Self-Isolating At Home? Grow Yourselves Some Free House Plants!
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Grow Yourself Some Plants For Free!
Grow Date Palm from Date seeds
Clean off date pips after eating and soak them in water for 24hrs. Then, place them in a sandwich bag with some damp kitchen towel and keep them in a warm, dark spot to germinate. This can take between 1β4 weeks. Germinated seed can be potted up to give your very own baby date palm.
Grow a Pineapple Plant from a Pineapple top
Twist off the top of a pineapple to remove the first few sets of leaves, leaving a bare patch of about 1β2cm on the bottom of the top area. Place this into in a pot of compost, where it will root and grow.
Grow Avocado from seed
Rinse the seed of an avocado under the tap and then, using toothpicks, suspend it over a glass of water so that the flat bottom is just touching the water. The seed will germinate within 4 weeks and you will have your very own avocado tree.
JoTarpley I knew this would be you! 
I've done a few of these. I especially love the citrus plants - they're never going to fruit but satsumas, oranges, lemons make lovely foliage houseplants. I've only recently planted the Marzano tom seeds for this year and I'm hoping they do as well as the last crop. (frozen tom sauces have come in handy during the lock down )
Oh dear! I can't possibly become predictable! I just had this sudden burst of inspiration ange 
you must keep me updated on your tomatoes though, I expect lots of pics!! 
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angemski You realise you might be asked how you do that Ange?? Here you go - Simply remove all the basil leaves from a stem of basil and cut the stem just under a node (these occur under each leaf). Place the cutting in a glass of water and position in a bright spot on the window sill. Once it roots, you can pot it up in compost and grow your own Basil plant. x
Love these tips JoTarpley! Canβt get out to buy any seeds or plants at the moment. Will definitely give these a go. Thanks!
I have a 1 year old peach tree which grew by itself from a peach seed in the compost bin. Now its in the greenhouse and doing well. Just planted some lemon seeds on Monday. I made time on sunday to make lemon drizzle cupcakes and I've potted the seeds up. I've inherited a large rosemary plant in the garden and I've taken cuttings that are in water. Hopefully these will root up so I can plant. Basil is on the go on the main bedroom window sill along with sage. I can't remember how many baby tomato plants I've got at the moment - 5 or 6 on the go. I can't remember. My green house is 6ft by 8ft and its full of seedlings. I can't keep up with all I have. I think marshmellow has just germinated by the looks of it. yes, marshmellow is a plant.
Wow you're certainly keeping yourself busy there ShellyAnn but isn't it amazing watching new growth everywhere?! Lucky you with your Peach tree, I bet you were well chuffed with that one and goodness, Marshmellows, I used to have them in the garden years go and they seeded themselves in a nearby field where the birds had dropped the seed, I used to love the flowers, thanks for reminding me of them! x
JoTarpley I've never grown marshmellow before but I'm trying to grow plants for medicine as well as herbs and veg. oh and flowers as I lost really about 3/4 of my plants. I had too many to take to my parents, so half when in the skip, which hurt... then about half died in my parents north facing garden over winter, so I'm trying to start over. Got lupins on the go again. I like lupins. My peach tree is one of my faves. I really want a cherry tree. As soon as I can get to a nursery I'm having a dwarf cherry tree. There's pear, apples and blackcurrants already growing here. I love seeing the new babies come through the soil. Spring is my fave waiting for the new plants to germinate.
That's like me ShellyAnn Spring is my favourite time of year, I absolutely love to see everything coming into bud and the early bulbs coming up, I love Autumn too, the colours of the leaves before they fall and the freshness in the air but often not cold enough for a coat, the best sound in the world is the bird song as it gets light and at dusk, oh I do love all this nature
It's sooooo sad you lost all those plants though, best not to dwell, your garden will be absolutely lovely this year I bet!! 
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JoTarpley I'm hoping it will be once the seedlings have turned into plants and have flowers on I did manage to source some violas and I've planted those. I've got 2 rose bushes with flowers on already and there's various trees/shrubs with white flowers on including a jasmine tree. I don't know what all the trees and shrubs are in the garden yet.
ShellyAnn It's all sounding really lovely ShellyAnn and you're having fun too which is what it's all about, don't rush things and you'll get it exactly how you want it! Violas are lovely little plants, I used to see loads seeded along old railway lines and such like but the trouble is when people see things growing wild they can't leave them, they have to pull them up! 
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JoTarpley I just found this as I'm trying to sort out the camera ready for taking photos of the new garden and that item from the home tester club coming soon. This is my old garden minus the pots. It is so small it is hilarious. This was taken a couple of days before I moved out. 2 tiny bits of grass and behind the hedge thru the archway was a redcurrant bush on one side and a blackcurrant bush on the other. That's it. Solid clay, no soil, so I had to grow veg etc in pots around the sides of the grass. Now I have to use a wheelbarrow to transport tools up and down the garden and need to buy a 200ft hose pipe to try and reach the end of it! I do have proper soil in this garden but full of tree roots as I now have multiple trees. Wow. such a difference. I do not miss my old house and life at all! 
ShellyAnn OMG You've gone from one extreme to the other now then ShellyAnn but don't forget that you made the best of what you had at the time and all credit to you for that! I'm soooooooo pleased for you though, you are soooo going to enjoy your new garden!! 
I bet when the nights get longer it will be a job to keep you indoors!! Thanks for sharing the pic x
JoTarpley I was desperate to get out of that neighbourhood as I hated it from the moment I moved in and I was getting more and more frustrated by the lack of space in the garden. I think of my new garden as my farm. I love it. You know I was thinking if I can win some of that nice garden furniture as I obviously don't have any (no room as you can see in my old garden for furniture) it will be great to sit out in as it completely private and no one can see me. I will try and get some photos next week of the new garden.
and can't wait to see any photos! x
Thanks so much for this, I never thought about trying the dates.
Will give this a ago.
My tomato plants the last couple of years have been terrible no idea what's going on usually they are great.
Right think that's a good idea thanks. I thought the really hot sunny we had would have been ideal but oh no not for mine! 
@JoTarpley
Aww that's not good, let's hope we can get you sorted out for this year then! xThat would be amazing I usually purchase from my local garden centre but not sure what to do this year might have better luck starting from seed !!@JoTarpley
Forgot about plugs by post, I got a lot of them two years ago and not many were alive when they arrived so next time I went for the next size up. Think there is a huge demand for plants by post. Surprised the nurseries are not selling to the supermarkets rather than saying they are having to throw stuff out. Not much stock at all in my local shops@JoTarpley
A couple of years ago I bought some fresh rosemary stalks from the supermarket. I didnβt use them all so just stuck them in the garden border and they took. It was certainly a surprise and Iβve had free rosemary ever since. Good luck if you try it.
You must have read my mind JoTarpley, as due to lockdown want to grow things easily as certainly not green fingered. You are much appreciated
Thank you posting this. I told my Mum about it as gardening is keeping her busy during isolation.
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