Eggs for Tomatoes

This year I'm feeding eggs to my tomatoes.

Eggshells, I mean. Tomatoes love calcium, which eggshells are full of. Calcium helps prevent blossom end rot, and contributes to general health. Since I did so damned badly with my tomatoes last year, I'm hoping that this helps.

Grind the shells into a very fine powder, using a coffee grinder, spice grinder, or a mortar and pestle. Then MIX 'EM INTO THE DIRT.

I've been washing my used eggshells, and then baking them on low heat (about 300 degrees F) for a while, until they're hot and brittle (and, importantly, sterile). I have a granite mortar that I pour them into, and every time I go into the kitchen, I give it a few good grinds with the pestle. Eventually I get them ground into a fine powder.

Today I planted some tomato seeds (Principe Borghese plum tomatoes, if you're wondering). I washed out an empty plastic cat litter container, which I'll be using to mix soil from now on. I put in some of the soil I'm using in my containers this year, and thoroughly, by hand, mixed the eggshells in. If you're doing this, you'll be able to see the fine white specks of it throughout the soil when you're done. I then mixed the eggshell-enriched soil in with the regular, by layers, as I filled the pot up. I used about four eggs' worth of powder in this. Peppers like calcium, too, so I'll be sprinkling ground shells around the plants as they grow, since it's too late to mix them into the soil now.

I've also read suggestions of soaking clean eggshells in water. Apparently the calcium easily leaches into the water, which can then be used to water plants. It sounds very convenient, but I still prefer the powder. There's just something I love about getting my hands right into the dirt.

March 2015

I've been gone for a long while! I suppose life just caught up to me - I'm working two jobs, and most weeks don't have a day off. This winter was pretty dreary, too, just rain, and weather too cold to grow anything. The hydrangea and roses lost their leaves. Our jasmine and dahlias died. It was a relentless procession of days of going to and from work in the rain.

But Spring is finally here, and I'm starting to feel better.

I've been cooking more - beef and potato stew; buttermilk cinnamon pancakes; homemade pho; lemon sugar scones.

I've started several plants, but cautiously and carefully, in the pots I intend to grow them in. I think that a big part of my failure last year was beginning too early, and starting them in the peat pots, which didn't keep them at the right temperature or dampness. There isn't a lot of sun yet - in fact the entire week so far is supposed to be rain - so I'm hoping the seedlings will be all right.

How about some pictures?

That's a pepper sprout! I planted ten seeds, and so far, four have germinated. The low germination rate might be because the seeds were left over from last year, but they might not be done yet. We'll see. Anyway, I've been keeping the pot covered in plastic wrap, and well-misted with water mixed with a bit of epsom salts. When the seedlings started to come up, I propped the plastic wrap up with little sticks, to keep it from crushing them. I hope I can uncover them soon, but the weather needs to be a bit warmer and sunnier first.

These are all basil. One of Minette, one of Siam Queen (Thai basil), and one of Sweet Genovese. I planted the seeds yesterday, so hopefully there will be sprouts soon.

What's happening outdoors?

The Beloved's hydrangea bush is ALIIIIVE!

The beebalm has started growing between the pathway stones. I love the natural rustic sort of look of that.

I thought that the clematis was dead. I nearly pulled it up! I'm so glad I decided to wait - it's growing like crazy now.

If you look at these last few pictures, you can see the little divider I made of grey wallstone. I plan to do the next side as well, once I can get over my reluctance to carry 42 lb of stone home by hand again.

That's probably enough for one post. Next post: eggs for tomatoes!

Garden Progress: Before and After

It's been a long time since I updated here! Working two jobs (and often working entire weeks without days off) I've been rather lazy about maintaining things online. But, never fear, I'm putting in a bit more effort to be prompt now.

Anyway, I haven't been neglecting my garden! I thought that it might be fun to post some before and after pictures.

April 2014. Nothing. And boring.

July 2014. Much better! The bright red flowers are dahlias. The lawn, however, is slowly dying. I don't have access to a hose or water spigot, so I do all my watering by hand with a watering can. Unfortunately it'd take about a hundred trips to soak the lawn properly, and I just don't care enough about it to do so.

Do you see the dead plant in the middle? That's not mine. The neighbours noticed that my garden was doing well, and brought over a dead plant with a sign on it (you can see it still there) reading 'Help Me!' I've been doing my best, but unfortunately, it was already gone. Also, as you can see, it's a bit cluttered. That's something I still have to fix. The long red container in the center has little tiny pepper plants starting to grow. I started them from seed and for ages, nothing came up at all, until a few weeks ago. I hope that they can fruit before the season ends!

Anyway, here's another few pictures:

Another one, from a distance. You can see the rose bushes on either side and the strawberry basket hanging up by the pillar on the left.

My violas and dahlias are in bloom! That huge plant next to the dahlias is beebalm. It hasn't flowered yet, and I hope it does so soon. The leaves smell so good, though.

