Well There's Good News & Bad News

Good News First...

I made "Compost Tea"!

I expect that I'll dial in the process in the future, but for a first attempt I think it went well.

So, First I watched a bunch of you tube videos about making the tea and then I totally modified everything to fit with what I already had.



Here's MBC.
I have it divided in half now because it makes compost much faster this way.

 I sift it through this bucket, that my sweet and handsome husband Chris, made for me.

I end up with this. It's beautiful compost and I get a great upper body workout from shaking it all through the sifter bucket. I'm convinced that I'll soon have American Gladiator Girl Arms.

pretty pretty pretty nice...

perfection

Meanwhile, in another corner of the backyard, I'd been saving rainwater in a rubber-made container.

 This was necessary because our tap water has chloramine in it. Chloramine will kill the microorganisms that you're trying to grow and it won't "gas off" like regular chlorine, yuck. 

I could have used tap water and just treated it with aquarium tap water dechlorination drops, but I didn't. Although, I do have them. I decided that the rainwater would be better because well, my plants just love rainwater! 

So, I put a little compost in the leg of a pair of pantyhose that had a run in them and hung it in the container along with a water pump.

Now, I know you're supposed to use an air stone to keep the tea aerobic, but I didn't have one. I had a pump. So, oh well!

I say "Get Over It" to the Tea Nazis!

 Later, I decided to hang it from a fence post.

 I let this sit for like 12 hours then removed the Tea bag and added watermelon juice. They reccomended molasses, but - again - that is not what I had.

10 hours later I sprayed it on everything!

 This...

 and this...

and these...

And this stuff too.

Now for the Bad News...

I found some Squash Bugs and their Evil Eggs!

I ran this leaf through the garbage disposal

So, I guess it's go time.

That's right! I'm coming for you squash bugs and I don't care how bad you stink when I squish you. 

What a Difference a Weekend Makes

For the last three years my family has attended Backwoods Bash over Memorial Day Weekend. It's super FUN! We camp and listen to great music. When we return home my garden has always changed.

This year, I returned to find a ton of green tomatoes, roses covered with a second flush of buds, 3 to 4 fat baby squash and one huge bell pepper. I also found a ton of weeds. (yeah, those jerks!)

I spent my first morning home pulling weeds and sitting in the garden. I love that. I love just sitting out there when it's still early and everything is beautiful. This morning while I was enjoying the zen of the garden I was pooped on by a bird. That brings you right back to reality. Thank you random bird, for reminding me that we are all connected and while I may think my life and garden are profound, really they're just your restroom. 

In other news, my orange lilies are blooming!

A Remedy for Seed Packet Chaos

I have never been accused of being an organized person. In someways I'm really thankful for that, but it wasn't serving me well in the realm of seeds. 

Until recently, I kept all of my seed packets in a really pretty box. A box which I often lost. Yeah, I'm quite the chronic loser.

Good Grief

So, if confronted with seed displays while out and about I'd commonly buy stuff I had at home or, even worse, I'd freak out and not buy something because I thought I had it. 

SO, WHAT'S THE SOLUTION!? 

Well, I saw this awesome idea on "Gardening by the Yard." 

A Great Show hosted by a Tulsa Local

First, I grabbed the mystery box of seeds from under a pile of plastic pots in the garage or somewhere similar

Then I laid them all out 

(this picture keeps loading upside down, whatever.)

Then in one of my old school binders I filled plastic photo holders with the seed packets.

.

I held them in the little pouches with a piece of tape

 This was looking pretty good! So, now what?

Should I carry this binder at all times? 

Should I memorize it page by page? 

Should I just forget the whole thing and take a nap?

NO! I should do data entry... (lame)

So, I entered everything into MS Excel and made a spreadsheet (gag!)

The end result is that I am now able to print off a very portable list of my seed catalog. 

HEY! I can probably even load it on to my phone so I'll never be without this valuable information.

I envision a lot of efficiently purchased seeds in my future!!!

I still have all of my flower packets to do, but Pa'Sha to that!

What's in My Garden? (2011)

Here's what  I have so far...

30 different edibles growing this year (not counting herbs).

I've provided links to some of the plants. I tried to find reputable sites. 

1. Asparagus (jersy) 

2. Asparagus (mary washington) 

3. Bell Pepper (better bell, green)

4. Bell Pepper (golden bell, yellow) 

5. Blueberries (type 1) 

6. Blueberries (type 2)

7. Blueberries (type 3) 

I lost the information for the blueberries, but I know I chose them to cross pollinate for a larger yield 

8. Broccoli (calabrese)  

just pulled these out because I wasn't happy with them and I wanted more room for a modified 3 Sisters Garden 

9. Brussels Sprouts 

10. Cantaloupe (hale's best jumbo) 

11. Cantaloupe (sweet'n early hybrid) 

12. Carrots (danvers) 

13. Garlic (late season) 

14. Green Beans (bush blue lake symphony)

15. Lettuce (grandpa admire's) 

16. Melon Green Flesh (eden's gem)

17. Onions (yellow)

18. Pepper (tabasco) 

I had no idea how hot this cultivar was when I picked it out. Oh well... 5,000 to 30,000 Scoville Units

19. Pumpkin (jack O'lantern)  

growing in the chickens yard

20. Raspberries 

yeah once again I have no idea what type

21. Spinach (bloomsdale long-standing) 

22. Squash (summer crookneck)  

23. Squash (early prolific straight neck)  

24. Strawberries (ever-bearing ) 

25. Strawberries (june-bearing, early) 

the strawberries are from last years garden, but I have them potted up now

26. Sweet Corn (ambrosia hybrid)

first time growing corn

27. Tomato (better boy) 

28. Tomato (cherry, Lycopersicon hybrid) 

28. Watermelon (bush sugar baby) 

30. Watermelon (sweet crimson)  

I'm excited to see if I'll have enough room!!! I plan to use trellising for somethings, but it's all looking pretty tight.

Oh no, is that "tight" like in cool hip slang or "tight" like squeezed to close!?

Only time will tell...

Thank You Come Again.

ALERT: EARTHWORM FROM MARS!!!

"AHH, there's a snake in My Beloved Compost!! Wait, no it's just the BIGGEST WORM EVER!!!"

I pulled this beauty out of my pile and it has caused me to question things...

You see, it's like 5 times bigger than all of the red wigglers (Which I added a while ago) so...

(a) It's just a Super-Sized Mutant red wiggler (It does look red-ish) or 

(b) It's a regular sized Native worm of which I am not familiar

I was unable to get accurate measurements on the creature (it kept changing lengths), but It was about 7 inches long and as big around as my pinky finger. (WHAT!? Yeah)

(you may think that's a penny... it's a dinner plate)

So anyway, I named it "Babe the Big Worm" and released it back into my beloved compost (MBC). 

I must also report that this has left me with quite a sense of accomplishment. As I set the monster free I smiled and thought, "Well, I sure do raise-up some big ol' worms." 

World Record Worm : Microchaetus rappi or "Giant South African Earthworm"

***Update*** GGG says it's a Night Crawler. She had a bunch of them in Her Beloved Compost back in Humbolt Co. (See, I told you I was totally NorCal). It's a great spooky name for a BIG Worm, though!!