YJL

Its really cold, my laptop booted up to just 25C, took a while to climbing up. Everything is touching cold, the water cup, the bed, the chair, the keyboard, the mouse, the everything. I even wore a knit cap, which made my forehead itchy, but it kept me warm. And I wanted to go toilet so often, not just urinating to be honest.

I stuck a few toothpicks into a long and thin sweet potato and placed in a jar of water. The only problem I got was I couldnt tell which end was the pointy and round side. If the greens come out downwards, Id just flip it upside down.

Ive been trying to find out if you can plant potato slip like sweet potatos, but a search never worked out. They are from same order, Solanales, but different families, potato is from Solanaceae also known as nightshades while sweet potato from Convolvulaceae, commonly known as bindweed or morning glory. That doesnt mean potato slip cant or can, but I just cant find a definitive answer because poor design of top 1 search engine. Anyway, I will stick a few into water and see if they rot.

Pruned pink flower tree, so no branches rubbing each other, I planted to use those branches to build a bird house. After pruning, I stuck in the solitary bee house I just finished. Not sure if any solitary bees would move in, definitely not immediately, its still cold and there isnt anything to attract them.

Its so cold all tomatoes lower leaves wilted, two seedlings probably wouldnt survive.

What else today:

• 2 of 3 tray were dried after about 14-15 hours, probably refilling twice a day will work, but I did see a bit of soil drying.
• Spreading moss.
• Saved small bell pepper seeds.
• Decided not to do that compost bag idea, need more than one set.
• Wash bed sheet, pillow case, blanket, and door rug.

This morning, the lowest temperature of the year, 4C, its like a big refrigerator outside. My laptop temperature going down to just 35C with the lowest fan setting, 43C without fan.

The carrot top seems to grow even greener and busher in this inhuman weather, three weeks later, not sure when I can plant it, who knows, maybe it will just flower like that, but I doubt thats possible. However, around 9, 2 out of 22 stem flopping down, so I moved it in and placed on top of drying box. At 12pm, they all were back up.

Starting to roll bee house tubes, my thumbs are really tiring after making 37 of 17-21cm long tubes. I dont know which side should be the inside, one yellowish smooth, the other gray slightly rough. I think the rough side would be better, but Id go half-half. One pencil to roll with, one tape in middle. I dont want to use staple at one end as the instruction said, but I might have to find a way to close it up, or I could just see if they work without anything more, since I am using a small cardboard box to house these tubes.

Thinking about growing sweet potato, or just watching it rooting in water with tooth picks sticking into it. Already chitting three potatoes, why not sweet potato? I can plant just a few of slips, and keep growing for leaves to cook, even stick into a pot just for more leaves, just an idea, how it wont try to grow more sweet potatoes in small pot.

On the 7th of using my drying box, I finally realized that I could just pour water to seed trays saucer. I sprayed four or more times to keep seed tray moist, but still I could see edges dried out.

What else?

• Moved that single purple dick plant to my window sill pot along with marsh pennywort, moss, fern, and one succulent plant, all in on pot with existing golden pothos and self-seeded celery.
• Burying a Chinese cabbage bottom in soil, it might regrow. Also trying leaf propagating succulent and golden pothos, but I dont think that would work since I put the outside in cold. By the way, that tomato cutting is pretty dead to me, the only left leave is wilting.

Last night, lying in bed, I was thinking of the potato that has been chitted and the annoying flies around compost, although the flies are minimal.

The potato eyes are just about to sprout and I may have to plant it soon, but I have no place for it and nothing to grow in. No ground, so container is only choice, it has to be small and probably goes up by stacking up. I am considering thick shopping back and using bottom-less cardboard as confinements, stacking up by tapping another bottom-less bag with tapes. I dont know if it will leak, which will be disaster. Also thinking double bagged the starting, the outer one is for the excess water.

As for whats for growing in, I am preparing shredded cardboard, and anything possible to grow in. Ive watched a video that showing a pepper plant growing in carpet, actually, it was directly sowed on it and they used soda cans as mulch.

I dont how big those potatoes would grow, I want to put all three in one, instead of making three bags. This idea could end very badly, either leaking or potato dies.

The compost, I am also thinking about using bag to compost with two rings or cylinders, one is bigger. The opening of bag wraps from inside outwards around the smaller ring, then a cloth covering the opening and bigger ring clamps onto smaller ring to secure the whole things. You have an opening that allows air to flow, and you can easy to add more to the compost.

What else today?

• the green tomatoes starting to turn red in brown paper bag.
• weather forecast revised again, Sunday 5-3C.
• watched a video about solitary bees, which I have known of, but I might try to make one bee house out of cardboard next week, I already have 47 sheets ready to roll into tubes. Maybe a bird house as well? Not to bees, of course.