The Magic Compost Bin

I think we got our composter in August 2016. I’m not really sure. I usually write things like that down, but I either didn’t or just can’t find it. Not that the precise date matters. The earliest picture I have of our lovely compost bin was taken August 26, 2016.

Composter settled in nicely by the garden.

When we first moved into the new house, my husband made a do-it-yourself compost bin out of a large plastic trash bin. He drilled holes, and set it on a platform behind the garage, and it worked reasonably well. It did have a tendency to blow over when there were high winds, however. Somehow, we found out that County Stormwater Coalition had composters for sale at a discount price for county residents. We went and picked up one at a truly reasonable price, and never looked back.

A closer look at the shiny new bin.

Now, back when we lived on the mountain, we tried composting. When we had chickens, it worked well enough, but before that the climate was just not conducive to composting. It took forever to breakdown, and there was never much to spread in the garden. That seemed perfectly normal to me as that was where I grew up; in the land of weak composters.

Here things are different. There are actually worms here! I still celebrate a little every time I dig a worm while working in the garden (they were so very rare in the mountains), but the celebrations peter out around the tenth worm or so. This composter works so very well. It seems it can compost everything. Never has it been more than 2/3 full because everything breaks down so quickly, and we (meaning my husband) have only emptied it twice.

The first time emptying the compost bin.

The second emptying happened last week. It was a nice day, but I was working from home and stuck inside. My husband went out, emptied the bin, and cleaned up the garden as well. I had not put the garden to bed last fall so it was in a sad state. There was enough compost to spread over nearly two full raised beds. I’m sure that will make the veggies happy this year.

Out of the bin…

…and onto the garden.

 The compost bin is refreshed, reset, and ready for more green and browns. It was a job well-done, and I appreciate that my husband did it, though I am a tad bit sad that I couldn’t be out there working with him. But, there will be plenty more time for that as the season progresses.

One more shot of the compost bin, but mostly of the little deer who came to visit.

Back with Renewed Ambition

My last post here was September 20, 2017. I never intended to drop this blog for more than two years, but here we are. Nothing major has changed in my life. We live in the same house we did two years ago, and I planted gardens in 2018 and 2019. I just haven’t taken the time to post anything.

July 2018

August 2019

For each of the last two years, I started out with the promise to myself that I would maintain the garden and record what I was doing, and each year I didn’t live up to that promise. 2019 was a particularly bad season for me. I neglected my garden so much that a family of rabbits took up residence in my pak choi bed.

What's that clump of stuff in among my neglected pak choi? A rabbit nest!

There were six baby bunnies! We let them stay.

I can make excuses about why I gave up on my gardening duties – the season was too wet; I was busy with work; I had fallen into a depression from the death of my grandmother – but the truth is that I just turned lazy.

Last year would have been a particularly interesting year to document. I got a bunch of heirloom seeds left over from a local historical site’s garden, so it was one big experiment in growing black peppers and red peas and warty squash. I took pictures, so I could go back and describe the experience, but I don’t think I will.

I planted three different types of carrots in 2019.

Instead of looking back, I’m going to commit to doing better in the future. I’ve started planning my garden for the 2020 season. I have a list of specific varieties of vegetables and herbs I want to grow with the goal to put up as much as possible. I’m trying to eat more locally and seasonally. I started Poblano pepper seeds about three weeks ago, and they seem to be growing well.

This year's fresh Poblano seedlings

I have run into a bit of a snag in my plans, however. As I type this, we are in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential businesses are still open, but I’m working from home. We’re not in a quarantine situation yet, but going out to find particular varieties of seeds doesn’t seem like a good idea. In fact, it feels irresponsible and selfish. Likewise, I don’t really want to shop online and make someone transport such a small thing for me when so many people are in need of essentials delivered to their homes. So, I will wait and see how this thing plays out. Plans can and will change, I’m sure. It’s the perfect time to practice flexibility. 

And here's a crow yelling, just because.