Do you compost? I think I've been composting for at least 20 years. It's a simple, easy way to add nutrients and minerals to your vegetable and flower gardens. As they say "Compost Happens". It's what the forest floor is made of. Any green or dried plant material will do. You can add egg shells, newspaper, coffee grounds, tea bags, and vegetable and fruit peelings. The leaves from trees may be added to your compost. If you have a mulching mower all the better. Just run over the leaves and add them to your compost pile. The most important thing to remember about your compost is to NEVER put meat or dairy in it. It will attract undesirable critters to your compost.
There are many complicated articles written about composting. Topics about ratio of green to brown material. I'm sure I might be able to make compost faster if I followed some of this advice. But I have time to let it sit -- It is not complicated and you don't need any special equipment. All you need is an out of the way space in which to add your dried or fresh plant materials. Our compost piles are behind our fenced in area.
We have three separate compost piles in the back point of our property. We use the 3 year plan. Every year we have a fresh pile of black gold or as some call it, chocolate cake compost. Letting our pile sit for 3 years, all of the material is broken down to wonderful compost.
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| Compost area 1 |
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| Compost area 2 |
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| Compost area 3 |
I plant all my containers using this compost. You can add vermiculite and perlite if you wish, but to be honest with you I have not for the past few years and my flowers do well. I also put this compost over our perennial bed and around shrubs as long as I have enough.
It's work, but so rewarding and my plants love it. You are keeping leaves and such out of the landfills. So that makes for a better environment and better plants. Truly it's a win win process all around.
This morning, with the help of Grayden and Samuel, we were able to get 6 wheel barrow loads of wonderful, rich compost. The guys shoveled it out of the pile and Grayden and I applied it to the large perennial bed and the new daffodil bed and the hostas around the oak tree. It looks nice and the plants are so happy that we gave them some extra nutrients.
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| Chocolate Cake |
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| My strong helpers |
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| Isn't it beautiful! |
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| New daffodil bed with compost |
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| Hostas top dressed with compost |
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| Compost on bed |
Grayden thinks we have about 12 more wheel barrows left of compost. We will get to this as time allows--(and our backs allow). We will be putting compost on a couple of garden raised beds in the back and also in our brick planter around our patio. I fill several pots with it also to decorate the front porch and the patio. I just love having this free resource to use. It is amazing! So, do you compost?
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| Compost remainder |
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| Day lilies are coming up! |
Yes, I compost! Almost everything that can be goes in one of my bins. You are very well organised! I am getting to grips this Spring with compost bins that have not been turned out for a while now. As these jobs get more difficult, I am planning to take the 'no dig' approach {I'll explain this in one of my entries in the future} Black Gold is a great name for home grown compost. The only thing I don't compost is tea bags as they don't seem to disintegrate, even after three years in the pile!
ReplyDeleteFew things in the garden feel as good as crumbly compost between the fingers! Happy composting!
~~~Deb in Wales
Deb, I knew the gardener you are was sure to compost! Yay! I do very little digging in my garden since I've been composting as it's not needed. I'm looking forward to your post about no dig. Sometimes we find a tea bag or my husband's coffee filter that hasn't broken down--but that is rare. I guess we could open the tea bags, but I guess I'm too lazy for that.
DeleteHave a lovely Easter! ♥
Looks like spring is coming to your house. Yes we compost and it's amazing--the wonderful dark soil, because our regular soil is red clay. So we really appreciate the black dirt. :-)
ReplyDeleteDotsie, I'm so happy to hear that you compost also. I bet your gardens look all the better for it--Your photos certainly indicate beautiful plants around your home! I think Spring is finally coming to us and we couldn't be happier!
DeleteHave a wonderful Easter with your family! ♥
Wow! You've been hard at work in your garden, Martha Ellen! So glad that you have helpers! I do compost, but only have one compost pile. Your three pile system works out so much better! You have inspired me to find room for more compost piles! Yesterday our first flowers bloomed ~ miniature Irises!! I did a happy dance!! It's still a bit too early to uncover things here. We are expecting a bit of snow on Friday. Thanks for a great post, Martha Ellen! Sending warm Easter wishes! ♡Dawn
ReplyDeleteDawn, I'm so glad my gardening friends have compost piles. I think if you tried the 3 pile method you would find it to be quite easy. This morning we got 3 more wheel barrow loads on more beds. When we empty that area, we will begin to put kitchen peelings, leaves and yard clippings in that area again. It's so simple--I'm so happy to hear about your irises blooming. They are such sweet old fashioned beauties. We don't have very much sun in our yard, so no irises for us. I hope the weather will become warmer for you and you have a blessed Easter. ♥
DeleteAbsolutely the way to go! I used to compost, but we live on a lot the size of a postage stamp. Even so, I composted until a neighborhood child was bitten by a rabid skunk. At that time, all those of us who composted were asked to stop. I would do a closed system except it's too much effort. So I depend on the local farmer for compost. Good thing it's inexpensive and delivered right to the front flower garden. Needless to say, my gardens are tiny.
ReplyDeleteVee, too bad about the rabid skunk! How nice to have a resorce for compost handy and inexpensive.
DeleteBlessings to you and your family this Easter. ♥
I used to be a composting fool ... with a four-bin system made from pallets. Grass clippings, leaves, and even stuff from the paper shredder went in there. That stopped when I moved here. My gardens are so extensive, and this old farm soil is superb ... there's no way that I can make a measurable difference with homemade compost when gardening on this enormous scale. I use locally-sourced shredded hardwood mulch, which breaks down into the soil within two years. It's my new way of thinking about compost.
ReplyDeleteConnie, I can't imagine taking care of the enormous property you have! Compost has improved my soil so much--We get local mulch also--we even went so far this year to have it delivered and spread on our shrub beds. We've always done everything around here and it's not as easy as it used to be. I don't know how long we can keep up, but we keep on keeping on! Have a lovely Easter. ♥
DeleteTo answer your question--yes, but not intentionally. We always dumped our leaves in an area that was covered in brambles. When we had the area cleared a couple years ago we had to move the leaf pile and I was amazed to find a pile of "black gold" as it's called. I've been using it for my potted plants each season.
ReplyDeleteDon't you love that black gold, Cathy? I'm sure you were happy to have found that stash in your garden. I just love my compost and hope to continue with it. Have a wonderful Easter with your family! ♥
DeleteWhat a great project...I'm just afraid of attracting copperheads to our yard! Something I'm very watchful for. Happy Easter, XOXO
ReplyDeleteI've never had a problem with undesirable critters, Susan. I understand some folks do. Have a wonderful Easter! xoxo ♥
DeleteThis is a great post about a subject that I love!! I love to compost and the results are wonderful! :-)
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed to see all the images and must say you are very organized and orderly! ;-D
I am looking forward to seeing more of your garden !!
Have a wonderful weekend and enjoy your time out doors!!
Manny many Blessings warmth and love, Linnie
Linnie, I somehow knew you would compost! Kindreds on so many levels. We were working this morning putting down more of that wonderful "black gold" in our garden. I'm so glad to hear that spring is coming to you--I know you will enjoy it, dear one! ♥
DeleteI'm starting a compost area out by the kitchen door (though I think I might at least get some chickenwire to contain it mostly in a bin) and was looking up some instructions about it. I'm glad I remembered you did an article about it, because boy, oh boy, do a lot of articles about compost make it unnecessarily complex and expensive.
ReplyDeleteNoel, I'm so glad you are starting a compost. It's so easy! You can contain it if you wish although it's not necessary. Happy composting! ♥
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