Hydrangea and Double Lavender Superbells (Calibrachoa). Again, waiting for flowers from the hydrangea, but there is a tiny cluster of buds, so it might be soon!

One of the June roses. Soon after they began blooming, something killed off the blossoms! With luck they'll go a second round before the summer's through.

Jasmine plant: July 2014

Jasmine plant: May 2014

The rose on the left side. In the background are ginger geranium and a flower I've forgotten the name of, but which has an abundance of gorgeous coral star-shaped flowers. The plant next to the rose bush, on the white lattice, is my cucumber! It's gotten huge, and there are several little cucumbers growing.

It's been awesome planting and watching everything grow. I already have plans for next year, but we'll see how things go.

And yes, the guy in the reflection on the doors is me. If I'd realized I'd show up, I'd have dressed better!

Project #1: Seedlings: First Seedlings!

First of all, look at how my two garlics are growing!

I just realized that there's tinsel under that box? The cat must have put it there??? I don't understand, we had no tinsel this Christmas...

Anyway, on to the seedlings.

I must be honest. It had been well over two weeks, and I was despairing. At around 10 days, I checked the soil, wondering why nothing had deigned to sprout for me. To my surprise, it was dry under the first few milimeters. I'd been noticing that the little containers seemed to go dry very quickly, but I was misting them several times a day, so I thought it was fine. After discovering the dryness, of course, I decided to try another tactic and began watering from the bottom every few days, and pouring water directly on top every day. That seemed to work better.

But still there was no sign of anything sprouting, not even when I watered them yesterday (so, at day 16).

Then, this morning, I went to do the watering, and suddenly, there were sprouts. Three different containers had sprouted:

The thyme;

The Candy-Stripe Cosmos:

and the lavender:

This isn't a plant but it is cute:

She thinks I'm an idiot for freaking out over tiny green things.

How or why they all seemingly sprouted overnight, I'm not sure. I did have a weird dream right before I woke up this morning - something about pulling a big plant out of my seedling pots and seeing that the seeds had started sprouting. An interesting coincidence - I think maybe I noticed the sprouts subconsciously or something when I watered them yesterday? Well, whatever caused it, I'm pretty darn excited. Here's hoping they survive!

Project #1: Kitchen Composter plus Bonus Picture

The Kitchen Composter. Eco-friendly? Probably. Laurence-friendly? We'll see.

So the other day, I saw this at work. It was the only one there, and since I was feeling paranoid about my plants not getting enough nutrients and such, I bought it. It's stainless steel and has a filter in the lid to prevent any smells. And, it is pretty adorable for something that is essentially a little garbage digester.

Of course, after the fact, I do a bit of research, and it seems that I won't be able to actually make compost in such a tiny bin? I'm thinking that I may have to get another, larger one to keep on the patio, which is annoying, as I must ensure it is a) smell-proof, so as not to upset the neighbors or the strata; b) rat-proof, because we live right by the dumpsters and rats like to frolic about in our shrubbery; and c) inexpensive and reasonably attractive.

I really like the idea of a worm composting bin. Worms are cool and not smelly, and worm castings are supposed to be excellent compost. I wonder if I could get a few worms and just put them right in the bin? I do keep the bin indoors, after all. I'm seriously considering joining a gardening community online just so I can bother them with my asinine inquiries.

Anyway, in the meantime, I've been trying to be careful about what I put in my compost.

Pretty, pretty garbage.

That means nothing with seeds (such as tomato seeds) that might decide to randomly grow, no dairy, no meat or fat, etc. I do put my used teabags in, after removing the labels and staples. It seems to be handling it all well so far.

Meanwhile, today is Day 9 of Project #1. Here is what our garlic looks like now:

So proud of that stupid little sprout!

That's a terrible picture, but you get the idea. I'm not sure why the soil is cracking, since I keep it pretty moist. Well, whatever, as long as my sprout is happy.

Unfortunately, that is the only thing that has sprouted so far. I know I should be patient, but I'm starting to get worried. Seven of my seeds could have germinated by now, but haven't. I don't want to have to start over, but I guess I will if I have to. I refuse to give up, damn it!

And now, for the bonus picture, the thing everyone wants to see: my cat.

She is proud of the garlic sprout too. We look at it together. Seriously.

Project #1: Seedlings: First Sprout!

I went to do the evening watering today (Day 5 of Project #1) when I noticed, in the garlic pot, my very first sprout! Granted, the garlic was already sprouting the tiniest bit when I planted it, but this is remarkable all the same. It's growing... alive... thanks to me! I feel like a very proud dad/mad scientist.

The garlic at planting time.

The first sprout!

ISN'T IT BEAUTIFUL? Almost a shame I plan to eat it later.

Project #1: Seedlings: Day 5

Accused of attempted murder.

So this morning I get up to make the caffeine I require in order to survive, and I discover that Gala Apple V had been knocked over in the night. And it was clear who the antagonist was.

Caught returning to the scene of the crime.

