No idea what im doing. Please help!!!

[Kpsupermom]

So I have recently started an indoor garden with my kids. We started growing in the beginning of January, in small pots and plastic cups and tubs and bags because I have very little money right now, I also have absolutely no knowledge of gardening whatsoever. I've looked up YouTube videos and read howto.com tutorials to get as far as I have but I don't really know where to go from here. We have tomato seedlings, garlic, onions, potatos (in tubs and bags), some orange trees, and a lemon tree all grown from kitchen scraps and I've started sprouting banana peppers bell peppers pumpkins and black simpson lettuce. I live on the western slope of Colorado. What do I do??

 

[Becky]

Welcome to the forum!

It sounds like you are off to a good start. Do you have any outdoor space or will you be doing all your gardening indoor with pots?

 

[CanadianLori]

Welcome to the forum! I have lots of seedlings started indoors at this time of year too. I move everything outside later.

Yes, wondering if you are going to be moving them outside in the spring?

 

[Silentrunning]

Welcome supermom. As Becky said, it sounds like you are off to a good start. One thing to keep in mind is that everything you plant isn't going to grow successfully. It isn't that you are wrong, it's just the way gardening is. Keep a log of your successes and failures and learn from that. Concentrate on what grew well and abandon those plants that don't do good in your environment. Also use the search on this site and look up container gardening. There is a ton of great info here.

 

[Kpsupermom]

Thank you guys!! Yes I do plan on moving things outside for spring. I don't have a back yard I live in an apartment complex, but I'll have the plants out on my back balcony when it is warm enough. And my neighbor said she was going to give me her greenhouse as well so hopefully that will help out too. I am worried about the different tempratures of soil and the amount of light my plants are getting. I'm not sure how to regulate that or maybe an extremely cheap heating pad or grow lights?

 

[Becky]

How much sun does your balcony get?

 

[Kpsupermom]

How much sun does your balcony get?

I'm honestly not sure... I mean I know it get some direct Sun in the mornings but I'll have to time it tomorrow.

 

[Kpsupermom]

Also, I would like to ask opinions... Is my garlic dieing?

 

[alp]

Welcome to the forum.

Your tomato seedlings will benefit from a pinch from the top. The removal of the apex will encourage the seedling to get bushier and have more side shoots and more flowers and more fruits. It's very good to have direct sunlight in the morning.

Best is to start with salad cress. Just toss the seeds on a moist serviette and they will grow and your kids will have them served in their sandwiches in no time.

 

[Kpsupermom]

And the bottoms of my transplanted tomato seedlings are turning dark redish brown? Are they bring underwatered?

 

[Kpsupermom]

Welcome to the forum.

Your tomato seedlings will benefit from a pinch from the top. The removal of the apex will encourage the seedling to get bushier and have more side shoots and more flowers and more fruits. It's very good to have direct sunlight in the morning.

Best is to start with salad cress. Just toss the seeds on a moist serviette and they will grow and your kids will have them served in their sandwiches in no time.

What exactly is the apex...and do I actually just pinch it off? And what is salad cress? Is that a type of lettuce? Should I have not chosen black simpson?

 

[MaryMary]

We started growing in the beginning of January, in small pots and plastic cups and tubs and bags because I have very little money right now,

Once you are ready to graduate to larger pots, you can get them for free. Just go to a deli or a bakery and ask them if they have any empty buckets you can have. The deli will get their salads in buckets - tuna salad, macaroni salad, things like that. The bakery will probably have bigger buckets, they usually get their flour and frosting in 5 gallon buckets. It's food-safe, so you can grow plants in them.

They might want to charge you a small fee, the place where I get mine always tells me there's a fee, but then they never charge me. All you have to do is get your hands on a drill to make some drainage holes, and you've got free pots, saved from a landfill!

What exactly is the apex...and do I actually just pinch it off? And what is salad cress? Is that a type of lettuce? Should I have not chosen black simpson?

The apex is the top of the plant. I don't prune my tomatoes, I tend to just let them grow. I know you're supposed to prune off the suckers, and sometimes I will, but mostly, I just make sure I remove any bottom branches that are touching the soil, and then just let them go grow! There's all kinds of ways and opinions on how to garden, supermom!

I'm not sure about the salad cress - google tells me it's watercress. I think you'll be fine with the black simpson.

 

[TomatoTango]

The tomato and garlic look fine however if the seed came from a store bought hybrid tomato you may end up disappointed. Don’t stress too much or it rubs off on your plants. Tomato pruning is a matter of opinion. I don’t let mine flower before a transplant into their raised beds. If the tomato starts fruiting early you may stunt it.

Water tomato starts when the top dries out. And get it big before transplants so that you can bury if further under the soil line each time. Tomatoes will grow new roots quickly. I bury mine 8-12 inches below the surface of the soil so the tomato can rip into nutrients rapidly.