Gentlemen, Start you Seeds!

As gardeners, we know there are certian seeds that are best for starting early and transplanting, and those that much prefer to start their life directly seeded in the ground.

The most obvious veg that we think of are Tomatoes and Peppers. These are 2 plants that most gardeners will start sometime in late Winter (January/February). What do you do, or even have, that will allow you to get the early jump start so you can get these plants in the ground and hope for a good harvest? If you have the means, a heated greenhouse is the way to go but for many, a Southern Exposure (SoEx) windowsill is the best bet and will work perfectly for our seedlings.

My father-in-law, not having a greenhouse or a good SoEx location,  started his seeds in a non-working car he has in his driveway. This is an option I had not heard of before, but definately a unique and outstanding idea, AND he has seedlings to plant in the garden this year!

Of course, there are a couple of drawbacks. (1) The solid roof (no sun/moon roof) does not allow for adequate overhead light, so he added a flourescent for supplemental light. (2) Even on cold days, the sun shining thru the windows heats up the car quite a bit and the windows must be cracked for heat to escape. But really, you can work with that!

So, if you want to start seeds early next year and are lacking a heated greenhouse or a good SoEx window, the old car you happen to have laying around the yard is another great option.

PEAS OUT!
~GP

They DO exist! Those Wonderful Worms!

I remember when I was a kid... out late on Saturday night in the rain with flashlight in tow, my dad not far away as we scoured the lawn looking for nightcrawlers resting on the surface. We were going fishing the next morning.

"Don't shine the light on them or they'll hide" he would warn. The untimate treasure hunt was on.

"I got a big one!" I would rasp across the lawn, in my loudest whisper (so as not to scare the worms of course). "I got another one! Wow, dad, they're EVERYWHERE!"

Can it be true???

The memories came flooding back sending a smile to my lips and chills up my spine as I turned my compost pile this week, unveiling dozens of worms, and in the mix, the elusive nightcrawlers. I couldn't believe it! THEY DO EXIST! I haven't seen worms that size since I was a kid, some the size of a Sharpie! As it turns out, I'm not the only one who loves compost   : )

5" nightcrawler from my compost pile!

The weather has finally turned (welcome, Summer!) and now is a good time to get out there and turn your compost pile. Chances are pretty good that if it's been sitting there all winter, most - if not all - of it can be used directly in your garden & flowerbeds. If it is not quite finished, you can sift it (use 1" hardware cloth, 1/2" if finer siftings are needed) and put the bigger chunks back in the compost pile and let the worms work their magic!

That lawn will also be needing a good haircut, so start a new pile with those clippings.

NOTE:

Compost grass clippings & yard waste, EXCEPT for clippings from lawns where weed-n-feed products or herbicides (weed killers) have been used.  Technically you can compost those clippings, but they should sit for a couple years, and don't use them on/around edibles, or you can send them out with your yard debris recycling.

Hens are mixing the pile...

The hens do their part to keep the compost piles working; funny that they will gobble up the smaller worms, but are not quite sure what to do with the big ones! Really, the nightcrawlers are huge - they're the size of snakes so I would be a bit leary, too!

Keep composting and be kind to your worms - they do great things for your garden.

Dad! Let's go fishin'!

PEAS OUT!
~GP