Okay, so it has been yonks since my last post, and that is an understatement, but a lot has been happening this year. I know, excuses, excuses, there isn't one, I just haven't gotten to my blog because I rathered being outside in the garden in my limited free time. But now that it is pouring rain and the middle of winter, I have some time to get back into it and start to form a habit of writing about my every success and failure in the yard.
Much has changed in my garden since last year, including the addition of a big compost bin (still need another one!) and some vigourous lettuces and a few herb. And lets not discount the importance of all the weeds I have nurtured through pure negligence for the last several weeks - I like to give myself something to do that gives me instant satisfaction. I will be the first to admit that not as much has changed as I would like, but at least I have some veggies and a few things in the ground and the soil is starting to finally resemble something I could grow stuff in. That's more than some people can say!
I have planted the beginnings of a native bush hedge along the western side of the garden to catch a little bit of the morning sun and one day provide some nice habitat for birds and lizards. It is a work in progress, for about the next 25 years, but I think once it is nice and bushy it will look great. All the Natives I have chosen flower, but at different times of year, so the idea is that there will always be some colour in the garden. It is one of those things that I am really excited about, but won't really know how it works out in the end because I don't think we will be in this house when it comes to fruition. But it is still worthwhile for the practice of it right?
My compost bin is full and happy and I am going to have a bonanza of beautiful compost in the Spring to add to my garden, the soil will love it and I think the plants are all in need of a little nutrient love. I discovered the Compost Companion, which is like a cork screw thing with a really long handle that you screw into the compost and pull up the more broken down stuff from the bottom to the top - essentially turning the compost without moving it at all or touching it with a shovel. For someone like me whose back has seen better days (not sure when that was, but in my early life I'd imagine), this is fantastic. Air is such an important component of a compost, and that is what turning the pile provides to the system, so my CC allows me to aerate the compost without the back-breaking work. I only have to do it about once a week and it has sped up the process so much! I reckon I could used much of what is in the bin now and it has only been 8 weeks cold composting!
Another really important component of a healthy and efficient compost pile that people often neglect is water, it is so vital to the process and the number of times I have seen dry, sad compost heaps has driven me to write this post. Moisture is vital, you don't want it to be waterlogged and soggy, but the pile should always be moist to help the microbes and lovely living things in the compost function more effectively. Just think how you would perform in a football match, tennis game or on a jog if you hadn't had any water for two or three days, that is how your little bacteria and microbes in the compost heap feel. Further, a dry compost will not attract worms, which lose up to half their moisture every day, so need to be in a moist environment. So, encourage everything that will help your compost work better for you by giving your compost a little tipple every time you are out in the garden watering or when you make a 'deposit' of kitchen scraps or yard waste. Just don't let it dry out, please!
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