It's all a cycle - the importance of preparing a bed and sustaining compost

Returning home, I am welcomed by my parent’s two garden beds. I decided not to cover crop the beds, since there were various herbs that remained of good health with such a mild winter (especially thyme). I just pulled some thyme off to enjoy with my dinner tonight! However, when I first introduced myself back to the two beds’, the soil was covered with dead pine needles that fell from neighboring pine tree’s and evergreens. Although pine needles are organic materials and decompose, they tend to break down slowly because of the waxy layer that resists bacteria and fungi. Similar to other fallen leaves, pine needles have an excess of carbon in relation to nitrogen. The acidity of the needles would cause a decrease in the pH level, which over time would rise so that the acidity of the composted material becomes neutral, but I simply found more value in dumping the pine needles in my compost pile and introducing it to the beds at a later date.

I thought of the easiest, most efficient way to get ride of the pine needles. A leaf blower? No chance! Even the hint of gasoline on my garden and I felt that I would be exposing all future growth of produce to cancer. In other terms, I would not let my garden smoke a cigarette. I skimmed the top of both beds, picking up as many pine needles as my hands could hold. I added the pine needles to the compost pile that I am developing with organic material and food scraps. Since I was unable to pick out all of the pine needles, I decided to cut up the remaining needles so that there is more surface area for bacteria and fungi to chew.As I loosened the soil, my fingers ran into numerous worms and even a frog!

Preparing a garden bed is the most difficult part of gardening. A well-prepared bed will help to increase garden yields and make tending the garden easier in the future. If one spends a portion of their day preparing the bed for their garden, they will be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor in the months to come. Knowing this, my combination of ADD and OCD kicked in. After I took care of the pine needles, I then loosened the clods of dirt and the entire area of the beds by digging through the soil with a garden fork. I plan to form rows with small ditches between each row for deep root watering to reach each vegetable and herb that I will plant in the garden. I have yet to decide what I will harvest, but am in the process of figuring that out over the coming week.

           

The best part about my parent’s garden bed is the value of the soil. When buying compost last year, I researched for the most valuable and true organic compost. I found was that most high-quality compost could be bought by at Stenger Landscaper's and contains leaf mold, yard waste, and animal manure.  Since it is a landscaping company, and numerous pesticides and herbicides are applied to lawn scraps, I decided to test the soil potent herbicides, such as Clopyralid. Essentially, these inorganic materials applied to green our lawns don't break down during the composting process. The harm is that can destroy everything in your garden. So, a planted a few lettuce seeds in the compost. Germination was great, but if it was poor then it could be a symptom for herbicides being located in your compost. When buying compost in a store or from a composting site, one should look for the lightest, darkest, and most earth-est smelling soil.

I hope that I will be able to add my own compost to the beds in the future. Using compost simply produces food. Channeling organic matter into productive use is much more then just giving waste a home outside of landfills. Think of how many organic apple cores, banana peels, or coffee beans you have put in the trash. When you find value in the continual movement that removes waste and creates new fertility, we move away from the linear thinking that has lead to depleted soils and oceanic gyres of trash.

For whoever else pulled up the cereal rye and helped to prepare the beds, thank you. I am sure that you can now appreciate the hard work that you put in to ensuring a sustainable environment for our produce. I hope to create a shared common knowledge concerning the importance of composting over the following year at MLK garden. I have contacted Roledale regarding their compost, but have yet to hear back. Knowing their reputation and the earthy texture and smell of the compost pile, I would be surprised if the soil was not of high nutritional value.

Since my parent’s garden beds are situated near pine trees and evergreens, it seems to be a frequent landing area for climbing squirrels. I am in the process of designing and constructing a transparent roof for the beds that does not retract sunlight. I have thought of wire as a material, but am still at the drawing board for the best possible solution.