More Than a Lump of Humus - Fun with Compost

This was the first hardware I bought for the Springdale house - chicken wire for composting. Free PDF - The Wormhaven Gardening Book

I keep the compost pile in the shade, as much as possible, unlike the one shown above. Compost is often layered with green materials, manure, soil, leaves. But the entire pile can be leaves, and it will also decompose.

Humus is a sponge. Any compost pile will trap moisture inside it, so the core will support plant growth if it is not too hot from new nitrogen materials - such as a lot of fresh grass or weeds added.

I added sunflower seeds to the top of the compost, so they can grow out of it. If they do well, the birds and squirrels will enjoy the feast. The roots will become part of the compost and help aerate it to some extent.

I am also planting Atlantic Giant pumpkins in the soil and in the compost. The vines will leave the compost area and attack the yard. The gourds can weigh 1,000 pounds or more. Even the smaller ones are big, ugly, and intimidating.

I have some Creation-friendly seeds coming, such as Butterfly Weed. I already planted dill and borage near the roses. Dill seeds itself forever - so does borage.

Borage is called bee bread because the bees love it so much.

I am shocked by the small size of the Park Seed envelopes. I used to buy Harris Seeds and get 8 ounces or more of each type. I will probably go back to that style - far more economical. You can never have too much compost or too many seeds.

Mrs. Ichabod is already putting in orders for vegetables for next year.