1 May 09
Weather
Mostly cloudy, warmer, good chance of rain
Current Yard Animals
Male & female cardinals, goldfinch, sparrows, house finch
Of Note
About that wren I mentioned yesterday, apparently the male builds a few starter nests in different locations, then gives the female a tour. If she likes one, he's the guy, the chosen nest will be finished, and she'll settle down and lay her eggs. If not, she finds a better provider.
I left a plate of mealworms under the birdhouse to make the male wren look good. I'm his wingman.
Last night I filed the edges of the eight pumpkin seeds I've chosen to grow. They're Dill's Atlantic Giants arrived with what appeared to be a coating a fertilizer. Or magical dust!
The edges are filed to allow quicker penetration of moisture, and also to help the leaves more easily exit the shell. You don't file the point; that's where the all-important embryo is. After filing, I soaked the seeds in water for two hours and planted them, point down, in peat pots filled with Miracle Grow seed-starter potting soil. Gave them water, took them upstairs to a sunny window, and here they sit:
Now I wait for germination. In a week or two, once the plants are up and growing, I'll transport the pots to the yard. In the meantime, I added some 5-15-5 fertilizer to the bed. (The 5-15-5 is the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium.)
Word
Insouciant: marked by blithe unconcern
Book
Backyard Giants by Susan Warren
Music
Handel's Ariodante
Today's U.S. State Capital Is
Frankfort, Kentucky
Mostly cloudy, warmer, good chance of rain
Current Yard Animals
Male & female cardinals, goldfinch, sparrows, house finch
Of Note
About that wren I mentioned yesterday, apparently the male builds a few starter nests in different locations, then gives the female a tour. If she likes one, he's the guy, the chosen nest will be finished, and she'll settle down and lay her eggs. If not, she finds a better provider.
I left a plate of mealworms under the birdhouse to make the male wren look good. I'm his wingman.
Last night I filed the edges of the eight pumpkin seeds I've chosen to grow. They're Dill's Atlantic Giants arrived with what appeared to be a coating a fertilizer. Or magical dust!
The edges are filed to allow quicker penetration of moisture, and also to help the leaves more easily exit the shell. You don't file the point; that's where the all-important embryo is. After filing, I soaked the seeds in water for two hours and planted them, point down, in peat pots filled with Miracle Grow seed-starter potting soil. Gave them water, took them upstairs to a sunny window, and here they sit:
Now I wait for germination. In a week or two, once the plants are up and growing, I'll transport the pots to the yard. In the meantime, I added some 5-15-5 fertilizer to the bed. (The 5-15-5 is the ratio of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium.)
Word
Insouciant: marked by blithe unconcern
Book
Backyard Giants by Susan Warren
Music
Handel's Ariodante
Today's U.S. State Capital Is
Frankfort, Kentucky
at
9:48 AM
