Mardi Gras Queen Basil

I had a little crafty fun today and made a pot for some basil that popped up in the middle of my thyme. I used a milk carton draped with a pretty plastic shopping bag. I felt a bit fancy and added the mardi-gras beads at the end.
Hey, I think I figured out something with my camera that makes the pictures better! I send them from my phone to email. This time I opened "view" first, then "save as.." and I got a nicer pic. Yay!

Fertilizing with Terracycle Worm Castings

We had a two-day cold snap so the plants are inside. I gave them all some fertilizer before moving back to the sunshine. Following the directions, I added a teaspoon to each 4" pot (even newly planted or transplanted) 2 teaspoons for 6" to 10" pots, and 3 teaspoons for anything larger.

New Planting

Today I seeded three 4" pots with sage, cilantro, and rosemary. The soil was a bit chunky with twigs. The soil I used was Ortho organic soil since my compost is not ready. I wet the soil before setting the seeds. I made three teaspoon sized depressions in the soil of each pot and spilled 1 to 3 seeds in each then pressed down. Expected germination is 2 to 3 weeks.

Composting Hindsight

The compost that is in the last stage is telling me that the dry leaves need a second look as to when and how they enter into the process. They have not broken down at all. I imagine this could be resolved by the introduction of worms at the last stage. Additionally, since I must scale this operation to work in an apartment, perhaps I need to pick up a food processor to help speed up the process.

Drying Thyme & Basil

A garden offers so much more around an apartment than does furniture. Everyday there is something new to pick and pluck, plant and water, smell and taste. I feasted on my one strawberry. There are five more growing that should be ripe at the same time. I think I will have them on a bed of salad greens with walnuts and a nice vinaigrette.
I snipped a bunch of thyme and a bunch of Basil. I am drying them and at the same time, they add a subtle aroma to the dining area as well as a festive blessing to the whole apartment. Peace

Wah Lah..the color red..how does nature do this magic?

How pretty.. my first bloom dropped from the budding plant weeks ago and the center of it swelled into a piece of green fruit. Overnight, the green fruit mystically changed to red. A scientific explanation would dismiss the magic but not my fascination at this moment.

Audrey II is holding her own. She is hearty and has a firm stem. I will wait another week to make more like her.

Simple..but it works

Two totes stacked staggered. The bottom tote is holding supplies such as bagged potting soil and spare pots, the top has my last stage compost in it which I stir daily.