New England, April 2016

CC, Doing a rain dance for you

Rock, Are the black flies the biting kind? If so, yuck. The black soldier fly is a good guy. Just wanted to make sure I was picturing you with the right kind.

Oh yeah! They're the biters. I wear high leg socks, two long sleeve shirts, a knit cap, and put rubber bands around my ankles and wrists so they don't get in. THEY ARE TERRIBLE! But, you get used to it, and I have found some bug spray that really works but doesn't have DEET in it.
     So I got my compost pile layered and soaked, completely covered in plastic and tied up, it is almost 7' tall. If I did it right it should lose some height by tomorrow. It varies on how long I leave it wrapped up, it has a lot to do with the temperatures during the day/night.  Hopefully it will be cooked down to black by the end of the summer, if I can keep it moist enough. I still have enough brown left to mix with my grass clippings, that will give me fast compost, if I can keep the girls from "turning it for me" .
     I know this doesn't seem like the way to make compost, but I do not have any equipment to mix the big pile, so I have found this method that gives me very nice compost over the long haul, a once a year "fix it and forget it" kinda thing. 
     I am excited, I think my beets are starting to poke through! They are little purple jobs, and I never really noticed or paid attention before. I was getting worried, I put them in 2-3 weeks ago and have not been the greatest waterer. But, know that the hose stays hooked up I can water more often and it isn't such a chore. I will be dreaming of a drip system tonight, again. 
    That is all for now, gotta take a shower and make sure the adult beverage is in the refrig. Tonight I am going to sit out in the barn with the big door open wide, enjoy my yard and gardens, and listen to the Red Sox. Rock

A 7 foot tall compost wrap??? That I gotta see!  Did you take a photo for us?

I'm exhausted and heading for the shower too. Got the Espoma corn gluten Weed Prevention spread on the meadow (aka the lawn) today so it had better rain tomorrow. Also planted out my celery stumplings along with the potato onions and some tulip bulbs. Early to bed and book for me.

CC

BDR, you are my kind of composter! Although in comparison I use the trickle down theory! And EVERYBODY knows that worked! Tons of brown in spring in layers with some kitchen scraps. That is it. Yep. Additional kitchen offals.....yeah. And it composts!

Hey where is the rain? I just looked on the radar and a big batch is coming our way CC, but I didn't even get a sprinkle tonight . I didn't go outside and sit, I don't watch TV very often, but the game was extremely good tonight, so I stayed in and watched the Red Sox win.
     I took another look at my compost pile it is closer to 6' than 7', but it is still a lot and I am done with it. That was a little bit of a workout. I will get a pic of it tomorrow and post it SR. I am tired and happy, so off to bed I go. Rock