bsmitch's Blog

I started reading about growing avocado plants from seed and I was curious. There was all kinds of advice about starting the seeds to germinate. I eat avocados frequently for their health
benefits, but I was throwing the seeds away. So now I have seeds wrapped in wet paper towels in sealed plastic bags shoved away in the closet, which I check periodically. Nothing! At the same time, I buried one in my winter garden under the grow lights in a medium sized container brought in from outside, that is home to one of my geraniums. I forgot about it. As I was watering a little while ago, surprise ! There peeking out of the soil was my baby avocado, standing up all proud of itself. What a great event.

You all have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

Feb 11 Update on this Avocado plant.

I just want to be the first to give everyone here a gift of roses for Valentine's Day.

Everyone of you have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

I went on line and discovered the picture of a common Ice plant. It looks exactly like the picture in question.

Have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

This is my Christmas cactus and it has a great story. The blooms do not produce seeds, therefore it is propagated with cuttings. My plant was handed gown from the Garden of Eden by Eve to one of my ancestors. My Great Grandmother started hers in 1870, my Grandmother started hers in 1900, my mother started hers in 1930, and I started mine in 1958. That makes my cactus plant 60 years old.
During the time of my childhood and until 1996, the cactus never bloomed. My mother  passed away in 1982. It was in December 1996 that I received my cancer diagnosis and I was frightened beyond reason. I had lost several friends and co-workers to cancer. The average time from knowledge to death was about 6 months for most of them. Yes I was scared. Out of somewhere the Christmas cactus started blooming. It was a message from my mother telling me to have faith. It gave me hope and I brought that hope with me until today and tomorrow. It has bloomed every year since that day. It had about twenty blooms this December. I've given starts to my children, their children, and many friends. I have eight starts in water rooting right now. I hope everyone enjoys this true story and the picture.

Have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell    

Besides gardening, I feed the birds. I feed them year round. I will try to photograph some of them this year. Around the middle of February , I  buy meal worms for the bluebirds. I have several nest boxes that get occupied each spring. I guess Bluebirds are my favorite. I see twenty or thirty different species of birds in my yard through out the year. In the middle of March, I hang  the  hummingbird  feeders.  The  surveyor  males come in first,  then  fifteen  or twenty  days  later, the females show up. There will be upwards to two hundred  a day in the summer. I  put out ten sugar water feeders, front, back, and side. I am refilling everyday. In between, I'm gardening.I hope I inspire others to enjoy life  through  nature.  Love you all.

Have a great day and happy gardening. Bill Mitchell

By Julie Williams Platinum Quality Author - Using Human Urine As A Liquid Fertilizer


OK, so are you over the shock now??? In the not so distant past, we didn’t have the luxury of having a small room in the house where we could flush away our number ones and twos. But did you ever wonder how we managed before the water closet? Not that I want to get into the history of it, but let’s just say that before the times of our current throw-away society, people thought of multiple uses for just about everything.

Well maybe you didn’t know that human urine is the fastest acting, most excellent source of Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and some trace elements. Not only that, but we all have a constant, year round supply of it – and it’s free! There’s not a lot of effort involved in creating this wonderful organic liquid fertilizer.

Some men I know are more than happy to oblige a tree, bush or lawn (out of view, of course).

Did you know that many toilets use between 50 and 100 litres of water a day to flush around 1.5 litres of pee? And the high levels of nutrients in our effluent systems leads to the growth of algae, which ultimately causes the death of plants and animals throughout our waterways.

What are the advantages of using urine as an organic liquid fertilizer?

# If you’re not flushing this valuable liquid down the loo, you are reducing your water consumption – good for the environment and your pocket

# You’ll be reducing the amount of sewerage runoff

# There’ll be less nutrients in our waterways

# Urine as a liquid fertilizer is available in an ideal chemical form for plants to use

# Gardening costs are less as your liquid fertilizer is free

# It is readily available all year round and there are no transportation costs

Just so that you know, fresh human urine is sterile (unless there is a urinary tract infection – this urine should not be used) and so free from bacteria.

