Yes. Sometimes I share pictures of dirt.

Not just any old dirt though. It is compost! Finished, sifted, ready to use - and best of all - made by me.



I've been spending some time outside over the last couple of days. The compost needed attention somethin' fierce. So I harvested a batch, and made up a fresh one. Isn't it great? When it comes to my compost, I'm like a child who's just learned to tie her shoes: beaming with pride! And yes yes, I know I've showed you my compost before. But too bad, I'm showing it to you again. I can't help it. Look how amazing it is?

Give it time. I just know that, eventually, you'll come to love it as much as I do.

Here's one of the two louvered compost bins Lo made me. The front louvres (slanted boards) are removable and make accessing the pile so easy... Yes, he spoils me rotten, doesn't he? Hee hee.

And this is the standard compost recipe I use. I place the following fives ingredients in thin layers in the bin. Kinda like making a giant lasagna. Nummy.

As I layer my ingredients and the pile grows, I replace the wooden louvres. When I'm all done, the bin looks like this!

I do not know why, but for some reason I love the look of a newly filled compost bin. Isn't it pretty? Just look at those colours!

Over the course of several weeks or months (depending on my level of commitment), I will turn the compost pile now and again. I harvest the compost, at the very least, twice a year in spring and fall, and sometimes more if I'm really really good at sticking to a consistent turning regimen. But usually I'm not that good. One year, I did manage to harvest the compost 4 times between April and October. That was a good year!

Once the compost is ready, I use an old milk crate to sift out the good stuff. The crate is sturdy and performs like a champion.

Compost makes all the difference to the growth of our plants. They love the stuff. Sometimes I swear the garden whispers an audible "thanks" when I apply a fresh layer. 

Well who wouldn't?!

♥M