I'm a bit late to answer, I know, but it might be interesting to note that snails and slugs love artichokes ! I have planted 12 artichokes, far apart one from the other, and they are fighting to survive against the snails and slugs. Ferramol the little buggers don't find it tasty enough. My ripe strawberries they don't give a rat's butt. Obviously the weeds they are fed up with. But the artichokes they are mad of them ! Gourmet meal ! Even the big hard leaves ! So I had to buy grounded coffee, kilos of it, and to make a ring around the artichokes. I sort of mulched around the plant and the circle is about 60 cm in diameter. I wish I had stock in starbuck because me alone have helped their business a lot ! Oh, there's hand picking as well, which I used to do at 6 in the morning, when only the artichokes were planted. Now I have to water the 50 tomatoes and 10 zucchinis and 5 squash (the lattest being a tasty meal for the snails too apparently ! ) so there's no time to pick the buggers before work any more ! Good luck ! Enjoy it that you're not here in the South of France where we have billions of little white snails called "limacon" ! They are so numerous that they stiffle whole big trees in summer when they stuck on them to avoid the hot soil !

The key to designing with perennials is to go for foliage, shape and textural contrasts with the flowers as icing on the cake. That way the bed will look great even when nothing is in bloom. For example, the shapes and textures of tall grasses, tall sedums, and russian sage always look good, even before they bloom. The same principle applies to all plant combinations. Varying foliage colors--blue, purple, chartreuse also adds interest. Think blue oat grass, purple barberry, weigelia, or Euphorbia 'Chameleon' and a groundcover thyme. Pink/purple echinacea in flower would be perfect with this, and the coarse texture of the leaves would work too.

Hello, sandyinva. Yes, mites can be a source of distorted growth, specially new growth. They are tiny pests noticeable when you have webbing between leaves. They suck cell contents from leaf tissue eventually making the leaf turn yellow or brown. Perhaps the infestation is starting so the webbing is not noticeable. Here is another way to check. Place a piece of 8.5 by 11" white paper underneath a branch and shake it. If mites are present, some will be dislodged from the leaves and fall onto the paper, where they will be noticed as tiny moving specks. Mites are usually a problem during hot weather and fall temps should alleviate the problem. Adequate watering of plants during hot weather is the best preventative against mite problems. Adequate watering of plants during hot weather is the best preventative against mite problems. Miticides (such as Spectracide Permethrin Insect Control, Bonide Kelthane, Schultz Houseplants and Gardens Insect Spray and others) can be used but follow the instructions on the label; they are best used alternating with other types of pesticides, such as soaps and oils (like Safer Insecticidal Soap & Sunspray Ultra-fine Spary Oil). This prevents the mites from developing tolerance to the miticides. You can also use lacewing larvae, parasitic wasps and ladybugs to control an infestation. Does that help you? Luis

Likely if you eat tomatoes from the store they are production tomatoes. 1. They won't have the taste like a good gardener hybrid or heirloom tomato (in other word they tastes like cardboard). 2. They are hybrid, when you replant a seed from a hybrid plant, it won't be exactly like the original plant, it will have different characteristic and may not taste as good or have desired traits. I would rather order some seeds online and grow some dwarf tomato instead. If you intend to grow indoor you will need some good lighting and space. Something like this is minimum I would recommend for full size tomato indoor: https://www.1000bulbs.com/product/8256/FC105-S50OD.htm. So as you can see, tomato need lots of light which isn't not going to work in a single room dorm. Not only that, they need lots of soil, at least a 5 gallon container. So it's better off growing something like lettuce or basil indoor, or look for a dwarf or microdwarf tomato variety. Some variety to consider are: Red Robin, Tiny Tim, Silvery Fire Tree. For indoor potting soil, make sure you ask question and find the right potting soil that does not smell and perhaps pasteurized for indoor use, otherwise it will be an unpleasant experience. I don't buy potting soil, but I know "FoxFarm's Potting Soil" have good reputation so you may want to check them out, but I don't know how it'll smell. In my bedrooom I have an "AeroGarden Extra LED" that let me grow vegetable hydroponically, and it's LED light is bright enough to provide light for some extra plants in smaller container next to it. It is full spectrum and would be adequate for small dwarf tomatoes. It have a timer and shuts off after 12-16 hours. It is also very easy to make your own affordable indoor hydroponic setup. However, considering you live in a dorm, I don't know if you may have issues with campus authority who will be concerned with cannabis growing which is quite popular with hydroponic growing (not that I'm trying to give an idea).