My compost is the heart of the farm, in a lovely interface between the plants and animals and soil organisms; potent elements come together and weave me nostalgic and at ease...perhaps its the beneficial organisms and the atmospheres they create.
Anyway, I pile layers of materials intuiting balances of texture, nitrogen, carbon, moisture and I turn it with the bucket of my tractor every so ofte...it gets hot and turns a lovely black.
This year I decided to use some of my neighbours free horse manure and am sheet composting down the center of a new field that is in buckwheat and oats (not interplanted). I layered manure, sawdust from a woodworking friend's shop and ditch muck which was beside this new field. Let it sit and I confess, ran the rototiller to incorporate the material. I guess its not true sheet composting. I may incorporate it when I disk in the buckwheat( the oats I hope to harvest) but its tempting to plant bush squash in it now and indeed I may do that.
2 comments:
You really to have an amazing place out there and what and adorable little dog.
We have been selling a wide variety of plants this year, a new venture for us...large amounts of some things like strawberries and raspberry starts. I'm not sure we will ever take on the ever so challenging produce part of it all but wow, so busy, so fun.
Your crops are looking great and I love the way you have been working your soil.
Hi Thanks H. The dog is tops...a trickster already. I planted squash in the compost this afternoon after the market...so much for my patience with sheet composting...
yes it is fun to be busy with farm projects!
Cheers
Anne
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