Sweet Potatoes, Lettuce and Squirrels. Again.

I was cruising YouTube late last night when I came a cross a video in which a fella had started an indoor garden. Okay, not surprising you say, a lot of folks have done that. What caught my attention though is that he had melons growing. He had already gotten a crop of lettuce, and that got me energized to try again. So after long discussions with the best partner on the planet, I've decided to suck up my frustration and disappointment and try again. So tomorrow I'll be starting two buckets of sweet potatoes, rigged to keep out the squirrels, we'll be starting lettuce inside again, and carrots too.

I am still on the hunt for a grow-bulb to augment the one we already have, and I figure all I need to get is a couple of bags of potting soil and a bag of zoo poo.

I will get my helper to take pictures tomorrow as we go and provide regular updates as the tubers grow.

Squirrel Thighs With Toasted Pine Nuts!

There's nothing like a reality check to bring a gardener down.

<----- That is what my carrots were supposed to look like.

There is nothing to show you now, the squirrels ate them. I went to work the day after my last post, pleased with how the plants were growing, and came home to an empty carrot planter.

I have spent the days since grinding my teeth at those little black-furred varmints. And coming up with squirrel dishes. Even at work yesterday I would randomly blurt out recipes to my boss, who knows why I'm resorting to such stress management tools. Squirrel stew, beer battered squirrel with home fried potatoes, squirrel and mushroom pie, squirrel hagis? (That one made even the Scottish boss turn a little green) My favorite was squirrel thighs in a pita with a side of toasted pine nuts. Ironic and fitting.

But now the question is, do I replant, and bring them inside when the weather turns nippy, or give up on carrots?

How My Breakfast Feeds My Plants

Is it silly to be happy I got 2.5 cups of rainwater the other night?
This morning i have top dressed my tomato plants with a mixture of coffee grounds and crushed eggshells, and then watered it in with rainwater.
For me, this is big. The less water I have to use from the tap, the happier I am. Every ounce, every spoonful of extra TLC I can give my plants, the happier I am. So this one small act this morning made me feel that much closer to my plants, and my food.
The egg shells will boost the calcium in the soil, and help the tomatoes fight off end blossom rot, and the coffee grounds will help bring nitrogen. It seems likely these plants will never see my home-made compost, so any organic additive I can give them is good.

This year is all about learning and experimenting, and every time I do something like this, I feel a little closer to my goal.