Compost harvest and vegetable bed prep

My gardening task for the day was to empty out Composter #2 for the first time and then use that compost to prep the small bed outside the kitchen. Most of the finished compost from Composter #1 went into this bed last season, but I wanted to add some more before turning the ground and trying some shade tolerant vegetables in this spot. We tried tomatoes here last season, but there just isn't enough sun for something like that. I mentioned some shade tolerant veggies in a previous post here.



Composter #2 has more compost than I thought. I had opened the bottom door to check in it a few weeks ago, but it looked like it was still cooking. I needed to make some space in it for more kitchen scraps, though, so I started digging some from the thin layer at the bottom. I quickly found that the compost in the middle was completely ready and was hidden by a small covering of uncomposted leaves and such. I ended up with about 4 -5 cubic feet for the new bed. Cool!

I sifted this compost and then spread it on the new bed and used our new electric cultivator to give it all a good turn. The bed looks good and ready for us to do some shopping for seeds and transplants.

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Elsewhere Online: How to use plant stakes correctly

Image by Tie Guy II via Flickr

If you are planning on doing some planting of larger trees or shrubs in your garden, this article is a must-read before you start. I have several trees in my garden that will have to be removed very, very carefully, as they have rebar stakes deeply embedded in their trunks. This will prevent me from grinding out these stumps, should I ever need to remove these trees. Not fun. Starting your new plantings correctly is very important.

How to use Plant Stakes correctly

from Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas by scrobins@westnet.com.au (Stuart)

In most garden activities there is rarely a "RIGHT" or "WRONG" way to perform it. Yet, when it comes to applying plant stakes it pays to do it correctly. At best, a poorly applied plant stake may fail to do it's job, while at it's worst your maligned stake could injure, maim or even fatally wound the plant it was trying to help.

Read the entire article