Only 10 Days Later...an update on the terrarium

It didn't take long for the tiny seeds to emerge from the damp soil...only 10 days. The planting took place on November 19th (see blog posting "A Moment of Sunlight") and so far this project has been completely maintenance free requiring no additional watering (notice the condensation on the walls of the clear container). The reused pretzel container has proven to be quite cozy for this variety of plant life and surprisingly the elderly seed has seemed to flourish in the enclosed habitat.

Although the mixed flower seed was more of a convenience (the only seed readily available on hand) and not the ideal, I can hardly wait for the fantastic blooms to add a touch of color to our kitchen during the white of winter! It is always so exciting to watch in anticipation the growth of the gardens in the spring, now the rewards have been brought indoors.
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Project 2: The Compost Bins

Finally, I finished the compost bins that I had mentioned in an earlier post (refer to November 9th post, "Project 1: the mini greenhouses"). Just like the mini greenhouses these compost bins are made completely from reused materials that were discovered in the loft of the barn. Since I didn't use treated, cedar, or some other rot resistant wood I'm sure that they won’t last as long as they could but I really strive to reuse any possible material. Not only does it feel good to challenge myself to "reduce and reuse" it is also a relief to any pocket book by saving money and building the compost bins for FREE. I even scavenged around the garage finding and reusing the nails that hold them together!

To make the compost bins I simply dug out a spot roughly six feet long and three feet deep creating an area which was level. I then cut whatever wood was available into three foot pieces and also cut six additional 2x4's to use as four foot posts. Next, I nailed the sides together to make three foot by four foot rectangle walls, assembled the entire thing and wired the lattice fronts on. The two final bins are 3' x 4' rectangular prisms side by side. One compost bin for use and one decomposing...hopefully, that's the plan.  The two bins won’t be my only compost source but they will be the tidiest. I plan to also have several compost piles elsewhere (placed for convenience) but they will be simple heaps with no bin.
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