While we are not advocating for collecting catscat to make fertilizer, we have got to admit it does appear to have 'done no harm' to the chillies growing in the 'cat garden'.
The two most successful plants in the whole garden are a couple of jalapeno chillies put there because they were left over and wimpy - and quite frankly not expected to survive, let alone thrive, 'in the wild'.
Well they proved us wrong, they are the biggest, greenest, best formed of a couple of dozen chilli plants that we grew in various gardens or pots on balconies, and certainly the healthiest looking. What did they get that no other chillies in pots or the garden got this year? Well it would seem the answer to that is: cat toilet.
True they have less fruit per foliage than the ones at home, excess nitrogen does that, but cat-toilet does not appear to have discouraged everyone from harvesting the fruit, which is well above ground level. Someone is apparently enjoying the odd handful of chillies; and why not indeed? That's what they were planted there for.
They, and the rest of the motley collection of plants that straggled into existence there this summer, have achieved one thing - general absence of offensive smell. My feline cousins are no doubt as chuffed about that as the humans. We don't like that smell either.
F planted a tired basil plant beside them today to see what that makes of the nitrogen enriched soil.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteHmmmmm... my granda always discouraged the placing of cat and dog scat on the compost heap; "meat doesn't do it - cow pats and sheeps trottles and deer scat is a whole other thing" he'd say. But even he might be impressed with this showing! Hugs and whiskeries, YAM-aunty xxx
Yeah - F agrees with your Grandpa. It might have something to do with risk of disease (or eggs of gut worms) if you are using the compost to grow human food.
DeleteWe have a litter tray but not all of us use it. Mummy Polly likes to go in the garden and when the weather is okay so does Rowan but if the weather is horrible she likes to go on the rug in the hall. Mum and Dad were annoyed about this at first but as its easily picked up she gets away with it. Thankfully Rupert always uses the tray and Mum's pleased about that a she likes to take a good look at it and make sure the fur is coming through.
ReplyDeleteWe keep them both busy I can tell you, Meow, meow , meow.
Rupert, Rowan, Princess, Willow and Mummy Polly
xxxxx
I have a litter tray now too. In UK, even in rain I used to dash out and use the leaf litter under the conifers on the other side of the drive, but not here. F uses my sawdust to make compost with her vege and fruit scraps, and coffee grounds, and the whole lot goes on a garden somewhere. When we go to the beach I find the patch of sand between rocks that all the local cats use, and make a deposit (just for the feel of sand between my toes). Tell Rowan deposits on rugs around here would earn the Davy Crocket hat threat. I like her daring though. xxxx Mtr T
DeleteUsually my garden is quite good but the most unsuccessful thing I've tried growing is catnip plants, Mr Cat usually sniffs them out quickly and they don't last long.
ReplyDeleteF says (but I don't agree) that you put a hanging basket (metal framework one without its liner) upside down over the catnip and secure it with tent pegs. Mr Cat (and me) could only get the bits that grow beyond the perimeter of the basket cage that is protecting the plant.
Delete