Composting and Other Tasks Accomplished

I bought a plastic composter from Costco a few weeks ago, and last week we finally put it together. We then proceeded to fill it with weeds. I can't wait to see how that turns out.

I have a few other items to add to the mix, such as spent coffee grinds, melon rinds and dead flowers. Of course, the weeds take up most of the room in there, so we shall see how quickly everything decomposes, and whether the result will be anything worth having.

I wanted a composter because we generated so much yard waste and I hated to just throw it all out in the garbage. Grass clippings and spent flowers seem like the type of thing that would provide nourishment to the soil, so I prefer not to just get rid of them. Yet, with a practically full bin this early in the season, I'll end up throwing a lot of it out anyway.

We dug along the fence line like my neighbor always does, but it doesn't look as nice. That is because Rick did it, and his idea of neat is not quite like everyone else's. But he tried, so I can't be too upset about his effort. My other neighbors marveled at the effort, probably because they won't even try to do the same on their side. They have people who mow their lawn for them, so I can't imagine that any real landscaping efforts are a part of the contract.

The day lilies came back along with the ever-present Sam weed. I still hate both of them with a passion. My in-laws were here and the children hacked away at the pre-growth, so we'll see if that has any impact on them. I pulled some at Sam, but he is a cunning weed, and will find other ways to annoy me. And of course, I've been pulling weeds out of the peach tree bed. The peaches are coming in, but I did not fertilize them, so we'll see if they mold on the branches in a few weeks.

I have not started any of the other plants yet. I do plan to start the tomatoes, peppers and sunflowers very soon because this year I plan for each to grow in the ground. Although we'll be gone for a few weeks, my hope is that after they sprout and harden at my parents' home (assuming that my mother does not mind daily watering), they should be strong enough to transplant by mid-June.

I may do onions and potatoes again in the pots this year. I actually had a potato growing in the same pot a few weeks ago. I may also get the beans and zucchini planted this year as well.

I don't have any grand plans--I just want to get things accomplished. I'll be working this summer, which means that my attention will be divided and may prove to be disastrous. Last year I totally lost interest in the yard, although I did not lose total interest in the veggies (it helped that the hub got excited about them). I am a little late in getting started this year, but I am hoping that it will make me a bit more dilligent this time around.

OK, I could go on and on, but I have other work that I am avoiding that I must finish before midnight. Ciao!