Gardening on Cement: Hummingbird Haven



"Hummer Chillin' Out" Photo by Compost This!



Hummingbirds are magic in motion!  Today a hummingbird hung out with me at my apartment garden (this garden was constructed entirely on cement (no liner)).   I believe I'm on her 'route' in that this is the second time I've seen her visit the garden at 2:30PM. 

The Anna's Hummingbird (Calypte anna) is common in Seattle but I didn't think they would find my little, tiny, hidden garden! 

I refuse to use hummingbird feeders (1) they need to be cleaned out daily because the sugar can go rancid and this can kill hummingbirds and (2) nectar is the true source of nutrients for these flying magical creatures.  I got this plant last year on sale at Home Depot, as soon as I figure out the name (common and scientific) I'll be sure to post it. 

All gardens NO MATTER HOW SMALL are important!  Start gardening today!  We need gardens  EVERYWHERE!



"Hummer Haven" Photo by Compost This!



Gardening in Black 101 -- Part 1: Dracunculus Vulgaris

This lovely flower is 12 inches long! Amazing! I found it while walking to work. It wasn't there, and then the next day the plant had exploded with color! I hope to plant this lovely devil in my garden next year. They stink like rotting fish to attract pollinators which means that I will need to be selective in where I place it. ---not under a window-- for example!

Lets do Cricket poo!

Ok. I just had to list this on my blog. Exactly how many crickets does it take to produce a 20 pound bag of cricket poo? I don't know but these folks do, check out the Cricketpoo website.

Touted as being organic and 'really good' for gardens, this may be the next new thing! For those entomologists and fisherpeople out there the green revolution may increase the need for cricketpoo. Why let this stuff go to waste for goodness sake.

FYI: Insect poo has a scientific name---it is called frass. So if you really want to impress your friends, neighboors, family, and all those folks you meet on the bus or on the street... you can say you fertilize your garden with cricket frass! Frass has an ability to last a lot longer than one might think. Check out this article from the Bulletin of the Geological Society of Finland, "Finding Insect Frass in Baltic Amber" and Microlab Northwest Photography has a few lovely shots of the stuff.