I don’t have a compost either. I walk around the garden and randomly bury vegetable/egg shell scraps. Figure it will decompose eventually. 🤷♀️ I also didn’t rake leaves out of the garden beds last fall out of exhaustion. Everything came back up pretty happy. We had so much snow, it might have protected them more. Im embracing a lazy garden attitude more and more lol
Your garden is glorious, Mary! My husband is the compost "guru" here but we do next to nothing to it. Kitchen scraps of almost every type (we are equal opportunity here), shredded leaves, dried grass clippings...all go in. We scoop shovel fulls from the bottom to inoculate various growing spaces, or mix it in with bagged mix if we need a lot. Once in a while, he'll turn it and start a new pile. We have sieve-shaped tools that we don't use. You're doing GREAT! Rhubarb, broccoli rabe, those poppies...great I tell you!
I'm 99% certain we have a soil sieve in the barn, but I don't use it. Nor do I turn our compost monthly. It gets shifted when we start opening up part of the pile. We use the mower to shred the leaves. We did not always do this, but it does help.
Delighting in your flowers. I don't think the yellow peony I bought myself for Mother's Day last year (or the year before) because I didn't think my family would get me one even though I very pointedly asked for one, will bloom this year either.
I'm making some kind of rhubarb something for a gathering this week. We have 6 plants that are ginormous.
My current weeding consists of making space round the volunteer arugula and mustard greens. This week might need to really clear some space and get a little more in the ground.
If you need someone to take any flowers or jam and double check their quality, I would be so good at that. I’d be better at those tasks than I am keeping up with my New Yorker issues. 😬
My daughter does the gardening now. Our next door neighbor makes a compost tea/soup and spreads it on her garden all summer, so my daughter is now making her own compost tea or soup. My daughter's garden (as opposed to mine, I guess) is lush and full of both flowers and food. My garden is all flowering bushes trees and native flowers I planted four years ago. They're all mature now, and pretty much all I do in the garden is prune and deadhead. Because of rats we don't have a compost pile. We do take advantage of Portland's free compost pickup.
I don’t have a soil sieve, but I gifted my old lady employer some worms from my mom and now I help her manage the worm bin on days I work. She asks her google home speaker about every food scrap item to make sure it’s “safe” for them to eat before putting it in there
I don’t have a compost either. I walk around the garden and randomly bury vegetable/egg shell scraps. Figure it will decompose eventually. 🤷♀️ I also didn’t rake leaves out of the garden beds last fall out of exhaustion. Everything came back up pretty happy. We had so much snow, it might have protected them more. Im embracing a lazy garden attitude more and more lol
Your garden is glorious, Mary! My husband is the compost "guru" here but we do next to nothing to it. Kitchen scraps of almost every type (we are equal opportunity here), shredded leaves, dried grass clippings...all go in. We scoop shovel fulls from the bottom to inoculate various growing spaces, or mix it in with bagged mix if we need a lot. Once in a while, he'll turn it and start a new pile. We have sieve-shaped tools that we don't use. You're doing GREAT! Rhubarb, broccoli rabe, those poppies...great I tell you!
Thank you! You are so right!
I'm 99% certain we have a soil sieve in the barn, but I don't use it. Nor do I turn our compost monthly. It gets shifted when we start opening up part of the pile. We use the mower to shred the leaves. We did not always do this, but it does help.
Delighting in your flowers. I don't think the yellow peony I bought myself for Mother's Day last year (or the year before) because I didn't think my family would get me one even though I very pointedly asked for one, will bloom this year either.
I'm making some kind of rhubarb something for a gathering this week. We have 6 plants that are ginormous.
My current weeding consists of making space round the volunteer arugula and mustard greens. This week might need to really clear some space and get a little more in the ground.
Love all of this Sara!
If you need someone to take any flowers or jam and double check their quality, I would be so good at that. I’d be better at those tasks than I am keeping up with my New Yorker issues. 😬
🤣 I know you are joking but I would love to give you both of those things, and I’m glad I’m not alone.
My daughter does the gardening now. Our next door neighbor makes a compost tea/soup and spreads it on her garden all summer, so my daughter is now making her own compost tea or soup. My daughter's garden (as opposed to mine, I guess) is lush and full of both flowers and food. My garden is all flowering bushes trees and native flowers I planted four years ago. They're all mature now, and pretty much all I do in the garden is prune and deadhead. Because of rats we don't have a compost pile. We do take advantage of Portland's free compost pickup.
You have a lovely garden.
Thank you! 🥰
I used to make compost tea long ago. Your comment inspired me to try again. 🥰
I don’t have a soil sieve, but I gifted my old lady employer some worms from my mom and now I help her manage the worm bin on days I work. She asks her google home speaker about every food scrap item to make sure it’s “safe” for them to eat before putting it in there