Back in June I picked up some Nashturtium seeds with the idea of making a hanging basket . I had two kinds both from Burpee Seeds. One was a dwarf bush type supposed to produce assorted color flowers called Jewel mix. The other was a vining type supposed to grow 6 to 7 feet with cream color flowers called Milkmaid.The idea was to plant several of each type in the hanging basket. The dwarf one producing color in the top of the basket while the vining type would cascade down the sides.
After they all sprouted and seemed to be well this is the results now. It's not what I envisioned and I am beginning to get the idea that Nashturtiums might not like the hot, humid summer weather they were exposed to .
This was my first experience with the Nash's but I have plenty more seeds to restart the hanging basket. Any advice ?
And speaking of seed stuff here is the result of the Sunflowers that I planted at the start of summer to shade some Squash plants.
These Sunflowers are all Ferry-Morse seeds called Mammoth. They were planted at the same time directly in the ground. The big one is up over eight feet tall .
It has a huge seed head the size of a dinner plate.
This guy lives up to the Mammoth name and should provide lots of Sunflower seeds to be added to the bird feeder. I am not sure why some of the plants were so much smaller than this huge one in that they all came from the same seed pack. Oh well , just another South Florida Plant mystery.
And even more seed stuff. I ordered some Thai Red Papaya seeds to start in my new fenced garden bed. Along with the Papaya seeds ordered from Baker creek heirloom seed company they sent along a free pack of Watermelon seed as a gift.
I planted some of both at the same time about a month ago.
After returning yesterday from a two week out of town assignment here are the results I found from the seeds.
The Papaya seeds never sprouted. However the free Watermelon seeds are growing like wild. This large vine is two Watermelon plants.
The free Watermelon seeds are Black Diamond Yellow Belly Strain.
They have lots of flowers on them and when I was pulling the vines out of the fence found a baby melon starting.
So it would seem that the old adage is true, The best things in life are free!
As for the Nashturtiums and the Papaya plants it is back to the drawing board.
How are your Nashturtiums faring in the Florida summer heat?
---SANDDUNE---
I planted that jewel mix Nashturtiums too, and it did not do well either in my yard. It never flowered, and the leaves were scorching to brown. I just pulled them off last week. I have a little more seeds left, not sure if I should try one more time for fall season, and maybe put it into a partial shade area this time?
ReplyDeleteWe should have the exact same weather.
Sanddune,
ReplyDeleteI have only ever been able to grow nasturtiums here in the winter, which is right now. Even so we have been having such a hot winter that they are struggling. I would try them again when your weather starts to cool down and they will be very happy. I grew those mammoth sunflowers one year too - they tend to always face the sun, so mine were swivelling around every day from side to side. I love free plants!
I think the nasturtiums are a cool weather flower. I've never had any luck growing them but my elderly neighbor used to have them growing abundantly. Your idea with the hanging pot would be worth trying again in cooler weather. Sounds lovely. Free watermelon is a good thing! Hope those papayas surprise you and sprout soon.
ReplyDeleteI don't know anything about nasturtiums but I do know that it's simply not container/pot weather. It's just too hot for containers right now, in my opinion. The only things I can seem to grow in a hanging pot this time of year is a spider plant.
ReplyDeleteLove the sun flower and especially the watermelon! NICE!!!
Ami,
ReplyDeleteSorry about your Nash plants not doing well either but it is a clue that both your plants and mine both didn't like our summer weather. Mine were hanging in the partial shade to protect them from the full sun so that doesn't seem the problem. Plan to keep trying with more seed starts to see if I can get better results.
Africanaussie,
I suspected the heat was the issue but these were my first try with the Nash. The Sunflowers are great to plant during the hottest months when most other plants are on hold.I expect to get a lot of free birdfood from the seed heads soon.I have been using the vertical stalks from the Sunflowers to give the planting bed a little shade like your Pigeon pea idea.
joven,
I will check out your blog, thanks.
NanaK,
The nasturtiums liking cool weather seems to be the consensus. Guess I did things backwards starting them in the early summer.I will start some more seeds and try the hanging pot again when it cools off here. I am going to restart more Papaya seeds now and hope for some to germinate.
Kimberly,
You are right. Most everything that I have in small containers has to be watered twice a day now to keep the pots from drying out with the heat and wind.I have been planting a lot of container grown plants into the ground that has been amended with compost with good results so far.
Hello, this is my first time here, came in from Bush Bernie's. I am laughing a bit with your post, please extend your patience, gardening is really like that, sometimes we succeed more times we fail. It is in the journey and not the product, hehe, remember? At least you are happy with those sunflowers and watermelon. Experiment more and you will reap the fruits of your labor.
ReplyDeleteHey Sanddune,
ReplyDeleteHow fun your watermelon seed is taking off... they need plenty of room and it looks like you have the right spot for them. I plant my nasturtium seeds in December or January among the veggie garden edibles. Your commenters have let you know it is a cool-er weather annual. Try them again ... you will love their foliage and (edible)sweet flowers... so do the bees.
Hope you're surviving this summer heat.
Meems