TWENTY-THREE IS THE NUMBER 03/26/2010
 Twenty-three years ago today, I went into labor. Twenty-three hours later...HE showed up. All red and screaming, with one eye open, just so he wouldn't miss anything, I am sure. He is the best thing I have ever done...hands down! I couldn't be more proud how he has turned out...so far. As I look back on this day, I have to be mindful of how different I am since then. Being his Mom has made me a better person. He is my biggest fan. He encourages me to be so much more than I would have been without him. Thanks for being my Son, for making my dreams of being a Mom come true. For making my dreams have meaning. I love you more than words can say. Happy Labor day...I guess you could say. A MORGAN IS A DRAFT HORSE 03/13/2010
 This where I took the tumbleweeds. From here it doesn't look too bad. We have an acre so we have more space to spread out.  I have now walked around the pile a bit so you can see how spread out it is. Today I need to call the fire station so I can burn these before they blow away...into Some neighbor's yard. That won't help my shaky standing with the neighbors. Just so you know...I had to drag a bunch of tree limbs back here BEFORE I drug the tumbleweeds back here. What a Morgan... Why I needed the worm castings... 03/09/2010
 If you look real close at the tomato stems, you can see fuzzy little hairs. These little hairs will become roots. Also, see how "leggy" the sprouts look? See how the "dirt" doesn't come up all the way to the top? I did that for a reason. In the gardening section, I told about transferring my worms to new bedding. The old bedding being worm castings or poo. I needed to have the castings for my sprouts. I made my starter mix which is: Starter mix 1 part vermiculite 1 part perlite 2 parts spagum moss moisten with enough water to saturate fill cups 2/3 full, add seeds,cover lightly. Keep moist and in full sun for 8 hours a day.  Here is my starter mix. It is still dry. I am using a 2 1/2 gal water jug as bucket...sort of. I have cut the front off and can still use the handle. Right now I am measuring the dry starter mix. I would guess it is about 2 gallons.  I added it to a 5 gallon bucket.  I then added 3 cups of water, 32 oz each cup. I could have added 1 more cup. I didn't want soup.  I then added 2 cups of worm castings and mixed together well. MY FERTILIZER MIX 2 Gallon of dry starter mix 128 oz. water, warm is best 64 oz worm castings mix completely add to cups, water from the bottom.  This is what my fertilizer mix looks like. I am just experimenting with this mix right now. If it burns my tomatoes, I will start again...but I think this is more of a light feeding. Especially the way I used it. Worm castings are the best fertilizer because it is already broke down molecule wise so it is readily accessible to the plants. This might be what turns my plants from Jekyll to Hyde. They could turn out to be spectacular! I get so excited! I need to get out more! Anyway...  I took a spoon and my fertilizer mix and carefully spooned it around the shoots.   Then I gently pressed it close around the shoot and firmed it up a little till the cups were full.  Here they are, cups all full with fertilizer goodness, and if you look close enough...the first "true" tomato leaf. I want you to also notice how the plants look... more sturdy with the dirt around them. Let's see how fast they grow with a little food.... ********************** |  Trish Westfall
Just trying to get back to basics. Gardening. Canning. This is what America was founded on. Using less additives and preservatives helps those with allergy's and sensitivities. ArchivesJuly 2010 CategoriesAll |
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