Welcome to Missouri...enjoy the forums...snoop around..there's tons of info here...

On the lavender...full sun means 6-8 hours of sunlight a day but lavender does not like to sit in water, plant in a location that drains well. Good luck, welcome and happy gardening

Thanks for the help.  Where are you in Missouri?  We are in West Plains - Howell County.  I am really enjoying the change of seasons and all the new possibilities.

We are in the Kansas City area...not sure what you are near...will have to google that...hang on.......... Okay, so you are about 5 hours south of us...and get more warm weather and a lot less snow If family wasn't here and life already established, I'd love to be in the New Smyrna area of Florida...love the ocean and miss it sooooo much!

What is the lay of the land there for your yard? Any plans to plant stuff this year? What? Saw that you mentioned a few plants and lavender but anything else? Tell us about it

Good luck, welcome, again, and happy gardening!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your son. We'll all be here when you get back...but remember, you can still follow posts and ask questions or plan for next year.

Happy gardening

Hi, I just moved back to Missouri from Florida as well. I grew up here but am used to Florida gardening. I am finding growing stuff very different here. I am doing a test garden. Lots of problems. I could not get my broccoli and brussel sprouts to fruit. My squash gets flowers but will not pollinate. I have seen no bees. I cannot get my compost pile to heat. My tomato plants are huge but will not get flowers. Out of four different plants only one gets flowers and I have gotten two tomatoes. Oh yes and the roses will not bloom, got ten roses in two bunches and nothing since. The roses are old and well established. I have fertilized. My compost is mostly leaves and pine needles, a few coffee grounds and kitchen scraps, no meat or fat of course, nice and moist and I turn it every week, I have added several bottles of liquid ammonia and worms which left it, and compost starter. It warmed for a few days then nothing. I have used liquid fertilizer, granules. Oh I do so miss my two growing seasons in Florida. Any advice? Oh yess, in St. Louis. Also friend planted tomatoes and she is getting no blossoms either.

Hi to you in St. Louis.  I am having no problem with the roses that were already planted - just trimmed them back last fall and gave them Miracle Grow Rose Food. They are mostly in semi-shaded areas - near trees so they don't get afternoon sun.  There were a few that had stunted flowers, but we were swarmed by cicadias this spring.  I am not sure if they were harmful to the plants, but they seemed to like the rose buds.  I planted tomatoes too early - before the flood this spring.  Wasn't there to try a second crop.  Where were you in Florida?  I truly wish I was back in Missouri ... hopefully by fall.

Hi Ms. Cole, I called West Palm my home for twenty years. I returned to Mo. the home of my childhood to nurse my father. His house and yard have been neglected for thirty years and I am slowly trying to fix everything. The roses were not trimmed. I gave them bone meal and rose fertilizer. They are old and established. I am told I may be watering too much, used to Florida sand which needs water every two days, even after building up the soil. I truely wish I was back in Flrida. This year is my test year for Mo. gardening, have never done it here and left here in 78.

Welcome to MO, Carol. My oldest daughter is going to school in West Plains and loves it there. I am 4-4 1/2 hours away in central MO in a small town called Wellsville. I can never get tomatoes to ripen until about Aug. no matter when I plant them. I think part of my problem is the weeds take over.

Good morning, cold Missourians! And SNOW on the ground! I love reading your emails..and mostly don't respond, but have a computer 'kind of' working this a.m. so might try...
To Mrs. Cole..Have I talked to you before? can't remember (old age, you know). I am about 30 mi. from West Plains. Actually lived closer about 10 years ago. Used to work at the hospital there 20 years ago. We live at the bottom of a canyon. Live springs, sandy soil and ROCKS..It's almost a do-it-yourself deal to scratch anything together to plant something in...We've been on this place 5 years. It had been abandoned for years, so actually, the first year was spent cleaning, raking and raking and...got the picture?
I've used ALOT of horse manure, chicken, goat, etc., and when I plant something such as shrub/tree, I put purchased top soil in the hole, mix in a bit of the 'native' soil and then every year add about 1" of compost and kind of 'stir' it in. Things are looking pretty good. My main problem is time and energy. As you've likely picked up - I'm not a kid anymore and kind of low on 'steam' alot of the time.l I told DH today "I will draw a garden map. Ihave everything ordered. Don't buy a bunch of stuff in town". Last year, we planted ourselves to death..What I had ordered and what he'd came home with...and it was just too much to take care of...I'd like someone to give me DETAILED, STEP-BY-STEP directions on starting seeds for spring planting. I never have very good luck..the seeds sprout, I have a gro-light, etc., but they seem stunted, weak and usually never make it to the garden. Plants are so expensive, I'd like to be able to start some plants from seed. Especially the watermelon seeds - 5 seeds to a package..expensive too...
Y'all have a good week, and stay warm.....MaryLou

