Rocks don't rock!

AUGGHHHH!!!! I spent this afternoon digging a gazillion rocks (about 8 gallons of them) out of what will be the site of my pallet compost bin. We put those rocks there about 15 years ago when we discovered that rain formed little "lakes" along our fence. Little did I know I'd be digging up almost every single one, but I am. I dug a lot of them out of the side fence last year when I wanted to plant some flowers there, and more earlier this spring at the end of that same flowerbed.



And now more today. Oh, well, it's not like I don't have the time; I can spare it, and I love being out in the fresh air. (Here, near the ocean, I think we have about the freshest air around.) The grass looked so nice and short after its mowing, and the dogs were enjoying sitting/running/lying on it. I finished de-stoning the compost bin site; now I'm ready to get on with that project, as soon as I find another pallet. I'll be driving past the city maintenance yard every afternoon until I find another one there--or at Home Depot. Sometimes they have them to give away, too, and I need to go there for the gate locks anyway.



It was so NICE again today (60), but a rather chilly wind came up around 4 p.m., which makes me wonder if it will blow in some rain. Weather report said there was a chance of rain tomorrow, and if there is a chance of rain ANYWHERE, there's a good chance it will be here. But that's OK; I got to work outside three days in a row, and for that, I'm glad. My plants will need some rain, anyway.



I hope I didn't put three of my tomatoes out too early; I heard Cisco say (tonight) to not put them out yet, and to put them outside, in pots, for longer and longer times for a week before planting them outside, so I'll do THAT with the rest of them. He also said he begins his tomatoes from seed on April 1, and that he puts them on heat pads (which I have but didn't use this year) until they sprout. Then he puts them in his unheated garage under florescent lights 2" (not sure, might have said 4 or 6") above the plants until he's ready to do the one week routine before putting them outside. He said if they stay in a warm place, like my garden window, they will get leggy, and a couple did. Lots to learn.



I DID get my loganberry into the ground finally; I bought it at the Hoquiam Farmers' Market about a month ago. Planting it was the easy part; first I had to dig down about a foot to root out as many husky grass plantlets as I could. I mean these grass plants were BIG! I think they may have sprung from hayseeds in one, or both, of the bales sitting nearby. But I got most of the grass out before I found I was being summoned to Feed the Hungry to help serve; all the usual highschool helpers were busy with family gatherings on Mothers' Day. I hurriedly put compost into the hole, and planted the berry bush before I rushed inside, changed from my overalls into clean jeans and went to hand out cookies.



When I returned home a couple hours later, I went back outside to the rock-removing project, which took til dinner time. I sure do like working outside, though, on nice days, even if I don't like picking rocks out of soil. Soon my new compost bin will be done, and I'll be able to turn my compost every 2 weeks as recommended. I like compost--I like the way it looks, I like the way it smells, and it gives me a good feeling to see grass, leaves, paper, and kitchen trimmings turning into cool, nutritious (for the plants, that is) soil!



I THOUGHT I read on a composting site that the ratio of brown to green is 30 to one! I thought it was much less than that, like 2 to one. I will check again, to be sure I read it properly. But if it's even CLOSE to that, it explains why my compost takes so long .

Compost bin(s) out of Pallets

Well, I looked online and found directions for a compost bin made out of pallets; you can find it here: http://www3.uwm.edu/Dept/shwec/publications/cabinet/factsheets/WoodenPalletCompostBin.pdf

Pallets are often given away, so right off, this appealed to me. Also, I'm not much of a carpenter, and neither of the males living here are either, so the simplicity of this design also appealed to me. It looks like something I can actually DO, without a lot of help.

Now, this is NOT saying this is the right composter for you, only that it fills the bill for ME. If I've learned anything by living all these many years, it's that people have different tastes, and what appeals to one will not appeal, even to her close friends, let alone the world in general. (That's one nice thing about good friends--they tell you, in plain language, what appeals to them and what doesn't--they don't use subtleties or beat around the bush, and they're not shy.)
I wanted an easy-to-build compost bin, one that was CHEAP to build, and one that would allow me to turn my compost pile. You might care more about how it looks, etc.

Sooo, I am going to start collecting the minimal hardware I will need for this pallet compost bin, and scout around for one more pallet. ( I intend to put my bin against our chainlink fence, so I will only need three pallets and I have two already.) Our town's City Maintenance Facility has a "free" pile right by their gate, and that is where I got the two pallets I have and probably where I will find the next one. I'll take the truck, though. I had the Impala when I picked up one of them, and it was quite a feat, getting it in the car by myself--I think I finally stuffed it in the trunk after trying, in vain, to wrestle it into the back seat. Not fun.

Spent the morning out in the yard with my dogs. It was warm (60 degrees is a warm spring day here-we're near the coast and on a harbor) and the dogs LOVE a warm day. They slept in the grass and just looked so very happy-watching them revel in the beautiful day reminds ME to revel in it, too. Poki was stretched out on her belly with her two short back legs straight out behind her; part of the time, she slept under my wagon. I guess she has now decided that my little wagon is her friend; she barked like crazy at it when I brought it out yesterday. She has a "thing" about wheeled conveyances, and also all motorized things.

The wagon is just a child's wagon, old, with those wooden slat sides. I bought it at a garage sale after someone stole my John Deere Green metal wagon from our backyard. I actually PREFER this old wagon to the nicer one, because it is the right size for me; the other wagon was really too big, although it had nice rubber tires, etc. However, that said, I would also PREFER that people not steal my things, of course.

My husband asked me what I wanted for Mothers' Day and I said, "Dirt!" I have been waiting for a year and a half for a load of dirt for a flowerbed in the frontyard. I laid several layers of newspaper down where I wanted the bed, sprayed water on it until it was thoroughly wet, and then covered it with a tarp. I'm PRETTY sure the grass is all gone under there by now!!! I never DIG a flower or garden bed; why do that when you can just cover the area and let the worms dig it for you??!! I do the same in the fall, if I decide to make my garden plot bigger for the next year. All it takes is a little planning ahead, and you'll never have to break sod again!!

I have an unhappy little rhodie that wants to be moved to a higher perch, so I'm going to mound up this Mothers' Day dirt, and make a little hill for it. Maybe then it will BLOOM next year!! I don't even remember what color it is, as the only time it had any blooms was the year I bought it. One thing about plants, you either make THEM happy or they make YOU an unhappy gardener!! At least, they make ME unhappy when they don't grow, bloom, live, etc., etc.

I also detached one of the Clemitises (Clemiti ?) from the Butterfly Bush. It was climbing all over it, so I had to detach it's little tendrils, one by one, so I could have it cling to the fence, not this other plant. I failed with several Clemitises, but finally have two that have begun to do well, coming back year after year. I don't know what I did wrong before, but I do know these guys like to be watered if it gets dry. I watered them both today as this is our fourth (!!!!) consecutive dry day.

I mowed the dogyard, too. And then ran out of fuel--not for the mower, it's electric and runs on a battery--for ME. Had to come in and eat. Later, I'll mow the rest of the backyard, as, around here, you have to mow when the sun shines.