Sticky Message
recycling in the garden
Good morning everyone, its been awhile since Ive posted . I bought a place in Jan, a fixer upper and I spend most days working on it .
I have taken a little time to start a garden . It wont be a traditional type because I will be using the existing flowrer beds. So far, the little climbing cherry tomato plants are are almost two inches tall and the Drangon tongue beans are about the same. The chard is up also.
Ok, back to the recycling .The soil is very fine dark sand in my area and the water is restricted due to the drought. For the tomatoes, I dug a trench in the sand and lined it with newspapers. Then I filled it with a store bought potting soil and planted the seeds. I watered thoughly and covered them with a strip of old carpet about ta foot wide and maybe twelve feet long . The soil stayed moist under the carpet and after a few days the seedlins poped up. Since they are very fragile at this time, I remove the carpet only when the area is shady. The sun would fry them in a few minutes. At night , it stays off because they need air and light. This method should work for most seeds.
To start seeds in little individual containers, save your cardboard toilet paper rolls . You could use paper towel rolls and cut them to size. Stuff a wad of newspaper or something similiar in one end. Fill the tube with good potting soil and plant your seed. Water good and cover to keep the moisture in for a few days. I check mine daily.
You can go ahead and bury them in the ground or put them in some sort of leakproof container. A box with a plastic trash bag would work.
Berry boxes are good to use for starting seeds. The ones I have are plastic strawberry containers with some holes. I put a coffee filter in the bottom and fill with soil.Plant your seeds , water and close the lid. Check them daily and when they start to germinate , you may want to open the lid for air but dont let them dry out .
Every evening , I dump my accumulated peelings and even some water used to wash my veggies in my flower beds . The water has a little dish liquid in it which may kill some insects in the soil.
Thats all for now and happy gardening.
I have taken a little time to start a garden . It wont be a traditional type because I will be using the existing flowrer beds. So far, the little climbing cherry tomato plants are are almost two inches tall and the Drangon tongue beans are about the same. The chard is up also.
Ok, back to the recycling .The soil is very fine dark sand in my area and the water is restricted due to the drought. For the tomatoes, I dug a trench in the sand and lined it with newspapers. Then I filled it with a store bought potting soil and planted the seeds. I watered thoughly and covered them with a strip of old carpet about ta foot wide and maybe twelve feet long . The soil stayed moist under the carpet and after a few days the seedlins poped up. Since they are very fragile at this time, I remove the carpet only when the area is shady. The sun would fry them in a few minutes. At night , it stays off because they need air and light. This method should work for most seeds.
To start seeds in little individual containers, save your cardboard toilet paper rolls . You could use paper towel rolls and cut them to size. Stuff a wad of newspaper or something similiar in one end. Fill the tube with good potting soil and plant your seed. Water good and cover to keep the moisture in for a few days. I check mine daily.
You can go ahead and bury them in the ground or put them in some sort of leakproof container. A box with a plastic trash bag would work.
Berry boxes are good to use for starting seeds. The ones I have are plastic strawberry containers with some holes. I put a coffee filter in the bottom and fill with soil.Plant your seeds , water and close the lid. Check them daily and when they start to germinate , you may want to open the lid for air but dont let them dry out .
Every evening , I dump my accumulated peelings and even some water used to wash my veggies in my flower beds . The water has a little dish liquid in it which may kill some insects in the soil.
Thats all for now and happy gardening.
