Black-Eyed Susan

Black Eyed Susans are wonderful flowers to have in your apartment garden. I love having fresh floral arrangements inside my apartment, and black eyed susans serve as an excellent source of cutting flowers. The plant produces what seems like an everlasting supply of cutting flowers, and the flowers last long in a vase.


Black eyed susans have yellow petals, a dark dome-like center, and long stems. This plant is a perennial, which means it will come back year after year. Because the plant can be propagated by dividing the rhizomes, I do not bother collecting the seeds. In fact, I do not allow the flowers to go to seed because I want the longest blooming period possible. To prolong the blooming period, take regular flower cuttings or dead head spent flowers.

These flowers do well in full sun, but can survive in light shade. Once these plants are established, they are fairly drought-tolerant. I started these plants from seeds earlier this year. I currently grow these flowers outside in full sun in an unsealed terracotta container. They have been able to easily withstand California's dry, hot weather even when I have neglected to water them for a few days. I plan on dividing the rhizomes later this fall.




Available for Purchase at Park's Seed

Harvesting Cilantro Seeds

I just harvested coriander from my cilantro plant. I was pleasantly surprised by the abundant supply of coriander my small cilantro plant produced. "Cilantro" is an annual herb. The tender aromatic leaves are often used in the last stages of Mexican and Asian cooking. "Coriander" is the cilantro seed and it is also used in cooking. For example, I use ground coriander to flavor my meats and stews. I plan on using the bulk of my cilantro seeds for culinary purposes, but I will save a few to grow some more cilantro.

How to Harvest Coriander:
Harvesting coriander is simple and effortless. Your cilantro plant will eventually produce tiny white flowers with lavender accents (See Figure B below).

Once these flowers are pollinated, they will produce seeds (i.e., coriander) in its place (See Figure C below). Small flowers normally do not need help pollinating. However, if you are growing cilantro indoors, you will want to gently shake the cilantro plant or place it in a windy area to assist pollination. This will help the plant produce higher yields of coriander.

It took two to three weeks for my cilantro seeds to fully mature. You will want to pick the cilantro seeds when they are ripe. Cilantro seeds are ripe when the seeds are just starting to turn brown (See Figure C). Snip off the stems of plant, and place it in a paper bag. Allow the seeds to dry in a cool, dark place. After the seeds have dried out, collect the seeds and store them in a glass jar or other airtight container until you are ready to use them.




Figure A
Young Cilantro Plant



Figure B
Blooming Cilantro Flowers



Figure C
The round balls are cilantro seeds a.k.a. coriander

More Trash into Treasure: Diluted Brewed Coffee Fertilizer

I rarely drink coffee, but when I do I tend to make too much. I did a little research to find out what I could do with my left over coffee, and I learned you can turn brewed coffee into a fast-acting fertilizer by diluting the coffee with water.

The sites I visited suggested diluting the brewed coffee down to 1 part coffee to 4 parts water. I have been using a weaker solution (1:10 or 1:5 coffee-to-water ratio). I have about 1 to 2 cups of coffee left over so I just fill the coffee pot with water until it reaches the 10 cup mark, and use that to water my plants. Brewed coffee is acidic so I use this solution to water my acidic loving plants (e.g., blueberries, azaleas, hydrangea, roses, etc.).

I did not notice dramatic changes in my blueberries, but my 1 year old hydrangea noticeably perked up within a day after the first application.

Note: You should refrain from using this solution too often, especially if you use this on non-acidic loving plants.