foods ...
 

Firstly I'd like to thank everyone for being so helpful on this site.

I would like to grow more for them to eat in my mini green house . I always have planted flowers throughout the summer they can have and just got a few packs of seeds from the shelled warriors shop but wanted some ideas from others fast easy to grow the they love kind of stuff for the plastic green house please ... tend to get allot on our dog walks but would be nice to grow more from home

I've always grown petunia, nemesia, nasturtiums, pansies and violas, campanula and zinnia in the spring each year.
I've tried hollyhocks but for some reason they never do anything for me.
Weed-wise I find they just do better straight into the ground and I have a weed area to do that, but clover, milk thistle and plantain seem to do alright in pots.

I had to look up zinnia Emma, what a lovely plant. Looks a little like a dahlia.

I grew hollyhocks last year first time ever, they were awful ! grew lanky and fell over and the Tortoises just climbed over they till I took secateurs to them.

Taszia, I couldn't believe how easy nasturtiums were to grow ! Petunias not too bad but the rest rotted for me which can happen in the greenhouse if not right on top of it - clearly I didn't do it right so good luck ! I am going to try the scattering approach again this year.

Glad it's not just me that fails with Hollyhocks then.
Nasturtiums are the easiest thing to grow and they spread quickly. They come up again and again in the same areas I sow them as they self-seed. They do attract cabbage white caterpillars though. The kids have had a great time over the years watching the caterpillars go through the pupae stage and become butterflies, but you have to keep on top of them or they'll munch all the leaves. The beauty is that both leaves and flowers are safe for torts to eat and nasturtiums look so pretty.

Zinnia are pretty aren't they, CB. I'm pretty behind this year with flowers, though have sowed loads of weed seeds. We have the in-laws from Canada over this summer plus my hubby's uncle and his family visiting for a week from Sussex, so I think I may do a little cheating and buy some flowers this year for my hanging baskets. :oops:

yes I must admit a visit to the Garden centre sets me back a bit but I look at the Monty Don programme and people spend £4K on their garden and I think wow !

I always do a mix of artificial flowers and real. You will of seen from some of my pickys. And people really can't tell at all ie with orchids - loads in the conservatory but they wouldn't survive for real in the heat. I just leave them all out all year round too ! ... CB

My orchids are silk too and I have them all over the home and they look so real.
I managed mini orchids for a year and was chuffed when after flowering my feeding regime worked, I cut at the right node and a new flower stalk appeared and I got more flowers but I don't know what went wrong after that as it never flowered again.

So weeds suggestions that people grow ...

I have Bristly Ox Tongue (Jerry's fave), Ribwort Plantain, Smooth Sow Thistle and a Tortoise Seed Mix to sow this weekend...and I've just ordered some Forget-Me-Not seeds.

One that does quite well for me in shady places is Bats-in-the-Belfry, a native campanula that does well on clay.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/plant...ges/4747.shtml

My favourite is cat's ear. Grows well, has a good balance of minerals, not a pest plant in the UK. Tortoises really like it. I let this plant seed everywhere.

http://wildflowerfinder.org.uk/Flowe...ar/Catsear.htm

Valerian...mine is just enjoying it..new growth is early to come through and although it does make quite sizeable plants..you can grow it in pots as well in ground out in the garden...it is very hardy plant indeed.

Not a weed, but spider plants...they make readily 'babies' so you have plenty to 'harvest'...you can grow it as indoor plant or take it outside in spring (or start again as babies)..and/or grow outdoors in containers and it will flourish and grow quickly.

Oregano...tough plant and will take quite a lot of abuse if you don't have time to look after it...for pots or in ground will come through again and is perennial. It is native to many tortoises natural habitats AND you can use some of that in your cooking too;)...with or without addition of tortoise poo :lol: It is easily grown from seed or get a plant and when it gets bigger just divide some already rooted side branches and you'll soon have plenty of them.

I have that many different species of edibles around here that I don't really need to grow them in purpose, but I'm planning to dig some weeds up to transfer into Putin's oncoming outdoor area. I already have plenty of split oregano plants in pots so those will come handy :-)