Endings and Beginnings

Endings ... compost or the making thereof. I've been working on this pile since December - just before the freezing weather. The pile was to the top of the black compost barrel at the beginning. Weekly, I add my veggie scraps, egg shells and coffee grounds. This pile started with a layering of straw, bagged manure, autumn leaves, green laurel leaves, grass clippings. For the longest time, it appeared that the pile was a pretty good refrigerator, as the food scraps, e.g. grapes, looked well preserved. Now, with the weather warmed up a bit, decomposition is in action.

I turn the pile every 10-14 days. I lift up and off the black plastic barrel, move it over and then pitchfork the pile back in. The top has holes in it to let the rain in, to keep the pile moist. There is a bit of science that goes into compost piles.

Beginnings .... Here are the plants I bought yesterday at the sale. We will come back to these pots in a month or so to see how they have progressed.

And here is the sentinel, keeping watch over the patch of grass seed I planted today. The pile of walnuts and leaves from the tree in the tulip patch had been here over winter. I have been putting a sack a week into the garbage (can't put these into the compost). Finally finished that off today. Spread some seed, and dusted over with a mix of potting soil and peat. I hope it works!

Weather: cloudy most of day and in the 50s until about 4pm. Sun came out and got up to low 60s. No rain or sprinkles today.