Keep Compost Pile Cooking And Ready

Have you ever wondered why some gardener’s plants just seem to do better than other’s, even though the growing conditions are relatively the same? You can bet the answer lies in the health of the soil. Healthy soils are rich in organic matter also known as compost. Nutrients and water are held in compost, becoming available to the plants when they need it.

As you pull up those frostbitten plants from your garden, realize that you are holding the key to the making of a rich soil. In order for this garden waste to break down and decompose, it must have good air circulation, heat, moisture and billions of micro-critters working overtime. It also must have a specific ratio between carbon (brown material such as fallen leaves) and nitrogen (green material such as grass clippings).

We know how vital compost is to our soils and plants, yet no matter how hard we stress its importance, not enough of us have a pile cooking in our back yard. Perhaps the reason is because of misunderstandings surrounding the pile.

Lets dispel some compost myths:

Compost stinks. Wrong. Healthy compost has a rich earthy odor. It shouldn’t smell like a pig sty or the inside of an old tennis shoe.

Weeds can’t be added to the pile. Not so. A hot pile will kill most weed seed, although I would hesitate to add quack grass, horsetail or field bindweed.

Food scraps should not be added to the pile. Wrong. Kitchen waste is fine. However, meat, fish, dairy products, fat or grease should not be added. These products may invite a few unwanted guests - stray dogs, cats and rodents.

Pine needles never break down and make the compost acidic. Not quite true. Pine needles do take time to break down. They will decompose faster if they’re shredded before adding them to the pile. They don’t make the soil acidic.

However, needles, like other wood products help to create a fungal-type compost, excellent for adding around woody stemmed plants. Composted grass clipping, small leaves, annual flowers, etc., help to create a sweet compost excellent for using around soft-stemmed plants like perennials, annuals and on the lawn.

If you would like to learn more about composting, attend the annual Fall Leaf Festival at the Finch Arboretum, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Master Composters will host a full day of hands-on workshops.

All about gourds

Gourds, like their close relatives winter squash, must mature on the vine. If you’ve had trouble in the past with gourds rotting in storage, the most likely reason was that they were picked too early. They should not be cut from the vine until the stems turn brown and become crisp.

Before we start decorating or crafting these odd-shaped vegetables, they need to be cured or dried first. Wipe the gourds with a mild solution of chlorine bleach or Borax. This helps discourage bacteria from forming, which may cause rot. After the disinfectant has dried, coat the gourds with liquid floor wax (varnish or shellac can also encourage rot.)

Depending on which type of gourds you’ve raised, drying or curing time can take anywhere from one to six months. We can speed up the process by poking a small wire-sized hole in the blossom-end of the gourd. Turning the gourds once in awhile will ensure even drying. When they sound like a rattle when you shake them, they are done drying.

Gardening tip

Don’t put those hoses away yet. Just keep watering.