Getting A Jump On The Garden

In total I removed about 2.5 landscape barrels (the big industrial size) of coop bedding. A nice mixture of chicken manure, rabbit manure, leaves, straw and hay, all nicely mixed.

I filled the barrel half way and made five separate trips, dragging it atop the snow approximately 100', to our main garden.  Once there I spread it all evenly on top of the snow covered garden.  Hoping to capitalize on the wet compost and melting snow to seep the nutrients into the soil ahead of the Springtime tilling.

Talk about a workout...

Stephan's Gardening Tip: Snow-Manure Tea

Before - 

After -

I made six trips trod-ding through twenty-plus inches of un-shoveled snow while carrying two-five gallon buckets full of chicken and rabbit droppings/bedding (manure) up to the garden.  I then proceeded to spread the manure atop the snow, atop the garden.

My rationale is that more snow will fall and cover said manure.  As each day passes they'll get longer with more day light, eventually giving way to warmer weather and melting.  As that process takes place I'm counting on the melting snow-manure mixture to create a manure-tea of sorts and seep into the garden soil fertilizing and softening it.

Eventually, when the ground thaws and planting season arrives, I'll till the contents into the ground and plant.  Then sit back and watch the vegetables take off!

Circle of "Compost" Life

 

Finally got around to planting our extra summer and zucchini squash plants.  The 6-packs, for each variety, I bought in early summer had SO many more that six plants.  I planted what I thought we could handle and the extras I potted up.

 

They really weren't doing too well in the small pots with all this heat, not to mention that we're tired of watering them, so  I was prepared to add them to the compost pile in a composting way.  However, I thought I had nothing to lose by sticking them in the dirt and giving them a drink of water.

 

Let's see how they do.  If they live and produce it's a WIN for us, and if they don't no harm no foul.  either way they're gonna be compost.

Nom Nom Nom Nom Yummy!

"Just a squirrel trying to get a nut"
- C+C Music Factory's song Gonna Make You Sweet (Everybody Dance Now)

Actually, it's a Red Squirrel dining on pumpkin and pumpkin seeds. What a nice way to recycle and compost. Especially, enjoy seeing more of the Red Squirrels versus the annoying Grey ones.

Compost Pumpkins

Here's one of our compost piles.

The plants growing inside are pumpkins.

We composted our Halloween pumpkins this past fall and here are the results.

We tried growing pumpkins several years ago but had no luck. The woodchucks (gophers) saw to that.

I will take some of these plants to my dad's and plant in his garden. The rest I will leave be to see what happens. We've not seen the woodchucks (gophers) so far this year. Of course that doesn't mean a darn thing but we'll keep our fingers crossed and if necessary call in Carl Spackler.