We are under a heat advisory till Wednesday. Highs in the high 90s with a heat index of 100+. Consequently, anything that needs to be done in the garden has to happen early or just before dark. So… this morning about about 7 am I was outside ‘harvesting’ compost material (aka grass clippings). While I was raking I was thinking about how differently I could view this activity. For me, I am glad to have the clippings for my compost so it is a positive thing. If, on the other hand, I had to rake them merely to bag them for trash pickup it would be seen as a chore. Same activity, same amt of effort, the difference is simply the way I look at it and my motivation. The same is true with weeding. Is weeding a chore? A necessary evil for a beautiful garden? Or, is weeding simply harvesting good things for the soil? Weeds are a welcome guest in my garden. Some, like lamb’s quarters feed us when they are young. Others have deep roots that bring up nutrients that might otherwise go unused. As they break down either in place, or in compost, they add those nutrients and organic matter back into the soil. How can I see such as gift as a chore? It’s all about perspective isn’t it?
4 thoughts on “Harvesting compost material”
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You and I think so much alike, it is scary. You’re right about perspective. Most people go out to “do battle” with weeds in their lawns and gardens so they don’t understand why I enjoy “yardwork”. I look at weeds as free fertilizer.
I didn’t always think this way. I didn’t stop using chemical pesticides till about 3 years ago and just this year I decided to stop using chemical fertilizers. The key for me was walking the yard after a rain one night this spring. There were literally thousands of earthworms all over the lawn and flower beds. I had fertilized the fb with manure at planting last year and that was it. Normally grass clippings only last a couple of days on the lawn and now I know why. I watched the night crawlers come out of their holes, grab a piece of grass or other dead plant material and retreat back into their hole with it. When I looked at my veggie garden there were worms but not nearly as many where I had fertilized several weeks earlier with 10-10-10. That was a real eye opener for me. I had known that the pesticides were toxic to the micro critters but it never occurred to me that the worms (and probably others wee ones) would avoid an area with chemical fertilizer. Duh. I know how it would sting my hands if I had any small cut when I applied it, why I didn’t think it would bother a worm I dont’ know.
I have been composting in place for the last 4 years but this year have started two compost bins and another compost pile in the garden today. I still have a lot to learn but so far I am feeling good about the direction I am going.
I didn’t know about the fertilizer being bad for earthworms. And I was just going to mix up a batch for the flowers in front. I think I’ll pass on that, now, and just try to scratch some more compost from under one of the big bins. Thanks for the information.
I haven’t researched it, I’m just going on observation right now so it may have been a coincidence. There was a definate difference in earthworm numbers though.