George asks…
What are the easiest fruits and vegetables to grow indoors in a conservatory or greenhouse?
i would like to start growing my own veges in our conservatory. i bought some planter boxes and potting mix but i have no idea where to start! im clueless when it comes to gardening. so i would appreciate any tips for beginners … our conservatory is a bit like a greenhouse (it has a glass roof and glass walls ). the temp in there gets pretty hot (up to tropical temperatures ).
thanks for any info and advice.. i would appreciate it so much 
GardenersCardiff answers:
Tomato is a good plant for a beginner, and should do well in your situation. The only problem is you won’t have bee activity in the enclosed area for pollination of your flowers. One way of dealing with that is to use a small paint brush and lightly brush the insides of each flower with it, then move to the next flower and lightly brush. This should move the pollen from one flower to the next. Again do this gently. You want to make sure that you water your tomatos the same each time. Not too much at first as you don’t want them to rot, but more as they grow larger. Don’t try cherry tomato unless you have a lot of room, as they grow quite bushy.
Another good one is peppers. Bell pepper is a real heat lover, as are other peppers such as Jalepeno etc… Again you need to use the small paint brush and lightly brush the flowers one to the other to spread the pollen.
Remember one thing… It’s All In The Soil. The better the soil the better the plant.
You will have to try different things to find out what works best in your system, so buy some seeds and try different things. Some things may work out really well for you, while others may not, and due to the change in sun hours from summer to winter, keep in mind that some things need more hours of sun than others.
If you like tea… I HIGHLY suggest mint. Mint grows just about anywhere.
The most important thing other than the soil, is your watering. If you are not sure about water.. Ball some soil up in your hand (put some soil in your hand and make a fist). If it stays a ball you don’t need to water. If it quickly falls apart then it is dry and needs water. If you can squeeze water out of it, you have over watered and need to back off.
Good luck to you!!
Linda asks…
What kinds of leaves are good for homemade tea?
Hi!
I’m going to grow some herb I can use for my own
homemade tea! I was wondering what kinds
of things I could grow. I live in Canada, it’s
really quite moist here. I can grow the plant
either in or outdoors… Whatever it requires.
All ideas appreciates.
ALSO:
If you have any tea recipes that’d be great too 
GardenersCardiff answers:
Mint and Peppermint are a good start.
Joseph asks…
Can you grow tea plants in Virginia?
I wanted to know if i could add this awesome plant to my garden and easily make homemade tea, preferably green tea. How would i make my own tea bags or whatever though? and maybe advice on how to make black tea and white tea, i looked up and it said something about oxidation, what does all this mean?
GardenersCardiff answers:
I believe Virginia is one of the states that used to be home to enormous tea plantations. Along with North and South Carolina. Depending on the variety you probably can grow it in your garden. Best place to start is your local agricultural extension office. They will be able to best answer all your questions.
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Sandy asks…
why is it almost impossible to grow gyokuro tea leaves in USA/ Britain, outside or in a greenhouse?
there is plenty of documentation on the web and in libraries about how to grow your own tea plant but i cant find anything about cultivating gyokuro tea leaves oneself. certainly i could understand why it is not
possible here in england because of the undynamic climate and low altitude. However, what i can’t understand is that there isn’t an appropriate climate for gyokuro to be cultivated somewhere in the USA or perhaps south america. surely synthetic light and shade could make it possible too.
GardenersCardiff answers:
The issue is that one plant is not going to produce a lot of tea for you. It’s not practical. But yes, you can grow it yourself. As a houseplant and conversation piece, there’s not reason you can’t.
As for growing enough for commercial cultivation, or even enough to keep your family in tea for a year, is problematic if you don’t have the right climate, because growing in a greenhouse, or under artificial lighting, makes the cost of the the tea insanely expensive. Many many times cheaper to import it from a tropical country, where it’s happy growing.
William asks…
are tea plants easy to buy and care for?
i want to start growing my own tea… could i find a tea plant (preferably green or white tea) at a local plant store? and if i could find it, would it be hard to care for?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Http://coffeetea.about.com/od/preparation/a/growingtea.htm
here you go. Look on that page for a link on where to get seeds etc.
John asks…
Where can i purchase goat weed plant seeds to grow my own?
I think its also called Epimedium? i want to grow my own and make tea out of them where can i buy the seeds? And any tips on growing them?
GardenersCardiff answers:
Bulbaholic Epimedium will grow in england in cool, humus rich soils in partial shade. For seeds, search the web or join the Alpine Garden Society (AGS) and benefit from their Seed Exchange.
22 Sep, 2009
Worked hard at finding this but the above is as close as I got. First didn’t notice the word weed, so I was looking for pussy willows which is a goat wood tree, but the gardenweb. Com/forums is easy to join, and you can get almost any thing there.
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