We cleared the woods and put you up
.
From rotting leaves you gave us good earth.
But now your sides are gray and worn.
And chickens scratch the dirt.
We put our compost bins up in 2009. We cleared a big swath of land near the garden. Today you can barely tell what we’d cleared. The trees have come back and next to the compost, the asparagus bed is in full foliage.
We’re letting the chicks free range in the hopes they might be able to rid me of the little worms and crickets that have devastated my peas and beans. In the meantime, they thought they’d find good pickings over at the compost bin too.
Life on the farm.
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So… the compost bins are turning into…compost? š
Sorry. Couldn’t resist.
Stacy: Some day. But not in my lifetime.
With all our rain this summer I thought my irises would be fantastic. Not so. Maybe I need some hens to eat whatever devoured my irises.
Mac: My irises aren’t doing well either this year. I let my chickens out too late in the year to help them.
Bugs and other things seem plentiful everywhere. I need some ducks to eat all the snails that have appeared.
Jenny: When I weed the garden I handpick the snails and throw them at the chickens. They’re like fire ants at a picnic.
I think ducks are less destructive in the garden than chickens though.
I remember in the early 1970s when recycling and “saving the planet” movements were starting to take hold. My mom embraced them. We recycled paper bags, not throwing out one until we literally used it to death for our lunches, etc. My mom made a small compost garden in a patch of dirt we had and put various things in it (egg shells, other peels, etc). The dirt there did become more fertile I do believe!
betty
Betty: That was me. š I still have every issue of the old Mother Earth News before they turned politically correct (and pretty much useless).
This looks/sounds so satisfying, Maria. One thing bugs me. In that first picture is that a hand pulled lawn mower? I hope not you’re not long for this world. š
Mike: There are some areas where a riding mower can’t get through. That’s when we use the push mower. Believe me, we save that only for dire circumstances. š
I’m crazy, not stupid.