Bed 1 growing, Bed 2 composting.

The corn is growing well – I planted more in Garden Bed 1, and the lettuces/mustards are germinatingly nicely in both Bed 1 and Salad Box.

As are the cucumber and tomatoes of Salad Box:

A friend recommended planting the cucumber out among the corn, so it would grow up the corn. Which I might do in a week or so.

Unfortunately, the shrooms are also sprouting happily in Bed 1, fuelled by the composting and the cool. I keep having to dig them up. And I think I have slugs there, too. Will have to look at beer/fruit traps, and getting rid of them.

I pulled up some of the weed carpet to make Compost Bed 2:

Looks like it has some worm activity beneath all that, so decent drainage? We’ll see how Bed 2 (composting) does.

This one’s going to be a compost pile for the next couple of weeks, after which I plan to turn it over, rake out about quarter of it for the multi-apple that’s going on one side of it, and another quarter for the avocado that’s going on the other side, and plant it with various seedlings that will have hopefully sprouted by then.

It’s too wide, though, and I think it’s losing too much heat through surface area. There’s a sliiiiight warmth in the middle this morning (admittedly, I only made it yesterday), but not enough for the kind of composting I want. So tonight is pickup night for a bunch more manures, and tomorrow will be ‘completion of the compost heap’ with another five or so layers – enough to make it about ½ a metre high and get it hot composting decently.

I planted watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini, and eggplant seeds in a clear plastic box with a lid: If they sprout, I’ll plant the watermelon and pumpkin on the sides of Bed 1, and perhaps up against the fence for Bed 2.

Tomatoes, chillis, and capsicum – at least the chillis and capsicum – are next for the planting box. I should have done them last week, but let myself get distracted by the garage sale. Maybe I’ll do some carrots and onions on the ‘quiet’ side of Bed 1 as well – and put coffee grounds to deter the slugs? Must find somewhere that I can get used coffee grounds – so many cafes around here, surely they get rid of some?

The noble art of scavenging. Easier than it sounds.