It is officially that time of year again, when I start a new compost pile and start preparing the old one to be spread on the raised garden beds. This summer has been considerably colder and wetter than most, and my compost is not as far along as it normally is.
I am no longer adding anything to this pile, and I will be turning it every few days, in an attempt to get it to break down as much as I can in the next 2 months, before it starts freezing outside. As I dig through it, I am finding a ton of very large earthworms, which is a happy sight! Most of them will be spending the winter happy and warm inside a worm farm. Between the worms and the more frequent attention, this pile will look very different, very soon.
Because I can’t add anything else to the old compost pile, it is necessary, of course, to start a new one! Fortunately for me, my friend just cleaned out her chicken coop a week or so ago, so I had a couple of bags of old straw and chicken manure just waiting to be used!
I moved the fence to the new compost area, behind my vegetable garden. The straw and manure are simply heaped into a pile, and I’ve been dumping my kitchen waste on there for a few days now. I’ll probably turn it in a week or so, and then once or twice before it frosts.
Here’s a link to one of my most popular posts… Why you should start a compost pile… right now! … in case you want more information on starting your own!
As I was turning the old pile this morning, I heard a rustling in the fireweed along the side of the vegetable garden fence…
I have been seeing this little rabbit around the compost pile the last week or so. He is fairly tiny, and I don’t see much evidence that he has been there, other than actually seeing him. He seems to be after the compost rather than the vegetable garden, and the raised beds are tall enough that he wouldn’t get into them easily, so for now, I’m just watching him. All wildlife is welcome here, and I’m honored that he is comfortable enough to let me see him. I even made sure that a bit of fruit made it outside of the fence, so he can find himself an easy snack!
Are you composting this year, or planning to start a pile soon?
Jamie shares her thoughts and ideas as she explores organic gardening and permaculture in Big Lake, Alaska. She writes about chemical-free gardening in a cooler climate, saving energy or using alternatives, cooking from scratch, and living a more frugal lifestyle.
susitnafarm.blogspot.com
