05/11/10

Im still preparing the secret special ingredient for the compost bin and I cant use the compost bin until the secret ingredient is ready. So in the meantime Im doing a bit more prep-work. Im putting plastic around it to discourage any critters from getting in there. Supposedly with thermophilic compost bins they get so hot (between 115 and 140 degrees) that critters usually stay away but Ive never had one before so Id rather put the plastic on and not need it than need it and not have done it. I also made a cover out of some fence wire for the top of it.

I finally got my rain barrels too. The city will sell them to you for $85 each. I got 4 of them for $80 off craigslist!! So far I have one set up under the gutter with an overflow tube connecting it to another one then there's an overflow tube on the secondary one just to let it spill out. I put each one out on separate days just before it rained and each one filled up. So my theory is that if I had put them both out on the same day they probably both wouldve filled up from just one rain!! One small problem is that I put the secondary one up a little higher so its not letting the main one spill out all the way. I think thats why the one in the pic didnt fill up all the way. Of course it might just not have rained enough. Ill have to wait and see. I put a screen on the inlet hole so the water is pretty clean. But theres some plastic floating around from when I cut the holes. Ive already used some of the water for my hanging plants :)

When I bought my plants it said they could all be grown in pots. My girlfriend said that from what shes seen artichoke plants get real big. I have no experience on the matter but it looks like the artichoke is getting too tall for its space. So Im working on screwing some pieces of wood on to the beam to make it hang lower. Im thinking maybe the artichoke plant wouldve been better off in its own pot (I have it with a cauliflower plant right now). I hope I can transplant it if it gets too big.

The strawberry plant is starting to get some berries!! Maybe the lettuce and spinach will grow back in time to join the strawberries in a simple little salad :)