Compost Day

Today I checked the compost bin to see what had happened over the winter. I was rewarded with a 1/2 wheelbarrow full!

I made a compost bin out of a garbage can and a roller to go with it. It works pretty well (there are 2" machine screws on the sides to stir it and plenty of 1" holes for ventilation. I also have a sheet of 1/2 " screen that I bungee over the wheelbarrow to strain it.

This batch of compost wasn't quite as voluminous as I had hoped --I think it was too dry over the winter. It is clean and good smelling though.

In terms of more general stuff about "Gentlewoman Farmers" and the Garden of Eatin', I decided to blog about our gardening experience because it seems a good idea to let the people who are eating our stuff (family and friends) read about how enjoyable it is! I'm all for vicarious gardening! I'll try to update the blog once per week!

Growing up, dad loved to garden and I learned a lot from that. Mom was fabulous with flowers and plants--love there ,too!

Rebecca has always gardened herbs and vegetables, and she has an amazing gift for it. I really got committed to gardening when I served my first church in Mazon, IL. I had the honor to get to know some farmers who take ethical farming and ecology seriously. Norm, God bless him, introduced me to some books by Louis Bromfield. Norm and Doris taught me a great deal about farming and life (they gave me an apple tree when my time at the church was finished--it's apples are the sweetest ever).

I am currently re-reading Louis Bromfield's From my Experience: The Pleasures and Miseries of Life on a Farm.

I highly recommend it! Seriously, this man knew all about ethical farming and the dangers of agri-business in the 40's! The tone is fabulous --this man can write (he was a novelist).

I guess my reading today got me to the compost bin --in an early chapter he writes about how he refurbished some burnt out farmland with alfalfa and winter barley.

This fall we will plant a cover crop in the beds to help provide nutrients as well. I'll have to figure out what later.