Here's a funny story... I don't know if I posted it last year, but I made a compost bin out of one of those 13 or 18 gallon rubbermaid bins. Yep, I drilled a ton of holes in it, and started to fill it periodically with greens (fruit and vegetable scraps, grass cuttings from my parent's lawn), and browns (leaves, newspapers, cardboard). It worked for the most part. There was definitely a learning curve of how much to add and when. However, I don't get much sunlight on my patio, so the bin never really heated up like it should have. I got some soil out of it by the end, and I put it in my pots and out beyond our patio...
Well, I want to say that I dumped the bin contents in the fall... or early winter. Apparently some of the seeds from the items tossed in the bins fully decomposed, because I have a tomato forest beyond my patio, tomatoes growing out of my blueberry plant, in my star jasmine, and a couple other empty pots AND a strawberry plant in the little black pot! The 2 biggest and strongest of the tomato plants are behind Johnny. They are definitely taller than 6ft tall now! These photos were taken at the beginning of the week. And the plants aren't 6 feet tall because they are extra super awesome - it's from the lack of sunlight on my patio and they are reaching for whatever light they can get. But yeah, they are still awesome. :)
I do have to say my patio garden this year, is almost all by the will to survive. There was no new plants that I grew from seed or bought from the nursery or Home Depot. The story on the gladiola is that was given to me by my father in-law and I had it in this bin in my house for many months, thinking - I'll plant it soon... well it wasn't until it started sprouting inside our apartment - with no water and practically all shade!! So, I stuck him in the ground and look at him go! :D Then there's the little succulent - in the same pot as the strawberries. Johnny and I found him as we were walking back from taking the trash out. He was lying on the sidewalk! I thought, "hmm, I wonder if he will survive if I replant him." Well, it's been about a week, and he's alive still!
The jalapeño plant is actually from last years seedling. So, he's still producing! :)
Well, that's all I have to report for now! I should grow something else... maybe cucumbers. However, I don't want to do too much more, cause we'd really like to find a house in the next month or two... If you could keep that in prayer, that'd be great. We are month to month and don't want to pay that much for much longer. Thanks!
So far summer has been great. This past weeks weather has been awesome! We had great, great beach weather on Tuesday, then Thursday's beach weather was SUPER cloudy and cold. We brought sweatshirts and a blanket. :) Later that night, it rained!! Like a lot of rain! When was the last time it rained July? However, because of all the thunderstorms we have super humid weather! I know it's nothing like the midwest or east coast gets, but it's enough. ;-)
That's all for now. Thanks for listening!
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| Johnny Boy and the super tall tomato plants, the gladiola, jalapeños, strawberry and the little succulent. 7/9/12 |
