What did you do in the garden today?

[Sally PB]

My only other thought is that I coule cut a hole in the top and add a perforated (drain)pipe into the middle of the pile for more air.

I haven't done this, but I've read that it works very well.

PS, I know I probably need to turn it more often.

Yeah... I need to turn mine too.

 

[Sueby]

LOL, turned the compost today.

What did I do in the garden today? I've been waterin since about 7 AM. And that's despite the2" layer of leaves I put down early in the season and the 2-3" layer of tree trimmings I just got put down. Just not gettin enough rain!
Another topic I want to touch on is composting.
I know there are composting threads but this thread gets a lot more air time and I'm betting the same people who post on the compost threads also visit this one so here goes!
As I have posted before, I have been trying to compost for a few years but can't seem to get it right. I turned my bin today and I know I should have turned it long ago but it "seemed to be going OK", until I dug into it. Notice I said Compost bin. I've tried the piles on the ground and the fire ants have infested every darned one of them. Tried the "tumbler" and that did keep the ants out but did not successfullly make cmpost. Now I have one of the industrial type trash cans, about 50 gallons @ about 4' tall. Been with it for about 3 yrs and have made some "almost compost" in it. Ended up with about 40% compost and 60% fibrous material. and that took a whole year. Made for a good mulch on my raised beds though.
Now to today. It has been about a month, maybe more since I had last turned it. This whole time I had been adding layers, Dry leaves, grass clippings (dry and green, depending when I raked 'em up), weeds from the garden and hay bedding/poop from the chicken coop, followed by some water. I'd put a layer in and by the time I was ready to add another layer, the level in the bin had gone down considerably so I didn't turn it often.
Today the top was barely damp but got wetter as I went down, and @ the bottom was a soggy mess, No real composting happening. It was brown as if it wanted to but nada. Also there was no sour smell as I have heard would happen if it went anerobic.
OK, so I got it all out, broke up the clumps and put it all back together adding in a layer of leaves along with a little dried goat poop outta the barn, every once in a while to soak up some of the excess moisture
This is the first time I've had this high moisture happen so I took a look @ what I was working with. The trash bin I was working with. When I first started I drilled holes for air. They were 1/4" holes, one vertical row on each side (4 rows all together) for air. I drilled all of the holes out to 1/2 inch and quadrupled the amount of holes thinkin I was not getting enough air into the mixture.
I do not have a drain hole(s) in the bottom as that would be where the ants would come in and I can't have that happening.
My only other thought is that I coule cut a hole in the top and add a perforated (drain)pipe into the middle of the pile for more air.
Anyone want critique what I did today? Pose some solutions that I may not have thought of?

PS, I know I probably need to turn it more often.

So the only thing I can think of is I have 2 piles going, one active & one cooking. The cooking one I stop adding to in the spring as soon as it thaws & I can turn it I stop adding & turn it every week, at least. The active one I start as soon as I turn the other one. I add to that all year & only occasionally turn it, I add to it all winter with household compost & layered with leaves & grass. It freeze, but I still add & layer. It sounds like you only have 1 pile going? 1 pile doesn't work here, I need 2, an active & a cooker. Hopefully that makes sense, my brain is tired today.

Sooo, busy day. Got a bunch of holes dug, no easy feat here, with plants in, mulched & watered. Got a new bed in, cardboarded & mulched - up by the house - I'm going to show u all pics soon as I could use suggestions. It's a cover for the septic so I'm limited. Probably took 5 tractor buckets of mulch. Work in progress.

The fluffy lunatic is in a crate. I got sick of tossing her butt out of the nest every 2 seconds. She is hilarious with the noises every time I walk by, DH & I can't stop laughing. She is NOT happy in the crate.

So I was pulling tape from the cardboard to lay in the new bed & I stepped sideways off the deck by accident. Fell completely sideways & landed on my right side, I'm going to be really bruised tomorrow. Anyway, I'm so upset my new watch with fall detection didn't go off! I fell HARD. The whole reason for the watch was fall protection. Apparently Samsung thinks I need to jump off a cliff before it worries about me.

 

[TJAnonymous]

A little over a month ago I SECRETLY picked up two Welsummer pullets at the feed store because it's a breed I really wanted to add to my flock. Well, I'm pretty sure one of them is actually a cockerel.... And the 2nd one died today in a tragic accident. I had a 16" square piece of particle board on top of the brooder to keep chickens from pooping in the chicks' waterer. I noticed the board was knocked off and laying on the floor. I picked it up and found my Welsummer chick squished underneath. She was big enough that I don't think the board alone would have killed her so I'm speculating that one of the adults must have jumped on it after it was knocked off and the combined weight likely killed her. I'm so bummed.

 

[pennyJo1960]

Ahhh I am sorry about that @TJAnonymous

 

[Iluveggers]

@TJAnonymous I’m very sorry.

 

[Silkiesaz]

I fought back the squash bugs that are trying to eat my pumpkins.

 

[SheaLoner]

I saw this dragonfly laying eggs in one of my garden ponds the other day:View attachment 3137441

I love to see dragon and damselflys out and about, but the nymphs used to scare the bejezzus out of me as a kid. Creepy alien thing crawling out of the water, ugh.

 

[jerryse]

View attachment 3137577
I’ve been traveling for a few days and returned home to some squash that was ready for first harvest. One beautiful one and one that looks more like a zucchini from one plant and a bunch of small bumpy ones from another. Plants are flowering again so I went ahead and pulled all these off. Hopefully have some tomatoes soon. They are getting pretty big but still green.

Wow that is a lot of variation . Seed packet or home saved seed ?

 

[TJAnonymous]

O. M. G.... I noticed tonight that I have some strawberry runners that are trying to root. I decided to soil up some small starter pots to put under them. Rather than trek all the way to the back of the property, I decided to use some soil in some old grow bags I had near the house from last year. I had been trying to grow potatoes in them but all the foliage died out unexpectedly. I figured they got too wet and the potatoes rotted. Anyway, there were a bunch of weeds growing out of them so I started pulling weeds so I could get to the soil....

When what to my wondering eyes doth appear? Not Santa but I was no less surprised.... Do you see what I see???

 

[TJAnonymous]

O. M. G.... I noticed tonight that I have some strawberry runners that are trying to root. I decided to soil up some small starter pots to put under them. Rather than trek all the way to the back of the property, I decided to use some soil in some old grow bags I had near the house from last year. I had been trying to grow potatoes in them but all the foliage died out unexpectedly. I figured they got too wet and the potatoes rotted. Anyway, there were a bunch of weeds growing out of them so I started pulling weeds so I could get to the soil....

When what to my wondering eyes doth appear? Not Santa but I was no less surprised.... Do you see what I see???

View attachment 3137835

For the record, too, I have no idea how that onion got in that pot either....