“Flowers are words which even a baby can understand.”
-Arthur C. Coxe
Have your camera ready! Watch a youngster as they blow the down off the dandelion--(sure, they are spreading seeds, but the expression on their face is worth this experience for them). How about watching them stick their noses into a flower—just be sure there aren't any stinging insects around. Then have them sit in a patch of posies—snap the picture. You see a lot of these pictures at fairs, photo exhibits and in magazines—so make your own display and enter them.
Deadhead the flowers so they continue to have lots of bloom.
These wilted, spent flowers go into the compost bin. What else goes into the compost? Weeds, grass clipping, anything that was growing. If you have chemically treated your lawn with weed spray, wait at least three cuttings before you put the grass clippings into your own compost bin.
You don't want to contaminate the compost by adding weed killer which would be in the grass clippings and end up killing everything that the compost comes in contact as you spread it around in your gardens.
What not to add to your compost: dog and/or cat manure—may contain disease pathogens. Woody materials over one fourth inch diameter unless you run it through a chipper. Any meats, cheeses, oils which will attract animals to the compost bin and you don't want this to happen.
Some say not to add tomatoes to the compost unless you want lots of tomatoes—well, when they are seedlings and in the wrong place, they are a weed and easily pulled out. Potato peelings sometimes start potatoes, depending on how you cut the bad piece from the spud and threw it into the compost.
Once you start the compost, add a bit of soil, especially after you have added grass clippings and water well.
This aids in the grass to break down faster. Turn the compost weekly if you have quite a bit in the bin. Using two or three compost bins works great if you have the space. Starting with first one, turn it over into bin #2, then when #1 needs turning again, move #2 to #3 and back to #1 into #2. Works out great for the back-yard composters.
Finished compost is dark brown in color, just like good rich earth, has an earthy odor and is not stinky! You can sift the compost through hardware cloth (three-eights of an inch mess screen) attached to a wooden frame into a wheelbarrow and throw the large pieces back into the compost bin to decompose some more.
Use the finished compost around the plants as mulch or work it into the soil. This will help in the conserving of water too. What a great way to get rid of excess grass clippings, vegetable matter and weeds and give back to soil and enrich it. Your plants will thank you by producing more flowers, maybe even larger, more vegetables and give them a healthy look!
Gardening questions? We are as close as the phone 455-7568 or e-mail at: laverlem@ieway.com
Reader Comments(0)