I have had some troubles lately getting used to Mexican soils. I really needed more of the fluffy black stuff that I was taking from the house plant pots, but it wasn't enough. I don't have the car at the moment to go buy compost and I am not even sure where to get it from yet without getting a ton delivered haha.
There was a papaya tree that the landlady had started some time ago but it wasn't surviving. I had placed more papaya seeds around it as the pot it was is is huge, but alas, today I decided to pull it up and use the nice soil it has sitting there redundant.
It even had spider webs on this tip above, which ,means its infested with something too. Anyways, it didn't survive, but I have seeds so I have started off many papayas. They can be harvested in a year from seed, so its well worth growing them.
Yesterday I was wondering where I can get soil from and, today its here!
I would say a good 30 liters of it, and much needed my new semi greenhouse was looking a bit empty!!
... And unlike the clay red dusty stuff, this has actually moisture retaining materials!
So first I had to do the papaya seeds
I am a bit tight on pots but I found two earlier this morning hiding outside. I think the dogs take them and hide them for some strange reason. These below are papaya seeds.
I decided to put around 8 in each pot, I haven't successfully started them before, and I tried once but somehow it was a weed plant that grew there! They take 2 weeks to germinate I read a while ago so that's another reason I did many seeds.
These are the pots I am starting them in
On the quest for things I can use as plant pots..
... I found a few things that I had already saved under the stairs. This is a cake container is perfect for starting off seeds. I decided to do half of it Red Kale and half of it Leeks
I used the lid of it though as it had more depth for baby roots to grown into.
OH YES!
I found a very good spray bottle in the house too, gave it a very good rinse out and now I can spray the soil and not disturb the seeds!
Im one happy chappy, now I have good soil, a spray bottle, and a very good place for starting off plants. Inside here is looking much more greener now, the melons have been saved and the butternut squash seems to be super robust and is not caring about the bad start with the clay soil. The beans are saved too.. I didn't label what ones are climbing beans and what ones are bush plants!
The kale and leeks in the cake tray got there first wetting - seriously, a spray bottle is such an important thing to use. also below the papayas in there new place where they will wait a couple of weeks until they pop up to say hello.
Lastly I used a similar tray box thing, maybe it was an old muffin box, to start off Cucumbers. I think they are cucumber seeds but I'm not certain as they were in an unmarked packet.
Just a couple of hours sat in the room and they are in a small green house
The 2 day old greenhouse room thingy, is working a treat and will only get more full! I will go later to collect horse poo that has been laying in the Mexican sun and be adding it to the nice soil to bulk it out. Horse poo in my experience has never burnt anything even when its no full ready, so I'm going for it!
ps. I feel like a newb again on Hive, and just came across Hive Garden! Great idea!!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
@Movingman