Garden mascot, garden gnome.[/caption]My better half made a composter today. Squee!
We have three trees in the tiny little patch of earth on this planet we call home: a native bald cypress and two live oaks - one in the front, and one at back. These trees provide an amazing quantity of leaves throughout the year, which we are hoping to help find their way back into the ground. Composting will help this along.
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A magnificent resource to be blessed with: leaves![/caption]What Nature takes a long while to do, we could possibly speed up just a little bit, seeing as we're not going to be here as long as She.
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Food, glorious food![/caption]There are a thousand and one ways to make compost bins, and this is what we came up with. First, we picked a spot - a large, shady, corner of the garden, bordered by fences and by one side of the garage. Although it's rather tucked away, I love the let-it-be and wait-and-see quality of this space. With just a little nudge here and there, this could become a rather magical spot in the future. This is also only one of two places in the garden that I've seen earthworms. Having dappled shade and privacy also makes this a great spot for a compost pile.
Better half hammered down four metal garden stakes, three feet tall, into the earth.
We also placed three additional stakes for stability on three sides. Using a roll of sturdy wire fencing, also three feet high, we attached the fencing to the stakes very simply with small bits of wire, thusly:
And, in next to no time, the thing was done!
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Awaiting compost scraps and leaves![/caption]We filled her up straight away.
By all accounts, we'll need to find a way to chop the leaves up in order to speed up the process. For now, this bin and a pitchfork will give us a great start.
I'd like to leave you with a song by Tom Paxton, the great American folksinger. Not quite a complete cycle as composting, but with the same Spirit of creativity and harmony with the world. Enjoy, and see you in Arcadia!
[audio mp3="http://coahuilagarden.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/08-The-Mountain-May-Be-Higher.mp3"][/audio]
