Wednesday, January 6, 2016

New Year’s Resolution: Feed my Soil

Out with the old and in with the new! It’s that time of the year when the gym fills up and diet foods are on sale. This year I resolve to provide healthy choices for my personal temple as well as my personal space.

Often in a hurry, it’s easy to reach for some pre-packaged processed food even though it’s not the most healthful. In my yard, I can do the same. I can purchase a synthetic fertilizer and sprinkle or spray it about, or I can create my own organic additive.

This growing season, I will only use compost to enrich the soil of my yard. I will do so after a heavy rain and not before, so I do not create nutrient run-off.


I pledge to not add to the growing problem of algae blooms caused in part by phosphorus containing fertilizers.



I want to play in local lakes and rivers!

I will create and use compost! Check out  five ways to use compost. Compost not only improves clay soil’s fertility but also structure and texture. I will apply yearly by scattering it on the surface of my garden while working or watering it into my soil. For my grassy lawn, I will sprinkle compost throughout the year.



After, I will nibble on a blade of grass and find shapes in the clouds, comforted in the knowledge that what I create is completely organic, sustainable, and resource saving.

Happy New Year! Guest blogger, Jenny

3 comments:

  1. Is there a better time to apply compost to your garden and watering and working it into your soil? I.E. summer, spring, or fall? Or does it not matter? I have a bunch of compost I can probably harvest from both my backyard Earth Machine as well as my worm bin (making sure to keep the worms in and only harvest the copmost), I just don't know if it is better to do it in the spring or the fall. Thanks!

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    1. Spring and fall are both great times for compost although I prefer the spring since it is a high growth period and I tend to do more planting in the spring. I would not recommend winter since the ground can be frozen.

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    2. Excellent, thank you! I plan to start a big, brand new garden this spring so that is perfect.

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