Winter Garden Prep ( and shifting poop)

We have been getting frost warnings for some time..so we did a pre-emptive strike on winter prep chores and cut off the old veggies and covered things over with 2-3 inches of manure in prep for next spring..the garden did OK but while we were away for a month things really suffered and we did not get a good yield on most things..

..and we got another load of horse manure ( after we got rid of our old truck/winter implement puller/summer lawn ornament) deliveredfrom our nearby neighbors..which we are planning on using to level off the old truck storage area..and we should have more loads every 2 weeks for other hilly spots too.

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Seed Savings

So..the last 3 years we have been growing some heirloom tomatoes..so we figured this year we would actually try to save some seeds since we ran out of a couple of varieties while planting earlier in the spring..the process is not overly complicated..but can be if you are lazy like me.

First step..scoop out the seeds and pulp from the tomato(es) and put about a 1/3 water to the mix..1/3 of whatever the pulp and seed combination was.

..put aside for 4-6 days in a warmish place to let the seeds begin to ferment…

..and once a yummy layer of scum develops on the mix you are ready to clean..run water into the mix and swirl..the good seeds will sink the bottom..the rest you keep pouring out.

Drain and dry then place the seeds on some glass to finish the drying process…and DONE..took a grand total off 10 minutes of actual work..the waiting is too hard sometimes though!