Good Soil

What a glorious weekend.

For me it was the official beginning of the gardening season.

And so I began at the beginning.

Soil

Good soil

Improving soil is likely the most important thing I do in my garden

Without this continuing act of love of God’s good earth

My garden would slowly

But surely

Be less and less.

So what is this process?

It’s really more of a circle.

So let’s jump on board of this cycle last fall.

I have two composting areas in my garden

One is my giant Mantis twin composter.

This is where the process begins.

Kitchen scraps go here to break down.

It’s enclosed and keeps all kinds of critters

From dining on the garden’s leftovers.

To this I add cuttings from the garden

Mostly green.

And some of the brown stuff – mostly leaves

That are always hanging around.

Once the food scraps are no longer edible

I transfer this across the yard

To stage 2.

Under an old cedar tree

Atop the now defunct cellar

Is a small berm

The only undulating part of our yard.

It’s where I’ve been stashing tons of leftover leaves

Since creating my garden.

I layer it all here.

Eventually it turns into the most wonderful deep, dark, rich soil.

So why all this

To create something

That all ready exists?

There are many reasons for me.

I hate sending things to the land fill.

Always have

And when you can turn them into something good

All the better.

Soil is truly the beginning of a garden

Without rich loose healthy soil

Plants will not thrive.

They may survive

But they will not thrive.

Something else that we have in common

Plants and people.

The need to be rooted in a rich healthy environment.

One where we can spread our roots

Grow new branches

And reach for the sky.

Gail

P.S.  I realize these pictures are a bit random but it’s what’s blooming now

and they are prettier than dried leaves and my compost tumbler!