Here I am at Day One once again! I honestly was starting to think I’d never get this opportunity again. You see, fourteen years ago I owned this domain, my namesake, and I wrote a fun indoor gardening blog until a series of events led me in another direction. I allowed the domain to expire, and (as is so often the case), an unscrupulous squatter laid claim to this domain. While not at all uncommon, it was unnerving to receive an email from said squatter, offering me my own domain back – IF I was willing to pay them an unconscionable $16,000! I said no, of course. And thus began a nasty eleven years in which the squatter kept this domain and gradually lowered the asking price. First $12,000. Then $8,000. And on down to $4,000, and finally $1,000. Each time I refused to respond to their requests, hoping they would ultimately come to believe they were wasting their own money paying for this domain and being unable to sell it, as the name was extremely specific. There are not many people on this planet who have a use for the domain “lenwbrown” dot com, or dot anything for that matter.
Ultimately, my patience paid off, as they finally let the domain expire. And that’s when I snatched it up for the standard $9.95 registration fee. So, while my domain name was hijacked all this time, my interests have never changed. And now today I have chosen to utilize this domain in much the same way I had fourteen years ago – as a personal site and blog of my interests and hobbies.
So today, April Fool’s Day of all days, I begin a new blog in the spirit of my old one – documenting my daily hobby, growing a variety of both common and uncommon plants within the confines of my home. As I did fourteen years ago, I start by preparing a wide variety of seeds for germination and gradually move on from there as they grow and mature, documenting my progress (and inevitable failures) along the way.
Today I’m placing five seeds each of four different plants on damp paper towel in baggies: Coleus, Four-O-Clocks, House Tomatoes, and Mouse Melons. Bear with me, as the first week or two may be a bit boring. But as these seeds begin to sprout and grow I will have much more to talk about and do.
Coleus is a favorite of mine. The leaves have bright and varied color patterns and they are both easy to grow and easy to propagate. Coleus thrive in semi-shade to full sun and add much-needed color to areas that might otherwise be unsuitable for flowering plants. They are also exceptionally easy to propagate, as any cutting you take will very easily grow roots in water, making them especially easy to multiply. As a result, if you discover a particular one with characteristics you are especially fond of, you can readily end up with a multitude of clones of it. You can also overwinter them as houseplants and they can survive for many years – I’ve personally seen a single Coleus plant last upwards of twenty years! So today I begin with five seeds, though I have plenty more. But within the limited space of my home, five is more than enough to get started with.
Four-O-Clocks get their common name because every day their flowers open around four in the afternoon. They remain open all night and then close the following morning as the sun begins to rise. If you are looking for a plant that has a particularly noticeable and pleasant scent, these are definitely the plant to grow! They release a very strong perfume-like scent that lasts all night long. Which makes sense, as they are primarily pollinated by large Sphinx Moths that appear at night and feed on their nectar. The trumpet-shaped flowers are each open only one night and each one produces a single large seed. I plan to use these for hybridizing, as their flowers are large and their reproductive parts are easy to identify, photograph and work with. It’s been an interest of mine to write a tutorial on hybridizing for some time now and these plants are a great example for me to use! I’m starting with just five seeds for now.
The House Tomato is one I am extremely excited about! The tomato plant itself is one of the smallest you will find anywhere in the world – growing only ten to twelve inches tall, referred to as a “micro-dwarf” tomato, making them very suitable for pots and likewise indoor cultivation. They are a Russian heirloom that go back a few hundred years and were brought to parts of Northern Canada in the 1890’s. They have been “lost” and “rediscovered” multiple times over the decades. They are indeterminate, meaning they continuously produce tomatoes once the plants are old enough. The tomatoes themselves are small and cherry red. They are perfectly suited for growing in pots and can easily be overwintered on a bright windowsill to provide you with fresh tomatoes all winter long. I have only ever found them from a single source and am excited to be able to grow them myself now. While I have quite a few seeds, like with the other seeds I’m starting today, I have only selected five seeds to begin with. This is one that I plan to save seed from, since they are heirlooms and therefore come true from seed. If all goes to plan, you will find me selling seeds of this remarkable tomato on eBay later this year.
The Cucamelon, Mouse Melon or Mexican Sour Gherkin is a tiny melon that grows on absolutely adorable miniature vines. The melons themselves are about the size of a grape and are mottled with dark and light green and look very much like a tiny watermelon from the exterior. Inside, they are a pale green and look like what you’d find if you were to slice into a typical cucumber. They are very crunchy and taste like a cross between a cucumber and a lemon. The vines alone are enough reason to grow them for ornamental value. They do well in full sun and will either climb on trellises and fences, or can be left to hang down from baskets. I find it nearly impossible to walk by them and not pop a few of their little melons into my mouth every time. They easily self-seed as well. As with the other plants today, I am starting just five seeds.
So that’s it for today. Check back tomorrow as I select more plants to start from seed!