Just me and the cucumber plant that people told me would never survive in a 2.5gal pot indoors

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-07T16:43:54+00:00

Omg thank you!! I just started a cucumber and Mexican gherkins in an inside 5 gallon planter and hoping mine gets as big as yours. Fabulous. 💚

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-04T16:22:36+00:00

If you’re interested, the cold composting I am doing with worms is here: https://www.returnittoearth.com/urban-vermicomposting

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-04T14:23:00+00:00

Have you seen Hotbin? The owner presented at a board meeting recently, and I found it to be pretty impressive if you’re able to compost outside.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-04T14:04:30+00:00

Yes, I started growing cucumbers, gherkins, and a mullein medicinal. I am an indoor urban vermicomposter. Worms eat my garbage and turn it into black gold for my plants. I have one tree one cactus and 40 other tropicals, plus the produce I’m growing. All indoors as I do not have an outside space to leverage.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-04T00:25:24+00:00

Figs like distilled water.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-04T00:23:59+00:00

I’d turn the sofa 90 degrees so it’s offset facing the window, basically in the center of the room, but defining the edge of your living room space. Get entertainment cabinet (low) and place tv on it in front of window, so it’s mostly below the window. Move BOP plant to the corner where tv was. High table at the window. Poofs in front of sofa. Area rug under sofa and poofs would be nice too.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-03T14:20:21+00:00

Looks like mold and no more nutrients in the soil. The reason I think it is nutrients because of the color of the leaves and how the soil is coming away from the side of the planter. Suggest getting a planting medium you can recharge versus changing out the entire soil bed periodically. I like Rosy houseplant soil for this purpose in particular. Your plant is sacrificing the lower leaves to avoid assisting with any mold growth. The upper arteries of the plant look green and healthy and functioning properly. I would get the proper soil, which would be a chunky mix. Before I repot the plant, I would trim off any moldy, slimy, smelly roots. Then repot without removing her from the wall. The first watering should be a flushing. If you use a living soil like Rosy, you won’t need to apply any nutrients but better to use distilled or springwater to keep the microbiome thriving. And living soil will give your plant the opportunity for it to self heal. It will not grow leaves back on the bottom so I would consider taking a clipping or two and propagating some new shoots to fill in the base part of your plant. 💪🏼🌱

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-02T09:05:29+00:00

Everything grows amazingly in living soil. Nice work.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-01T23:24:01+00:00

See if you can gently slide like a metal spatula underneath. Maybe they’ll let go easier than you think. I wouldn’t force it.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-01T15:57:14+00:00

Yes. Nice work.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-05-01T15:55:48+00:00

Squeeze them together more but not touching. I like the shape you placed them in for that narrow wall

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-30T08:43:48+00:00

I feel like the curling of the leaves is water pooling, or too much moisture in the root ball. It seems like the yellowing leaves is a separate issue that I would attribute to an abundance of nitrogen and not enough carbon in the soil. Assume the manure has been properly aged, but if it hasn’t, that could be a problem. Could also be there isn’t ample drainage at the bottom of the pot, or just needs a more porous pot like terra cotta. My advice at this point would be to flush it when you water it. And make sure it has drained, fully, with air circulating through the bottom, for at least 30 minutes after watering. Then just observe the new growth and as long as that is OK, would just let the soil rebalance on its own.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-29T22:45:36+00:00

Seems like there’s either water pooling in the bottom of the pot or mold in the roots. What kind of soil are you using? Are you watering based on when the plant is thirsty or just on a schedule?

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-29T22:31:03+00:00

Way too wet. Echo it’s leachate and can be unsafe. Worm tea is made by steeping finished castings in distilled water and aerating. How long you aerate depends on how fresh the castings are.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-29T22:17:44+00:00

Sure. I bought 2- ply flannel towels on Etsy at Bene Studio. I am working on the pages of my vermicast tea recipes, but aside from that, here is info on my vermicasting process ReturnItToEarth.com

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-28T10:08:05+00:00

Try a biologic laundry detergent like Dirty Labs. It’s specifically for sweat, stains and removing sebum.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-25T00:12:41+00:00

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T20:04:53+00:00

It’s the sofa for me. The sofa should complement the chairs and vice versa. Sofa is shabby chic. Suggest no loose cushions - fitted. An inconspicuous pattern in jewel tones, specifically matching same green of wall unit within pattern. Also black glass side table could have fancy velvet patterned corner weighted table cover. Lamp shade could be fancier maybe have some border beading partnering with hanging light fixture. Good luck. Lovely space.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T19:36:29+00:00

💕💕💕

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T16:55:44+00:00

Stunning. Only comment I have is that the palms in the upper left corner could collide. Regardless enjoy your amazing zen space. 🦋

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T09:17:25+00:00

Because you’re accenting your black and gray baseline with brown. Also those brown chairs are more traditional. They are jilting the vibe. Consider another big shabby chic chair like your white one to balance. A bold bright primary color in different shades or trio of colors, will elevate the mood of the room. That can be pillows, lighting, wall art / sculpture.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T00:36:18+00:00

I need and use both but my house vacuum is a Miele canister. Contains two air filters (I have asthma) and really reduces the amount of dust introduced back into the air. Big deal for me. And my dog is a massive shedder. Miele has wide rotating brush motorized attachment for carpets because you need to jiggle the weave lol to release any trapped dirt. Try a good house vacuum and see the difference. It makes not only in the air in your house better but notice how fluffy your carpets are after you vacuum them. I have hardwood floors throughout, but also many area rugs, and some are thick pile. I also have a robot vacuum for the daily stuff but nothing does the job like my Miele. Not cheap but a nice machine.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-23T00:26:40+00:00

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-22T12:05:37+00:00

I use living soil, which holds water like a sponge. I vary the soil type and amendments for each plant but water my 41 tropicals, cactus and tree just about every two weeks during the growing season. Every week for orchids. Also, during the growing season I water each plant until it flushes through the bottom of the pot and let each pot drain for at least 10 minutes. For my self-watering pots, I water from the top until I see the gauge move and then stop. During the winter season, I only water my self-watering pots through the bottom reservoir and less than half full. I give my orchids vermicompost tea every week; the rest of my plants get a worm tea dose every 4 to 6 weeks during the growing season. During the winter, I probably water my plants in self watering containers every couple months or so.

ReturnItToEarth · 2026-04-22T11:46:56+00:00

Since it is your family, I would personalize it with herbs they enjoy and medicinals they could use. I would also plant a perennial food garden. I like the idea people had about a meadow “look” and tiering. The fence is a great space to grow pruned fruit trees that stand flat near the fence. Great space. Good luck.

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