Planned to compost the spent garden plants this weekend anyway…. …might as well have some help since she figured out how to open the garden gate.
popcorn sprouts
Kind of miraculous, these…. I make popcorn by tossing kernels in a bowl made for making popcorn in the microwave (no oil or butter — just kernels). Usually there are a few unpopped kernels left. Those get tossed into the compost bin. This morning when I emptied my kitchen compost bucket into the big outside compost bin, I noticed a dozen or so sprouts. It took me a moment to realize they were from the tossed popcorn kernels. Amazing that even after several minutes in the microwave these guys still had so much life in them. A miracle, really.
center garden plan
Center garden area planned, seeds I either have or are on the way. In the center garden this coming spring I’m trying: Tomatoes (Solar Flair, Cherokee Purple, Black Beauty, Black Cherry, Purple Bumble Bee) Artichokes (Imperial Star — seedlings already started!) Crookneck Squash (Early Golden Summer) Cauliflower (Purple of Sicily) Cabbage (Mammoth Red Rock) Broccoli (Waltham 29) Beets (Chiogga, Crosby Egyptian) Leeks (Megaton, Lexton) Swiss Chard (Five Color Silver Beet) Carrots (Atomic Red, Purple Dragon, Pusa Asita Black, Yellow Bunch) Lettuce (Flash Butter Gem, Flame, Garnet Rose) Orach (Magenta Magic) Chilies (Purple Jalapeno, Green Jalapeno, Goat’s Horn, Chocolate Habanero, Cayenne) Flowers (Nasturtium, Poppies, Sunflowers, others TBD) Red Currants (Rovada) Gooseberries
January 30, 2016
winter learnings
It’s been nine months since we moved here to Planet B. In that time, here are a few random things I’ve learned: You can successfully store cheese without refrigeration by painting it with cheese wax and hanging it in a climate controlled area. Mice, too, like climate controlled areas in winter, can jump really high, and think cheese is yummy. They are also industrious and like to nest in engine blocks — it doesn’t seem to matter that the car is being driven. Mine gathered its nesting material partly from the cheese wax and partly from the dried grass under the lawnmower — both of which are quite a distance in opposite directions
April 6, 2015
two-part composting
Plum pits from yesterday’s jam making are destined for the compost bin. I started with a worm compost bin only — which is where the plum pits are going. Here’s what the worm compost looks like before adding the pits: Originally I thought I could do all my composting in the worm bin. I learned, though, that worms take a long time to break down grain, vegetable and fruit scraps into the “black gold” you’re starting to see in the picture above. They can process about 1/2 a gallon of scraps a month. Unless I wanted to take up more valuable space for a much larger worm compost bin —
September 18, 2014