My Pretty Compost Piles

Soil needs to be planted or covered with mulch. Have you ever noticed that the mulch you apply on the surface of your soil disappears? It does. I enjoy reading a little book put out by Organic Gardening, “The Gardener’s Helper”. It points out that half of all organic matter is transformed into humus in just 2 months.  Soil is teeming with life! Earthworms feed on compost and drag it into their burrows. Years ago, I was a bit too lazy to haul some of the deadheaded plants out to the compost pile, so I spread them at the edge of the fence behind some of the shrubs. They were hidden from view, so that worked for me.  In a very short time that soil became wonderful and the shrubs and vines really benefited.  The Gardener’s helper says that “Nature keeps humus in the top 6” of soil and so should you.” Applying compost on the top of  the soil helps mimic what nature does. I save all the leaves from our 2 huge elm trees. And I compost healthy spent plants, vegetable matter, coffee grounds and egg shells combining them with well rotted manure. Today I went out and planted some potatoes. My soil is filled with earthworms. Years ago my soil was light brown clay, now it is loam. I have 2 “no turn” composters.  I just let nature do the composting.

In hauling spent flowers to the compost pile, I obviously dropped seeds. Early spring as the grapes vines start to green up Hesperis matronalis, dames rockets add color and fragrance to the alley.

Late spring, early summer

Much later in the season…