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Made a few mistakes and now looking for solutions

susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
in Problem solving
I go over the top sometimes and is the same with gardening.
I am still a novice but do not seem to be gaining any experience
This year I tried to plant too many herbs and could not give away as much as I thought.
Dill, cress and coriander just got big and flowered and I mistakenly thought they were flowers till I was told different
I have overplanted in one long wooden planter and now, lobelia, dahlia and a deep pink and purple flower (not sure what they are) are fighting to survive
One of my questions is can I use the soil from the now discarded herb plants to mix with new compost to transplant some of the overcrowded plants to a new pot.  If not, is it ok to toss into the compost bin?
Also how do I go about lifting plants out of this overcrowded planter.  I part the leaves and there are flowers fighting to get to the light , others are already dead
I cannot bear to see them all die

  

Posts

  • PianoplayerPianoplayer Posts: 624
    Hi, here are some thoughts from me:

    I am really stingy with compost, and reuse it, mixed with fresh all the time. Eventually, I put it on the garden as a mulch.

    To get the plants out for repotting - water the planter really well, so it is thoroughly wet. Then use a fork to waggle and loosen all round the plant you want to remove, trying to ease out the root ball. You just need to be slow and patient to try and limit the damage to the roots.

    Hope it works.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    I can't see a problem with reusing the compost  :). 
    If you have any, you could add some plant food to the compost as well. It might be easier to lift out a section at a time and divide the plants before replanting. 
    Don't be downhearted. 
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    If you buy a packet of seeds or a plant from the nursery they usually tell you the height and width of the plant, maybe next year you can use  that info when you’re  planting out,  it’s a usual trait for a first time grower, you see a little plant about 4” tall and think it will never fill your space, it will though as you can now see.
    Im sure most of us have down the same thing. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thank you for your replies. I agree with what you say Lyn, I tried to do too much and just got confused, had herbs labelled as flowers and vice versa.
    Piano, thanks for your advice about digging out plants and will def use the old compost
    Anni, I do have some plant food so will use that to add to the compost and am just going to keep my fingers crossed when I try to divide all the plants, they are so compacted now they are bound to be better off by thinning them out
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    Well, herb plants do produce flowers, and some of them are very pretty. Coriander seeds are a spice (and you need flowers before you get seeds) but I don't know whether they'd ripen very well in the great British climate - maybe worth a try if you still have a plant that's flowering. I think dill seeds are a spice too. There's always a bright side if you look for it, and I hope your flowers transplant successfully.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • susananwmssusananwms Posts: 213
    Thanks jenny, keeping my fingers crossed as usual, just glad that some stuff I plant does flourish, more luck than anything
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