Germination Cha Cha Cha!

Did I mention I recently became obsessed with lacto-fermentation?

I basically want to pickle ferment ALL THE THINGS. So when choosing what to grow in my garden this year, I thought about what might be tasty after being fermented. First on the list, due to my amazing boyfriend's suggestion was cucumelon AKA mouse melon AKA Mexican Sour Gherkins, AKA Melothria Scabra. A small, tart, watermelon looking fruit. It's not actually a cucumber, but really a gourd.

So, after being told about them and then reading about them, I go for it. I hope on Amazon and buy a packet of seeds. As soon as they arrive, I grabbed an old egg carton and planted them according to the seed packet directions. Every morning when I wake up, I rotate the egg carton and spritz the soil with water. Every evening, I spritz it again to ensure the soil stays moist enough to not dry out.

I have no patience. I later read that it can take up to a month for them to germinate at the temperature we keep the house.

A month. A MONTH? No, I really do not have the patience for gardening.

I have 973912873 other packets of seeds to start. I cannot handle waiting A MONTH for all my little vegetable babies to germinate to then plant. What was I thinking?

Last year I bought flats of vegetables and herbs and did quite well with my back patio garden. It was easy peasy, so I figured I'd challenge myself and start from seed. I should have thought it through.

Okay really, its CHEAPER to start from seed. I can get seed packets for between 50 cents and $2.50 whereas a flat of small plants can be $25-$50 and it's just 2-3 of each type. I can grow SO MUCH for so much cheaper if i start from seed, and if i want to later pickle and can ALL THE THINGS, this is way more cost effective.

So I decided to try a little experiment tonight and am trying the paper towel method of germination. I do not think i can do this for all the seeds i plan to plant, but maybe a few of them. Tomorrow when i have all my seed packets, i'll see what this method works best for.

I JUST WANT THE MEXICAN SOUR GHERKINS IN MY MOUTH ALREADY. WAiting for germination and then another 70 days for them to mature is just ridiculous.

Talk about a lesson in patience. Gardening might just be what my manic mind needs.

The process:

Wet a paper towel until it's saturated, but the water isn't pooling/puddled

Place in a glass dish

Put seeds on top

Put lid on - in my case I can't find the lid, so I used plastic wrap and put out of sunlight (it's a glass dish, I don't want to bake the seeds, come on now!)

         

Seems easy enough right? 

We'll see how it goes! Can't wait to see them in the morning! 

Just to note: 

The egg carton seeds were planted 3/7/2019, 

The paper towel seeds were placed in the dish 3/16/2019.

Chickens?

Another new blog? Another new adventure? Well, yes. Both. This time it's for real.

So, I live in a fairly small town that I haven't been super excited about living in, but I am excited about who I live there WITH. So that's all that matters right?

I previously had a blog that I just wrote about my insane dating life that was more drama than it was worth, and the exciting Van People, and a little about work. I'd never remembered to update it except in spurts. Mostly when I was binge dating.

Now I'm living in a small town with the most amazing man ever that makes me feel like.... well, I'm barfing in my mouth while I'm saying this, but, a queen. I'm never "too" anything. Even when I told him I was getting chickens this weekend. I also told him to tell me immediately if I'm too much because he can still back out, but once I bring home chickens, it's all over!

To be completely fair, when I first started living there and when I discovered it was a half acre, I was like "can I get chickens?" and he had no qualms about that.

I started ordering books about raising chickens, and one day my boss's daughter was in the office and she asked me if I wanted some chickens from her father in law. Who am I to say no to free chickens?

Today I was delivering mail to her, and she stops me as I'm walking out of her office, and she tells me that she's talking to her husband about when we'll be getting chickens, I told her to just give me a call or send me a text when she knows. 

I figure it'll be a week or two, no big deal. Andrew and I have access to pallets, so I was looking up designs, and i figured we'd just build one over the weekend and get some chicken wire. Easy peasy, right? I mean, how cute is this coop built from pallets?

Around 1:45, she calls me and tells me the chickens will be at her house on Sunday. Meanwhile, a friend of mine tells me that she has an unused chicken coop that I can have - if I come and dismantle it and haul it away.

So, I'm going to have chickens this weekend. I'm not sure how it's going to go, but apparently, they're easy?

I'll also be starting my garden. It's been delayed as all the seeds I've been collecting accidentally got left at my mom's house and haven't had a chance to go get them.... So Saturday will be a busy day! Planting all my seeds, checking on my fermenting pickles, and putting together a little hen home!

Welcome to my urban-ish homesteading journey!