Carolina Gardening: Let's get to know one another.., 1 by Plantcrazii

Plantcrazii wrote:
Hello,

I live in a house with over 200+ plants, mainly cacti and succulents, although I am getting into African Violets and tropicals. I have just received some AV leaves and little plantlets which I hope will do well. Yesterday I received a dwarf cavendish banana tree, so I need to learn how to grow that.

I am 43 and had not grown any indoor plants my whole life until 2 yrs ago. Then someone challenged me, knowing that I do not usually back down from a challenge. I can be quite stubborn at times. So I started with one little plant from Home Depot. Now I have between 200 - 300. I really do love what I have done so far.

I want to start some kind of flower garden outside but I do not know anything at all about that. I would also love to plant a few vegetables this summer. I have been thinking about getting a couple earthboxes, but still not sure. I think my biggest problem is that I am afraid that I will not do it right and the plants will die. My biggest fear is getting started. Once I get started, I do pretty well, with the help of all of you here at DG. So if I can get past my fear of failure, I think I will do okay.

My yard is plain. It has absolutley nothing in it at all. So I do not really know where to start. I was thinking about doing something like lasagne gardening in a little plot that I am hoping my DH will build out of some extra lumber that we have laying around outside. Do you think that I should use the lasagne gardening method or maybe some other method? I am open to all suggestions.

I live with my DH and a wonderful Border Collie named Zackary. He is 10 years old. Those two are the most important things to me in the whole world. My DH did not like my plants in the beginning until I figured out that, since he is legally blind, he did not see them like we see them. To him, green is green, he does not see the varigation. So then I decided to start growing AVs for him because he loves the bright colors. I have just been sent some leaves and plantlets that I am trying to grow for him. I want him to enjoy plants too.

Oh, the reason for the earthboxes and lasagne gardening is because I am disabled and cannot do a lot of digging or anything that will cause my lower back any stress. I am on the Fentanyl pain patch all the time, so that helps some. But other than a little bit of watering, that is most all I can do. If any of you have an ideas of how to grow a little flower garden without a lot of manuel labor, please let me know. I am enclosing a photo of myself in case anyone is interested. I was acting silly when this picture was taken, so ignore the silly grin on my face.

Thanks for listening,

JesseK