Growing like Weeds

I believe this is the third post about my dandelion growing escapades. Here's the latest on the container of weeds:

Growing like weeds should...

You can't see it on this picture, but the big plant in the middle with visible wrinkles in its four broad, ridged leaves, has a furry stem. It's almost definite that there's grass (on the left). What I thought were dandelions (the three lobed saplings) are being dwarfed by everything else. The leaf that's poking out (and out of focus) and the leaf on the extreme right are my best bets for dandelion-like weeds. It's a shame, I won't get to toast the roots of these dandelions. They'll probably be too entangled with the other weeds.

What happens when backyard soil is used..

So I've already talked about planting dandelions. I guess the side effect of saving money and using backyard soil is that there can be contamination. Witness:

Now I have no idea what is what. There's some grass (I think) growing at the left most corner. But what are the rest? There are at least 5 different types of plant growing here. I guess time will tell. I should probably move them into a larger/deeper pot at some point.

Lesson to be learned? It's fun to use random soil.

Dandelions + Container = Easy House Plant

I was out walking when it occurred to me that I could grow dandelions as a house plant. Why would I want to do that? A little Google-fu will tell you that (young) dandelion leaves make for a good salad and that dandelion roots are good as a coffee substitute when roasted and ground into a powder. Let us not forget the humble 'Dandelion and Burdock' fizzy drink. They're also phenomenally easy to grow. Just mix a load of the seeds into the topsoil of pot of garden soil (don't waste your money with potting soil), water it to keep it moist every few days and you'll find a few little saplings within 2 weeks.

If you really cared about the dandelions, you could use potting soil and liquid plant feed. They actually prefer a sunny spot on your window ledge, with soil that has good drainage (c.f. your garden lawn).

These popped up overnight after being planted for just under a week. I used the macro lens of my compact camera to capture the image. Each leaf is only a few millimetres across.