outside in the garden

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

 

I constructed a compost area about a month ago. Maybe 'constructed' isn't the correct word. I purchased some wire frames intended for the purpose and hooked them together into a square about 34 or 35 inches per side. The corner pieces pass through loops and stake into the ground. I also bought a pitchfork. Then I added dried leaves from last fall that were heaped in an area but composting v-e-r-y slowly, some garden pullings, and a few peelings.

The rule with compost, I read, is to alternate layers of green and brown. A base of dead leaves, then grass clippings, then kitchen waste, then leaves, etc. It's like making a casserole. Except the directions say to turn it every so often and water it. I havent been watering it, but it has been raining. It's wonderful to have something constructive to do with kitchen waste. It no longer feels so much like 'waste' and instead feels like a contribution to the garden, sort of a tithe from our evening meal. I find myself creating more of it than I otherwise would, peeling potatoes and carrots that once I'd have left unpeeled.

Palema 5:41 AM