My nephew has two Guinea Pigs and I noticed they poop a lot. I got to wondering if I can use their droppings for compost and fertilizer? (Kinda like how you would use rabbit droppings.)
Also, if the Guinea Pig poop is okay for compost/fertilizer, can use also compost their soiled bedding (paper pulp pieces, urine and poop)?… or is this not advisable?
Also posted in the compost_wackos community.
This weekend, we had beautiful summer-like weather with highs reaching 78°F (normal average is 63°F). Looks like we are going to have an early spring (which is what I think Mr. Groundhog told us). I remember last year, I couldn’t plant outside until May because he had rain everyday in April.
It’s funny seeing myself plant seeds… Does anyone else sit down cross-legged with slippers and short on and work on the ground like that? I think I need a potting table…
I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and start planting seeds… and I did some massive seed sowing:
– Lemon Cucumber
– Cosmos ‘Picotee’
– Cosmos ‘Sensation Mixed Colors’
– Orange Cosmos from treebreeze (Thank you for these! :)
– Sunflower ‘Summer Sun’ (Ox-Eye) (Heliopsis Scabra)
– Agrostemma ‘Ocean Pearl’
– Strawflower (Helichrysum) Tall Double Mixed Colors
– Nasturtium ‘Jewel Mixed Colors’
– Zinnia ‘Envy’
– Zinnia ‘Candy Cane Mix’
– Zinnia ‘Dahlia Flowered Mixed Colors’
– Zinnia ‘Giant Cactus Mixed Colors’
– Zinnia ‘Thumbelina’
– Lamb’s Ears (I think they are Lamb’s Ears) seeds that I collect from San Anselmo
Spiders, Spiders, Spiders: As I was filling the 6-pack cell pots with soil, I found a Spider living in between them. I released it so it can find a new home. My Mom then noticed a Spider that had made a home in our of our decorative bird house. Then when I was sowing the seeds, I notice hundreds of tiny baby spiders around the 6-packs, so I tried to disperse them around the garden to make new homes.
Peanuts: I also took the Peanut outdoors and repotted it (again) into a larger container (its permanent home) filled with potting soil and a lot of perlite to make the soil really loose.
Garden progress:
Recent blooms: Spring Starflower, Rananculus
About to bloom: the very first Columbine, Pears, Apples, Clematis, Wisteria
Emerging growth: Forsythia leaves, Taro
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Early this morning I went to the San Francisco Botanical Garden Plant Sale with my friend Howard. I purchased a Sempervivum and a type of Crassula. I’ll have to check on the names later.
I also snapped some photos, but left my camera at Howard’s condo… ARGH!… I feel weird without my camera… It’s funny how it’s become a part of me.
When I got home, I noticed that there are about 5 tiny specks of green in my Lithops container. YEAY!!!… Little baby Lithops being born, 3 days after sowing.
I also noticed one of the 12 Japanese Long Purple Eggplants sprouting. It’s been 13 days since I sowed this, so maybe the seeds are not viable… (Pause)… I just checked the seed packet and it was packed for 2003, so they are probably old… I’ll have to plant more of the newer seeds. (I don’t know why I didn’t do this in the first place?)
Garden progress:
Recent blooms: Peaches, Sparaxis Tricolor, Tulip
About to bloom: Italian Plums, Persimmons
Not doing well: some Carnation cuttings, Orange Grafted Cactus
I collected a few cutting along my way to work this morning. I got a sprig of Fairy Crassula (Crassula multicava) and an unusual relative of the Ice Plant (Oscularia deltoides). I also found some Aspargus Fern seeds (Asparagus densiflorus ‘Meyersii’).
Once I got home, I planted these as well as the three other succulents that I found last Saturday.
I sowed a few more seeds:
– Red Pear Tomato from penguingardener
– Wonder Light Tomato (Lemon-like Yellow Heirloom Tomato) also from penguingardener (Thank you, Thank you!!)
– Red Texas Star Hibiscus from gypsy_soul
– Pink Flowering Maple (Abutilon) also from gypsy_soul (Thank you, Thank you!!)
A few more seed just started to sprout:
– Orange Ornamental Peppers from Virginia (sown 3/1, 7 days)
– Calendula ‘Pacific Beauty’ (sown 2/20, 16 days)
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
This evening I finally planted the 100 Lithops seeds that I got from eBay.
Don’t let the size of these seeds fool you… They are tiny! For comparison, I placed grains of sand which are the larger pieces in the center of the photo.
I drilled holes on the bottom of a plastic storage container (4.5 x 7 inches), then filled it with strained potting soil mixed with crushed perlite and sand.
To make sowing the tiny Lithops seeds easier, I mixed the seeds with sand then sprinkled the mixture on top of the soil. I hope these all grow.
I also transplanted the Peanuts that I just planted 12 days ago into a larger container. They have grown very quickly and I don’t think I’ll have room for them in my room. I’m hardening them off by placing them on my window sill until I bring them outside and plant them in an even larger container.
I was watching “Secret Gardens of Palm Beach County” (episode 608) on HGTV and saw a very interesting plant called Popcorn Cassia (Cassia didymobotrya). It had pretty yellow flowers and the crushed leaves has the scent of popcorn or peanut butter.
I wonder if these will survive in our area.
Don’t use the bathroom after handling Chili Pepper seeds…
I had quite a few gardening activity in the past few days…
Thursday, March 1, 2007
I had a dream that the 99¢ store had new Cactus and Succulents, so I stopped by after work. I purchased two grafted Cactus and a Agave/Aloe-looking plant.
One of the Orchids (Dendrobium kingianum) I purchased at the 2007 Pacific Orchid Exposition just started to bloom with slightly fragrant tiny purplish flowers.
Friday, March 2, 2007
My coworker Tausha got a bouquet of flowers for Valentine’s Day. The flowers are now spent, but she saved the Carnations (and Lisianthus) for me. I’m going to take cuttings and see if they root.
A few days ago, one of our freelancers at work discovered that I was into plants. We then started taking about a Begonia he had and flipped through a Loggee’s catalog to see if we can find it. Well, we didn’t… Yesterday, he brought in a cutting of the Begonia for me. I potted it up once I got home.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
As I returning my library books to the library, I noticed that they were have a huge book sale. I got 5 books and 6 magazines for $2.00. That’s 50¢ per inch thickness and these added up to about 4 inches. GOOD DEAL!!!
I then drove to the Sonoma Orchid Society Orchid Show and Sale 2007. See previous entry for more detail.
After the Orchid show, I went to hang out with my friends Bill and Howard and watch the Chinese New Years Parade (on TV). Howard want to plant his succulents in a bigger pot so I passed by Home Depot to get some Cactus soil and Perlite for him.
I swear, it seems like they are either careless in shelving their plants or accidentally bump into it with a forklift, because they have dirt and plant pieces on the ground. I know they are just going to sweep it up and throw it in the garbage, so I rescued the three succulents.
Howard also gave be some pieces of the succulents he potted up.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
I rested and did laundry most of the day, but later in the afternoon, I took my Mom out to go shopping.
We went to the 99¢ store and I bought another Cactus, an Coleus and a Peat Pellet Mini-Greenhouse. My Mom bought herself a Gardening Scissor.
We also stopped by Michael’s because they had a sale on small Terra Cotta Pots. They were 3 pots/$1.00 so I bought 24 total. Just in time for me to plants all those Succulents I bought from the Orchid show.
Looking back at this entry… I did a lot of shopping… but they were all good deals!!!… and for gardening!!!