Now that I have my late winter/early spring garden started, I have grass and weeds scattered around the plot. Now, what? I am starting a compost pile in the far corner of my Back 40. Yet it is near the garden and it will be convenient for emptying the grass clippings later in the season.
I am saving all organic matter generated in the kitchen, putting it in a large bowl to heap it onto the compost pile in the evening or the following morning. I save coffee grounds and egg shells, leftovers from making salads and slaw, citrus rinds and fruit peels. I include pasta, breads, and cooked vegetables in this concoction. BUT absolutely no meat and bones of any kind--fried, cooked, or sauteed. This will create an odor as it decomposes and most likely will attract dogs and other critters.
Believe it or not: an organic compost pile does not smell. It may not look attractive at times, but I then cover the pile with pine straw, dead leaves and dead grass that I have raked up.
Every so often, I "turn" the pile using a hoe fork. I just move the pile from one spot to another. It is easy to manage early on but at the end of summer, I am sure to wonder how I am going to use it all. I have now recycled the organic kitchen scraps and yard debris. It is all right to use the compost in the garden before it has totally decomposed--it'll be used as mulch.
When I remember, I toss a bit of fertilizer onto the compost pile and water it as well. This way, it will percolate and rot faster. As time goes by and I keep turning the pile, it will become "black gold"--beautiful black soil for a happy gardener.
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I still have tomatoes and peppers to plant as well as lettuce and a few basic herbs.
How about a romantic Valentine's Day?
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