First Winter for the Peculiar Trees

People who know me will know that I can't do "just the basics." I've got to push the boundaries of what can be done.

To that end, I'm trying to grow some trees that aren't common (at least in my experience) in western Washington.

This is my olive tree, my Manzanilla olive tree. Some websites are telling me that I should be able to grow it outside. Eventually.

This is a bay laurel. I like cooking with bay leaves. This is where they come from.

These grow pretty well around here, or so I'm told. 

I'm also told that the fig tree will do well outside someday.  I'm a little skeptical, but we'll see.

On the other hand, we saw them growing in Germany; that's a similar climate. Had fruit, too.

I had to up-pot it today: its roots were coming out the bottom of the gallon pot. I think I want to remember not to plant this anywhere near a septic system.

I also have a pomegranate tree. This beastie is the fastest growing of the lot. I pruned it three times last summer (its first!) and this spring it's a mass of long, spindly branches. 

But there's life in them thar branches.

Of the four, it's the only one that lost all its leaves. I was a little bit concerned, seeing all those leaves falling off. It's certainly making a fine comeback.

This one may end up in a larger pot on the patio this summer, and then back into the greenhouse in the fall. Again, we'll see.

The First Grow Light

I couldn't help it. I needed to get some things growing.

In point of fact, I have some starts going that don't care so much about the temperature, but need more light than they need: kale, broccoli, onions, and such.

Moreover, it is highly likely that I will plant some more starts earlier than the sun will provide for them. I must do something to support my habit. 

So I got a 4- shop light, and some "sunlight" or "daylight" tubes (just one of the normal options: not "warm white" or "cool white.")

Because I goofed with the programming on the timer, the light was left on all night. This morning, all the sprouts under the light had lifted their heads and pointed their little stalks at the light.

I think I may be on to something.

UPDATE: I bought another one today. I also added a grow-spotlight next to the bench. I may be done for this winter, though I have thoughts of expansion for the next winter.

Comment: this photo is lit only by the grow lights.

Two [now Three] Small Upgrades to the Coop

It was a sunny and cold day today. It seemed like the right time to add a couple upgrades to the coop that I've been wanting to add.

First: a shelf in the unused space above their roosts to hold their food. One bin for chicken food (that's the blue one), and one for chicken scratch.

I was also concerned about the south side of the coop: that's where all the storms come from, and it was wide open, so it got really wet on those very common rainy days.

So I just sealed up the south side, or most of it.

We'll see how well this works. If I need to add more later, we can do that!

The ladies don't seem overwhelmed so far.

UPDATE 2/23/2014: Added a partial wall to the west side of the coop.

The shelf board was veneer over particle board, and the rain was not doing it any favors. Besides, there's no need for rain to get to the feed or the scratch. So I buttoned up the end.

Needed top make sure the boards were level. Did you know you can do anything with a phone nowadays?

Greenhouse in the Snow

Snowed about 3 inches this evening. I couldn't help but notice the beauty!

The chickens' Christmas lights look real pretty in the snow! (Yeah, it's February; they still haven't taken the lights down yet. Tonight, it was worthwhile!)

I couldn't tell how the garden was doing in the snow.

The next morning, the girls were great, but confused. They were squawking, wanting out. So I let them out. They ran out, paused, and rushed back inside! It was hilarious!

Making Lemon Spice

I wanted to make some spices for cooking fish. I wanted citrus. I can pour (or squirt) lemon juice on the fish, but it always washes the other spices off, and that's not wonderful.

So I sliced three lemons and a lime real thin, and dehydrated them. I gave an extra long time in the dehydrator, because I wanted to make a very dry powder.

I removed the rind from all the lemons and loaded them into the grinder. 

This is what the dehydrated segments look like. Kinda weird.

Ground into powder, it's not so weird. It's a very strong flavor.

I added one lime, but included the rind on that one for a little complexity to the flavor.

It's excellent on mahi mahi with dill and a little coconut oil. Definite winner.

Turned Compost; Added Stuff

Turned the compost this weekend. Added about 75 pounds of used coffee grounds and two more large boxes of produce trimmings.

Trying to add lots of nitrogen to make up for all the carbon in here: it's mostly dried leaves from fall, and straw & sawdust from the chickens.

It's looking like it's actually composting pretty well. Looking forward to a good garden this spring.

Note to self: May need to add height to the raised beds.


Update 2/23/2014: Added another 40 or so pounds of used coffee grounds, and four or five large boxes of produce. Also added fifty banana peels (chopped fairly small) for their potassium content.

The count of red wriggler worms is pretty high, and the center of the pile was pretty warm. The top foot or so was cold and worm free, so that is now at the bottom of the pile.

I used some 2-year-old straw to fill the gaps between the slats in the pallets. It'll add to the carbon content of the compost when I next turn it, mid March.

The chickens were intensely interested. If I stepped away from the compost pile for 30 seconds, then they'd rush in and start eating worms and bugs and things!

Here's to a good growing season!

A Day of Lemons

It's the middle of winter. So of course, I think about tropical fruit.

I got a bunch of past-their-prime lemons and limes from a fruit stand for cheap. They're too overpowering for smoothies. So I sliced them and now I'm drying them. I'll use 'em on fish.

That left me with a bunch of lemon seeds (the lime was, unfortunately, seedless). And what does one such as I do with unexpected seeds? Why you plant them, of course!

They say, keep 'em moist, and keep 'em warm. 

This is part of the trick for the lemon seeds: wrap 'em in bags to keep the moisture in. It's kind of a pain for watering them, but it's better than not succeeding.

I'll put a warming pad underneath later this weekend.