It’s compost harvest season so now is the perfect time to reap
the benefits of your summer composting efforts before winter arrives.
This was my challenge last weekend as I surveyed the fallen
oak leaves and a pile of straw in my front yard from a recent gas line repair.
My compost pile was getting close to capacity and was going to need room for
all that natural material scattered about the yard.
My compost pile is not very fancy – it’s a small square of
plastic-coated wire fencing in the corner of the backyard. However, it allows
for easy access. After shoveling away the top layer of recent grass clippings,
vegetable trimmings, apple cores and banana peels, I uncovered that wonderful,
rich dark compost. Another year of natural materials quietly decomposing now
yielded the perfect mulch for the shrubs I had planted in the spring.
I made five trips around the house, lugging loads of compost
in the old Red Flyer wagon (yes, it’s 30 years old: reuse, reduce, recycle!).
As a result, my shrub bed was insulated for the winter and the compost pile was
ready for the next season of leaves. After an hour of raking, the compost pile
was a nice mix of oak leaves and straw, all first mulched up by the lawnmower.
I felt quite pleased with my composting yard work – too bad the maple in the
backyard still has to drop its leaves. Well, that’s a project for another
weekend!
Happy composting!
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