOCIRAPTOR ENTRY POINT" on the Art building. I have no idea what it means. I thought it was yet another comment on how the art school is run by dinosaurs; we get them every quarter or so in manifestos taped to the walls like so many Martin Luther theses - about how the grading system stifles growth by fostering manufactured competition etc etc blah blah blah

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

Dude! Grown tomatoes from scratch indoors since before you were born. Totally doable. Science is on your side; what mortal foe can oppose you!

VELOCIRAPTOR ENTRY POINT

[stardragonca.livejournal.com]

We the Revolutionary Peoples Collective Committee demand photographic evidence of the non- epistletory portion of claimed missive at your earliest possible convenience!

[nekosensei.livejournal.com]

I think we have the opposite problem. I have no problems keeping basil alive. On the other hand, I keep killing off all my rosemary plants. :P

[mme-furiosa.livejournal.com]

Don't water basil until it begins to wilt a tiny bit. And make sure it gets lots and lots of sun. Pinching the top leaves is also good, as it will encourage it to get bushy and stout.

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

What Mmm.Furiosa said. It also prefers a slightly sandy soil for good drainage. Drainage is important. Basil hates wet feet.

You can do both tomatoes and strawberries inside. Tomatoes are similar to basil - lots of sun, let it dry out between waterings, and for both - be prepared to act like a bee to get them to fruit. Use a dry paintbrush to transfer pollen from plant to plant, flower to flower.

Good luck!

N.

[dragonlady7.livejournal.com]

http://www.seniorwomen.com/articles/articlesElginContainer.html

Linguist and science-fiction author Suzette Haden Elgin is, coincidentally, also an expert on growing stuff indoors, and continually grows lettuce, basil, cukes, and tomatoes indoors in her tiny, underground (no windows!) house.

I have failed miserably at starting strawberries from seed, in the past, but I know that part of what I did wrong was too cold a soil temperature, because i set up my lights in my basement, which is only 58 degrees. Strawberries like a bit of warmth.
Also, plastic wrap over the top of the container before seeds sprout, to prevent the soil ever drying out even for a moment, because that will make the seeds not sprout.

I grow my indoor herbs in relatively small pots that don't have room for much water, so they dry out basically daily. They start going a little pale, I water them. Now that I'm having to do this twice a day I think I'll divide and re-pot them...

Best of luck to you on growing things; it's an obsession of mine so I'm always a little glad whenever anyone else does it too. ;)

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

I'm pleased to say that (thus far) my office has still not been invaded by velociraptors. I remain vigilant however.

And man, I suddenly ALSO want to grow tomatoes inside. Crazy.

[aether-entropy.livejournal.com]

Going a little non plant related here but, isn't getting mail awesome? I have become a sucker for the postal mail lately, I signed up for places like sendsomething.net and am a member of the Letter Writers Alliance. Plus some of my internet friends like to write letters too which is a bonus.

Good luck with your green endeavors, I've never had much luck.

[dawn-guy.livejournal.com]

In general, more people kill plants by overwatering them than by neglect.

The house I put a down payment on with the money from my separation settlement with Phred had a small patch of alpine strawberries growing at the side. The fruit is tiny, less than the tip of my little finger, with easily as much flavour as one of those big-fleshed "normal" strawberries when they're in season locally, ridiculously superior to the styrofoam monsters that get trucked in from California out of seasion.

I didn't mulch the strawberry patch, though I probably should have, given the quality of the soil. One day my neighbour Susan was working in her yard while I worked in mine and it came out in our conversation that she and her Paul enjoyed taking their coffee in the morning and watching the neighbourhood sparrows take dirt baths in my strawberry patch. After that, how could I start mulching?