Any Gardeners here?

[Engel]

Originally Posted by Vierville

I've always grown pansies and violas in autumn/winter. We live in an apartment now so there is only a balcony but we've got some flower pots there. Would love to grow some veggies for the hamsters but everything seems to get scorched!

That's a shame. Strawberries are good in pots and mine have full sun and are still alive so maybe a possibility? Herbs are nice and easy too. Currently have a small herb garden in my bedroom window from off cuts when I bought some from the store. Also done the same with celery lol.

The pansies look lovely by the way

[AmityvilleHams]

Used hamster bedding should be fine. I know people use rabbit litter/bedding for that although to be fair rabbits do put out a significantly larger volume of poop than any hamster could even dream of!

I've considered loofah as a dog chew. The only products I've seen for dogs involving loofah however have an unknown origin and are dyed - both things being big concerns. There's also the uncertainty of whether or not it could potentially wear down canine teeth, since it obviously has great usage for pets who have constantly growing teeth and therefore benefit from things that wear their teeth down like loofah. However with dogs, wearing teeth down is ultimately very detrimental to their overall dental health and general health too - this is one of the reasons why tennis balls must never be used as a dog toy(or really a toy for any pet with all the risks considered).

[Engel]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

Used hamster bedding should be fine. I know people use rabbit litter/bedding for that although to be fair rabbits do put out a significantly larger volume of poop than any hamster could even dream of!

I've considered loofah as a dog chew. The only products I've seen for dogs involving loofah however have an unknown origin and are dyed - both things being big concerns. There's also the uncertainty of whether or not it could potentially wear down canine teeth, since it obviously has great usage for pets who have constantly growing teeth and therefore benefit from things that wear their teeth down like loofah. However with dogs, wearing teeth down is ultimately very detrimental to their overall dental health and general health too - this is one of the reasons why tennis balls must never be used as a dog toy(or really a toy for any pet with all the risks considered).

About the loofah, yes it's hard when fully mature, perfect for sponges and rodent chews but what if you harvested it while it was a younger fruit? Should be softer so shouldn't wear the teeth down as much. Might help clean them too

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by Engel

About the loofah, yes it's hard when fully mature, perfect for sponges and rodent chews but what if you harvested it while it was a younger fruit? Should be softer so shouldn't wear the teeth down as much. Might help clean them too

I'd always stick with things that are known to be safe for the dogs, and keep it age appropriate too(also consider sourcing, quality control, etc). Antlers for example make excellent chews when untreated and in their raw state, but they're at least somewhat risky for younger dogs.

There are safe chew options for dogs without resorting to loofah. I wouldn't even risk less mature loofah for them, since there's still the chance it could wear down teeth. There are a wide enough variety of all natural chew options for dogs including ones with dental benefits that I can't really justify that very serious risk!

This doesn't mean loofah is in any way harmful to rodents or other pets where loofah is actually appropriate. Loofah can be beneficial to hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, many birds, and even more pets. Dogs are not on that list nor do they need to be on that list. Wearing their teeth down is pretty serious and can eventually lead to potential irreparable damage that ends up requiring tooth removal - something we want to avoid at all costs for dogs since those teeth will never grow back!

[Engel]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

I'd always stick with things that are known to be safe for the dogs, and keep it age appropriate too(also consider sourcing, quality control, etc). Antlers for example make excellent chews when untreated and in their raw state, but they're at least somewhat risky for younger dogs.

There are safe chew options for dogs without resorting to loofah. I wouldn't even risk less mature loofah for them, since there's still the chance it could wear down teeth. There are a wide enough variety of all natural chew options for dogs including ones with dental benefits that I can't really justify that very serious risk!

This doesn't mean loofah is in any way harmful to rodents or other pets where loofah is actually appropriate. Loofah can be beneficial to hamsters, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, mice, many birds, and even more pets. Dogs are not on that list nor do they need to be on that list. Wearing their teeth down is pretty serious and can eventually lead to potential irreparable damage that ends up requiring tooth removal - something we want to avoid at all costs for dogs since those teeth will never grow back!

True. Only reason I ask is my bichon has allergic skin disease and animal products are normally a no go.

[AmityvilleHams]

Originally Posted by Engel

True. Only reason I ask is my bichon has allergic skin disease and animal products are normally a no go.

I know sweet potato is very popular for that purpose, so perhaps invest in a dehydrator and try out that if you can't get Sam's Yams in the UK.

Not sure if she'd be allergic to more exotic proteins like deer and elk for antler chew purposes, but I know the more exotic protein sources tend not to be as likely to trigger allergies as the proteins people feed far more often such as chicken or beef.

Back onto the gardening topic though, I think any gardening individual who grows food plants would benefit from a dehydrator. While they can be used for making high quality dog treats, they can also make really good things for humans! An even more ideal investment would be a freeze drier but those will get pretty expensive and aren't as easy to find so the typical casual gardener is better off with a dehydrator.

[LunaTheHamster1]

As my used hamster bedding goes into the brown bin for the council to compost I don't see why you can't use it in your garden Ria.

Vierville, I love your pics.

Engel, now I think about it we might both have the same illness, I know a few people have mentioned it on here. Working on recovering so lets hope this year is a good one for both of us.

[Engel]

Thought I'd update this thread now warmer weather is upon us. Lots of things happening in the veggie patch. I've been a busy bee.

Planted just shy of 300 pea plants into the ground and they've started flowering and started another batch off in the green house.

Planted 40 runner beans and majority have come and bearing flowers. Also planted onions, squash, swede, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Did have some kale but planted out too early and the frost had it

Carrots, parsnips, lettuce, radish and celery are also coming up and I think I spy some strawberries too.

I've got 6 cucumber plants which are filling the greenhouse and gave one to a young boy down the road who asked for cucumbers last year. Also have 7/8 tomato plants which I've noticed have started flowering too

There's so much going on I don't know if I've missed anything!

(Note to self- need to plant beetroot).

Anyone planting peppers? (Sweet/bell peppers for salad, not chili) is it not it's year? Planted several batches from different packets and nothings happening?

Also have flowers so the borders are filling up nicely

[Pebbles82]

That sounds wonderful! Love the photos. I had planned to do more gardening and grow vegetables but life got very hectic here and I ended up with no time to do it. I did get a few veg seeds sown and they are growing - although haven't done much since and they need some dividing apparently.

[Engel]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

That sounds wonderful! Love the photos. I had planned to do more gardening and grow vegetables but life got very hectic here and I ended up with no time to do it. I did get a few veg seeds sown and they are growing - although haven't done much since and they need some dividing apparently.

Ah, what have you tried planting?