I recommend that you dilute urine to 10-15 parts water to 1 part urine for application on plants in the growth stage. Dilute to 30-50 parts water to 1 part urine for use on pot plants as they are much more sensitive to fertilizers of any kind.

Trees, shrubs and lawn should cope well without dilution. Withhold the use of urine liquid fertilizer on all food plants at least two weeks before harvesting. Apply under fruiting plants, not directly on foliage.

Don’t use urine older than 24hours on your plants as the urea turns into ammonia and will burn your plants. If it’s not fresh, add it to your compost heap. Adding undiluted human urine to your compost heap will help heat it up quickly as it is an excellent activator and will add to the final nutrient value.

As far as antibiotics, vitamin supplements and other medications go, yes they will end up in your urine, but in such minute quantities that I believe to be negligible – especially when it is diluted.

So put this excellent source of free liquid fertilizer to good use in your garden, rather than add to the burden that we as humans cause to our environment.

I have been collecting mine and using it for about six months now. It is probably easier for guys. Down here in the country, it's been a natural fact of life, before indoor toilets. I  haven't seen any thing  written about  it  on GG.  Bill Mitchell

This is called 

Passiflora Vitifolia "Red Passion Flower

I HOPE THIS HELPS.

There is a nursery in Georgetown,Ky that sells wild plants, shrubs, and trees. There is a lot going on in Georgetown besides Toyota. Here's the link. www.shootingstarnursery.com 
  

I bought several Kentucky Ladies -Slippers, several Wild Columbine, and some Celandine Poppies. I also bought some passion fruit plants from Aloha Tropicals in California. Some of these produce edible fruit. I planted some local ones that I dug from the pasture up the road. They produce seed pods but they are too pithy and don't have much flavor. I planted them in a container with a built in trellis this past fall. Beautiful vines and flowers.

You can see I have a bad case of winter fever and it can only be cured with the onset of spring. Please hurry. Bill Mitchell

I went back to Louisville for a visit to the dental college to have an evaluation from one of the professors, who is an expert about my condition. My teeth, what's left of them, are also victims of the radiation I had eleven years ago. Radiation is a good cure in the short term, but a killer in the long term. I still consider myself blessed for every day I live beyond the statistics. Any way, I didn't need any treatment at this time on my teeth. While I was there, I took time to search for statues for my garden. I bought a 18 inch concrete gnome with a watering can, weights about 40 lbs. At a collector friend of mine, Jerry Lotz, I got a painted cast iron black and white cat and a bronze mermaid. I also purchased a damaged garden fairy with a hole in her head. I'm going to fill her up with non shrinking plaster and paint the hole, making her weigh more and be more stable in the garden. I'm waiting for a small statue of a fairy resting on a mushroom, that I ordered on line. When I receive all the new plants and place all my figures among the plants. I'll take pictures and shear them with all of you and you can comment with praise or criticism. I appreciate both.

Love all of you, happy gardening, Bill Mitchell

I just took an inventory of the purchases I made from the various early winter plant sales that we all are bombarded with in our e-mail. I am a sucker for a deal. Now they will start arriving in zone 6 at the end of March to April. I am scratching my head right now saying to my self," OK,  where will they all go?". But we all know , that is where the thrill begins . Get them into the ground and stand back and watch it all unfold into the beautiful garden we all love. Have a great day everyone, check out some new pictures on my site.

Bill Mitchell

This week past, I went to Louisville and Jeffersonville, In. The transmission needed a regular servicing and I did too. I am a cancer surviver now eleven years. I go back to my surgeon every year now and I got another clean bill of health. Although I am nearly  crippled from the radiation treatment, I thank God for each extra day, another day to garden and compute on my computer.

 I have invited  several new friends and uploaded several new pictures. Check out the brand new rock garden. It's going to be my pet this new year, really can't wait until spring.

Well may God guide you and happy gardening.

Bill 

It's January 7 and it's 75 degrees this afternoon. What a wonderful gift for poor people's heating bill.

I recently built a rock garden and started putting some plants and bulb in the ground. I covered most of it with leaves to protect against the cold, and we have had only a few cold days so far. I made an inspection and found everything peeking out of ground. So now ,I am impatiently waiting for spring.