I'm pretty sure that it was accidental, as my cat is actually normally very good around plants. Although I've caught her a few times before rubbing her face against the seedlings, making them tip precariously, this is the first time one actually fell over. As you can see, I have yet to buy a tray for my impromptu apple pots, so maybe once I get one they'll have more stability.

I fixed Gala Apple V back up - fortunately, only a bit of the top soil was disturbed, the seed stayed nicely put away - and will buy them all a tray today.

Besides that, I will have yet another look for Bee Balm. I don't want to buy it online because then I will be tempted to buy other things as well (you know, to 'make it worth the shipping', that age-old justification of online shopping addicts everywhere). I don't even get paid until this Friday and I already have plans for all of my spare cash.

Nothing has sprouted above the soil yet, and I'm very disappointed. It's hard not to try and take another look at how the garlic is doing, but I've resisted so far. Tomorrow, I'm not so sure. Savory is supposed to be 5-21 days to germinate, so there's a tiny possibility that I'll see it soon.

Turns out that gardening from seed isn't ideal for the impatient. Maybe this will be good for me. Maybe I'll become veritably Zen-like in my patience and lofty moral character. Or, maybe I'll end up digging furtively through soil every night to see if my garlic has grown another millimeter yet.

Project #1: Seedlings: Days 2 and 3

Since I was at the store on the 1st (Canadian Tire, if you must know, which is the only place I've found so far that is carrying seeds this early) I picked up some flower seeds: Candy Stripe Cosmos; Viola (Comedy Mixed), and Dwarf Munstead Lavender.

They're all able to be grown in containers (I hope!) and I chose them to draw more bees and butterflies come Summer. Also, I figure that the lavender might have some other uses, such as in bathwater (or in cooking, if I'm feeling particularly adventurous).

Estimated germination times:

Cosmos: 7-10 days
Viola: 20-50 days
Lavender: 20-50 days

I'm keeping an eye out for Bee Balm. If I can't find any in the next month or so I suppose I'll have to order it online, which is an expense I don't need, but I'm determined to have the damn things.

Then, today, I was cutting up some fruit for breakfast and decided to try my hand at planting some more seeds. Unfortunately, the only two seeds I got from the Moro Blood Orange were both cut with the knife, one more severely than the other:

The two injured Moro Blood Orange seeds.

The organic Gala Apple seeds, with the exception of one, escaped unscathed:

The one seed now has an impressive scar to show the ladies but his life will never be the same.

 I put all the seeds in water to keep wet while I finished breakfast, and then later in the day I planted them. The orange seeds I put together, since they're both damaged anyway. The apple seeds I put in individual pots, labeling the cut one. I made up five apple pots all together, throwing away the other pips, since on the off-chance that they all sprout I don't actually need a forest of apple trees in my living room, even though that sounds really awesome.

I'm not sure about the germination times for the oranges and apples - I figure I'll just wait it out and see. If nothing happens, I'll try some other methods beyond simply planting them straight from the fruit.

A confession: I got impatient tonight (already!) and took a look at how the garlic was doing. It does seem to be growing a bit. I covered it back up with soil and am going to try to leave it alone now.

Project #1: Seedlings: Day One (Jan. 31st)

As mentioned, I'm making an effort to document my various projects and experiments. Here is my first project - starting seedlings for an apartment/patio garden.

This is what I started with on January 31st:

Peat seeding pots; seed starter; potting mix; various seeds; and a small black cat.

Seeds: Summer Savory; Flat Parsley; Cilantro; Lady Bug Cherry Tomato; Rosemary; Greek Oregano; Minette Basil; Sage, and Thyme.

I also had:

two cloves of garlic that had started sprouting - just a tiny bit of green on the top and really small nubby rootlets;

three mystery citrus seeds that I had put aside a week ago and can't recall if they were from a lemon, orange, or blood orange, which probably won't sprout because I left them to dry on the counter all week;

and three fresh organic lemon seeds, rinsed off and planted immediately.

The sprouting garlic and mystery citrus.

The garlic, ready to be planted - the only one not staring in a peat pot.

The various plants, watered and ready to be shoved behind a box next to the heater.

For those who are wondering how long results will take, these are the estimated germination times:

Basil: 7-14 days

Cilantro: 7-14 days

Oregano: 14-21 days

Parsley: 10-28 days

Rosemary: 7-28 days

Sage: 7-14 days

Savory: 5-21 days

Thyme: 14-28 days

Tomato: 7-14 days

Garlic: already sprouting

Mystery Citrus: ?

Fresh lemon: 2 weeks to 1 month, possibly longer

I planted three seeds to a pot, except for the two garlic and the ones with really tiny seeds, in which case it probably ended up more like 9 to a pot (oh well). My plan is to take the best seedling from each for my kitchen herb garden, and then plant the rest in big containers and let them flower outside to attract bees, butterflies, and neighbors for my cat to watch through the window.

The soonest I can expect any sprouts would be on Feb. 5th, possibly sooner if the garlic grows fast. I have no idea how quickly garlic grows, so we will have to wait and see.