Green Orchid

The Jenny, Guest Blogger

This bloom puts me very close to completing my own Orchid Challenge! A green Dendrobuim orchid. I love this one because it is so very long lasting and has fabulous yellow-green flowers (my favorite) with pale purple beards. It think we got it from Trader Joe's about three years back and this is its third re-bloom. Woot!

Jalapenos Plants

Ben loves to grow jalapenos. Really he loves it when I grow them and he gets to use them or can them for use later. So this year I had a couple of extra pots and picked up two at the nursery. The warmth on the porch really helped these little guys grow. We ended up with about 10 on each plant and some were very spicy. If we watered them within 5 days they were much less spicy.

What we didn't use fresh, we cut up and poured boiling half water/half vinegar over them and sealed them in a jar. If kept refrigerated, you can use them for the next year.

My Condo Porch

The mild Sacramento summer has been very good to my stucco encased condo porch. Usually at this time, my plants are starting to get a little crispy. But I've put up the large umbrella to cut down on the direct light and the cool nights are keeping everything green, flowering and happy.

In the middle of August I can still sit on the porch and enjoy the late afternoon. I love it. Even the geraniums are hanging in there.

The indoor cats are only allowed on the porch when I'm out there so they are liking the mild summer too.

Ant plant blooms, a lot!

This is my little Ant plant I got last spring. I was afraid it wasn't going to thrive on being watered once a week (need water like an air plant, so just kind of throw some water on it). It also lives in the kitchen window and I thought it might get too much sun.

Well, all my orchids were kind of getting too much sun, so I put up an umbrella on my porch, right out side the window, so now the whole area get very bright indirect light. Tada! That's what it wanted.

Holy crap, that's a lot of little pink blooms. It started out with one. Now it had a crap load. Nicely done little Ant plant, nicely done.

Aqua Forest San Francisco

I was recently in San Francisco and my friend insisted that we visit this aquarium place near Japantown. I humored him, but I don't love fish tanks enough to mess with trying to keep one healthy.

Until now! Aqua Forest in SF is amazing! It's more like garden than a fish tank. They are so very beautiful with dirt and ground cover, trees and plants with perfect little fresh water fish helpers. It's more about the plants than the fish but the fish are still pretty damn cool.

The ecosystems they create are just gorgeous, like underwater forests. It seems like it would cost you about $300-$400 to set up a small table top aquarium, but then it would be like a self sustaining garden. It's definitely on my list of play things to find money for. Just awesome!

Office Fail

This is what happens when you are out of the office for three weeks. I had a coworker water them all, but this little lavender plant just couldn't make it. And it was so happy before I left. I felt bad for the little guy, he tried so hard. He was in a window and when the temps went up, he should have been moved away. Instead he fried a crispy, hot death.

A final note. Over watering it after it has died doesn't actually help.

I Have Worms!

Since our condo doesn't have a yard, composting is sort of tough. Enter worms. Vermiculture can be done indoors, is pretty easy and doesn't take up much space.

When I had the opportunity to pick up a stacked tray vermiculture kit and a pound of worms for only $70, I jumped on the chance. I haven't been able to find something like it for less than $110 (not including the worms).

I thought I would put it near the garage or in a closet but really, I need it in the kitchen so I don't forget it. It now lives next to our trash cans.

I keep a old covered pyrex dish on the counter and collect veggie scraps. I still make more than they can eat, but they go through a large handful every other day. They like the scraps kind of old, gross and chopped up small. I'm surprised at how easy they are to care for, and the bin never smells as long as I don't over feed them.

So far, so good. I love these little worms and apparently they love each other because I am starting to find lots of worm eggs!

This the the damp coconut coir that ends up looking like dirt. Just something for them to live in.

That's a pound of squirmy worms.
Damp, shredded newspaper serves as a cover, flying insect inhibitor and food for the worms.

I have an extra tray of worms in this picture since I was worm sitting for about a week. Really, it's just the moisture collection tray with the spigot, and the tray of worms with the lid on.