Compost Bin and Seed Starter

Our mini-compost bin continues to work great. We should, by all indications, have a decent amount of compost to use in the Spring. I've also discovered that it serves as a very effective, albeit unintentional, seed starter. Every couple of days when I go out to stir the bin's contents, I find numerous little seedlings. These are obviously growing from discarded tomatoes, peppers, etc. Maybe I should transplant one or two into pots just to see what happens.

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tomato seedling growing in compost bin

Tomato Seedlings Update

The tomato seeds that I planted on July 24 (see Tomato Olympics post) have really taken off. Both of the Black Krims emerged from the soil first, with the Hawaiian Tropics following closely behind. The San Marzanos took a little more time, but they eventually made it. All of the plants have now grown to about three to four inches and put on quite a few leaves. Yesterday I transplanted them from their seed starting pods to larger pots. After they've grown in these for a couple of weeks I'll move them into their permanent containers.

Seedlings in Seed Starting Pods. From Left to Right: Black Krim, San Marzano, Hawaiin Tropic

Seedlings Transplanted into Larger Growth Pots

Compost Bin and Tomato Seedling Update

My mini-compost bin seems to be composting fairly well. I've been keeping it damp and stirring it every few days. As a result, most of the vegetable, leafy, and paper matter seem to be breaking down rather rapidly. Stems and other woody materials are, of course, taking a bit longer to decompose. All in all, I'm very pleased with its performance so far.

a look inside the compost bin

A few days ago I posted that five of the six Black Prince tomato seeds that I harvested and planted had sprouted. The sixth joined the other five shortly after the that update post. They seem to be doing well.

Starting Tomatoes from Seed: Update

The Black Prince seeds that I harvested and planted last week (see June 18 post) have now started to sprout. So far, five very small seedlings have grown from the six seeds that I planted. I'll provide updates on their progress and let you know when the other plant decides to make an appearance.

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