Hello to my fellow Missouri gardeners! I feel so ashamed that I haven't been back on here for a long,long time. I was recently voted as my son's school PTA President and I am so excited to start letting my green thumb show. we will be working on a veggie garden at the school and I working with some local curches about starting some communtiy gardens! Any of you that are in the KCMO area who would like to help us would be greatly appreciated. Our community was hit very hard by the housing, including losing our local grocery store. I am hoping to bring in a source for some fresh produce! Anyway, Spring is just round the corner and our gardens will be coming back to life! I cannot wait!!!!

to: KCGREENTHUMB:  What a great goal!  You are doing such a great thing.  Not only will people learn so much, be proud of what they do, but develope a commraderie that will strengthen your neighborhood.  Too bad there aren't hundreds more like you doing the same...maybe they are doing it and I just don't hear about it.
I belong to the weather watchers forum, but they are hard to find...My DH will be in KC soon, our grand daug. is turning 8 y/o and of the age to be baptized...My health is such I can't go, but Oh, how I wish I could be there.
They live in Shawnee.   There are 6 of the kids living in that area.  Good luck on your venture, pray God allows a good growing season, favorable weather, thrifty plants and alot of helpers...MLRoss, Drury

Okay, I also haven't been on in a while...seems I spent my winter crocheting, and that has continued into spring. We had a grandson born in December and have another grandson due in June...LOTS of crocheting


mross12:
I've planted some stuff already and have seeds started in the "mini" greenhouse you can buy from Walmart...that seems to work pretty well for me. I think you have encountered what I've dealt with...namely plants thriving in the greenhouse or in the house under controlled environments but once planted outside, they die I've learned that they need to "harden off", if you will, by allowing them to remain in the greenhouse but having them outside for short periods of time each day, then giving them longer exposures to the outdoor weather. And, you don't transplant until they have two real leaves, not the ones that first appear after they sprout.

Here are my steps:

mini greenhouse, seed starter soil (not regular potting soil, this stuff is much lighter), add seeds, add water to the bottom tray and allow the soil to absorb the water from the bottom up, put the lid on and set outside if warm, keep indoors if windy or cool, cold. Once the seedlings appear, you can begin setting the uncovered tray out for a couple of hours per day, then increase the time left outside each day. You should see if the plants appear to be suffering from being out. If they do, bring them in and give them a little more growing time. I do not leave the trays out if I'm not going to be home...we all know the saying about Missouri weather, if you don't like it now, wait, it will change. I've lost seedlings to wind, rain, and dogs!!! BAD DOGS, BAD!!!

I have so much stuff to plant and more stuff I've ordered and plan to order from Michigan Bulb (please, DON'T BLAST ME anyone, I've had good luck with them standing behind their products), that I'm with you, running out of energy from planting so much stuff. I order and hubby brings home For example, he bought not one but TWO bags of gladiolus bulbs...the 50 count bags. I planted most of them in the front and along the east side of the house, then planted the bulbs I had ordered! I was worn out by the time I was done because I had also weeded my dandelion garden and planted a butterfly bush in their place. Then, I had to transplant some of my chocolate snakeroot from one side of the front steps to the other and, of course, weeded some as I went. It was a very busy and productive day. It really pays off when I see it all in bloom and get comments from people driving by and stopping in the middle of the street to say something nice about it. Makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

Hope that helps a bit on getting seeds started.

Happy gardening!