Volunteer plants

[zigs]

Bet they'll taste good

The poo just gets spread on the fields anyway, so it'll end up back in the food chain.

 

[ChanellG]

Yuck!

This puts me in mind of a report I heard on NPR about a year ago about composting toilets somewhere in Asia. There was an apartment building that was using them and the composted waste was being used in residential vegetable gardens. I just cannot imagine... I don't even want any animal manure in my soil!

 

[zigs]

It was the reason for cottage gardens being so fertile before the "Dustmen"

Dustmen used to collect waste, but it was mixed with the ashes from the fire (the dust)

Suddenly a valuable resource was removed from veg plots, we then had to find other sources of fertiliser.

 

[ChanellG]

I am so glad I missed that era! No farm animals around here to drop anything that might produce a volunteer plant, and I am okay with that, lol. I saw a woman on TV last year who saves on flushing her toilet by using a slop jar and then pouring her "wee" on the compost. I can't even imagine what that must smell like, and then there's the bacteria potential.

In the yard at my first apartment a tomato plant popped up out of nowhere, but didn't produce anything. I suppose if I had known then what I know now I could have tried to properly feed it, but I was told if was not likely to produce any fruit.

 

[zigs]

You won't get anything bad from wee wee, its a very good compost accelerator, contains nitrogen & potassium.

We'll have to go back to that era, can't put the waste from 7 billion people into landfill or the sea.

http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/

 

[Steve Denning]

I like the flowers and not only that, you can eat them as well. Courgette (zucchini) flowers, pumpkin flowers as well as sage, chervel and chive flowers are fantastic in salads or on there own. They are healthy too. Here's a recipe for courgette flowers.

 

[Babble64]

I am completely envious, lol! I will be happy just to see this plant survive and produce one tomato. I tried growing tomatoes years ago from a Hawaiian variety that was supposed to do well in the heat. Well, it lived, but I never saw a tomato. Fingers crossed with this volunteer.

And I'm trying not to think too hard about a fresh tomato and mayo sandwich on whole wheat! Years ago we tried to grow tomatoes...and they were SUCH lovely plants, with lovely, big red tomatoes on the vines....and when we turned them over every fruit had a big, black spot on the bottom! They say it's a a good season for fruit, but not veggies, here. I'm hoping God remembers tomatoes are really a fruit that we just USE as a vegetable! LOL

 

[ChanellG]

And I'm trying not to think too hard about a fresh tomato and mayo sandwich on whole wheat! Years ago we tried to grow tomatoes...and they were SUCH lovely plants, with lovely, big red tomatoes on the vines....and when we turned them over every fruit had a big, black spot on the bottom! They say it's a a good season for fruit, but not veggies, here. I'm hoping God remembers tomatoes are really a fruit that we just USE as a vegetable! LOL

Sounds like blossom end rot; I've read that can be prevented by soil amendment. An article I read recently claimed that a combination of coffeegrinds and eggshells would prevent blossom end rot altogether. I've put both around the base of the established tomato plants out back, but it has been so hot I've only seen two tiny green tomatoes so far. These are my grandfather's plants that were not being properly cared for, so I am not sure if they will survive and actually produce fruit, but I am doing my best to keep them going.

The little volunteer survived transplanting and so far so good.

 

[Babble64]

Sounds like blossom end rot; I've read that can be prevented by soil amendment. An article I read recently claimed that a combination of coffeegrinds and eggshells would prevent blossom end rot altogether. I've put both around the base of the established tomato plants out back, but it has been so hot I've only seen two tiny green tomatoes so far. These are my grandfather's plants that were not being properly cared for, so I am not sure if they will survive and actually produce fruit, but I am doing my best to keep them going.

The little volunteer survived transplanting and so far so good.

Since I have plenty of both coffee grounds and egg shells...I'll be trying that! Thanks! And here's to the happy volunteer at your house!

 

[ChanellG]

Thanks! I have to check on my little volunteer to be sure the rain didn't beat the heck out of it yesterday. It's kind of in the shelter of other plants, but you never know. Have to get out there this morning and "harvest" all the rainwater from the bins. It's been like monsoon season the past few days.

 

[Babble64]

Discovered yesterday that we have at least four different kinds of ornamental gourds. If all continues in this I'll have a lovely bunch of fall decorations!!!

 

[Babble64]

Sounds like blossom end rot; I've read that can be prevented by soil amendment. An article I read recently claimed that a combination of coffeegrinds and eggshells would prevent blossom end rot altogether. I've put both around the base of the established tomato plants out back, but it has been so hot I've only seen two tiny green tomatoes so far.

Do I mix them into the soil or just lay them on top, at the base of the plants?

 

[ChanellG]

Before planting you mix it in, after the fact you put it at the base of the plants. Here's a link to an article that gives a good explanation. There's a lot more stuff out there, but this can get you started:
http://pinterest.com/pin/321796335845401726/

My little volunteers are still alive...

 

[Babble64]

My husband discovered, through a completely accidental conversation at work, that one of our volunteer tomato plants is an heirloom tomato. He'd picked up a couple of small green tomatoes off the ground and set them on the deck table. As they sat their for a day or two they turned a most lovely shade of bright yellow. A few of them started talking at work and he drew a picture of the shape. Someone told him they are an heirloom tomato and that they ripen to yellow, not red. Sure enough, the rest are now turning yellow. I picked about six-seven of them this morning. We thought this plant was grape tomatoes, although the shape wasn't quite right (they are pear shaped, not oval grape shaped) And we can't figure out how we ended up with them in our compost because we've never had tomatoes like this before.

On the pumpkin front....at least 4 of the largest pumpkins are now a dark, rich shade of green. Hoping to see some yellow and/or orange on them soon.

 

[ChanellG]

I have a sprouted sweet potato I am thinking of tossing into the compost. I just don't have the facility to grow it so I figure if the worms don't eat it, maybe I'll get a potato or two.

I just moved the tomato volunteer where it could get a bit more shade. It was looking like the leaves were getting sunburned, though I had also sprayed it with aspirin water so I don't know... the two onions seem to be fine, but the thing that might be squash or cucumber doesn't seem to survive well outside the bin.