... the scottish play

round this neck of the woods there's a fire ban from the end of october until the beginning of winter, so when a girl's in need of some potassium for her tomatoes she has to use her imagination.
let me explain:
someone, i think it was the poms, discovered potassium carbonate was present in the ashes of a fire. this was quite a significant find for agricultural areas where the soil lacks in potassium. tis one of the most important soil bound nutrients that a plant needs for healthy flower development; even more important for our friend the potassium rich tomato.
using organic methods means you can't just pop down to the shop to buy a fertilizer (well, you probably can, but you know how it is round here). so i collected me some pine cones and popped them into my kettle bbq and, somewhat reminiscent of certain witches from a certain play, i manufactured some pot-ash.

but there's something primordial about fires. about playing with fires. watching the flames dance, lick, entice you into the golden warmth. i don't think there's one of us that could resist stirring up the fire or adding to it. fire ban or not, the child in me wants to send smoke messages. the mother in me curses that i wasn't more organised and had thought to bring the washing in before i got carried away.

so, pine cones burnt, simply add the ash to the bottom of your tomato plants (or roses) and bob's your uncle! even tastier tomatoes coming up!!!

xx
mama b (toil and trouble)

ps, here's a movie of our wee man, busking.


post post script:

fire bans are to be respected- lest we create a disaster similar to the fires currently blazing in Victoria just now. our builder is also a volunteer firefighter and has told us that lighting a bbq is within the bounds of the fire ban.
my heart brakes for the people who have lost their lives, homes and families in this terrible fire.