While cleaning the kitchen yesterday, I slipped on my croc's and carried the compost bin out to the garden plot. The compost bin is an old tupperware container from the 70's. It is the largest size of a canister set. I have one in, you guessed it orange and also one in green. Seemed to be the decorating colors for that decade. They make great compost bins, just right to sit on the counter with a lid that easily seals by pushing down on the center of it. The colors work fine with my kitchen, because the wallpaper is decorated with red, orange and green peppers. All of my kitchen scraps, peelings, coffee grounds, veggies past their prime, everything except meat scraps, are added to the bin until it is full. Then either Herb or I take it outside where we return it to the earth.
Other years we have added it to a pile, secured by a wire cage. In the spring we would add it to our large composter. This year we are trying something different and just scattering it on top of the frozen garden spot, where our potatoes patch will go next year. The quail are having a heyday out there scratching and pecking away. I think we have a few garden mice as well. So it will serve a duel purpose, supplement the diets of the local wildlife and add nutrients to our garden soil.
We have a different way of "planting" potatoes. Next spring on this very plot where we are throwing our compost, we will add more layers of clippings, straw, peat moss and Llama manure. Then cover that with a double layer of newspaper. Next we will drop seed potatoes on top of the paper, somewhat in rows and cover them with six to twelve inches of straw. If we don't get a good rain storm in the next two days we will then give it a good soaking, with our irrigation water, that originates from Wallowa Lake. As the straw settles we will add more straw and throw granulated fish fertilizer on top and soak again. Usually we get enough spring rains that irrigating is not necessary. In about a month the potatoes start to poke their first leaves through the straw. We will irrigate and fertilizer during the summer months and in october we will "dig" our potatoes. I love this part. We take ahold of the vine, pulling it slowly out of the straw and uncover a nest of clean, scab free, potatoes. I think the yield is less than if we planted them in dirt but worth it to me to have clean potatoes.
After the potatoes are harvested we rake the straw off into a pile nearby. Underneath the straw we now have a nicely composted layer where will will plant garlic and mulch it with the saved straw. Next spring garlic shoots will appear as soon as the ground has thawed and the last of the snow is melted. We have done all of this without tilling the soil.
We do the same type of preparing a spot for our summer veggies. In late summer as soon as things are harvested we start adding layers to the soil, then let them compost over winter. Of course we rotate crops to a different spot every year.
I got most of these ideas from a book called "Lasagna Gardening". Usually when I say that, someone will ask me, "So you plant basil and garlic together?" Not quite, but maybe that's not a bad idea. OWAV:)
when I read "slipped on my crocs" I thought, "oh sh*t she broke her hip, what is she doing writing this stupid blog when she must be in terrible pain!", then I read on.
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