Here it comes. It’s that time of year, folks. The time when all gardeners, as much as we love the cozy, white blanket of snow that gives us a rest and protects our gardens from harsh ice, begin to miss the dirt. This year, between Rebecca and I, we did a good job of preparing our garden for the spring. Even building the compost piles and scattering rye seed for a green manure crop happened. Such a good feeling to go into the winter with a tidy garden.
Some of the last photos made of the garden this fall were when the wood chips were laid in the pathways. In the past, I’ve used all of our office paper and junk mail underneath tightly packed flakes of hay. This worked well to remove the paper from the waste stream and to keep the weeds out of the walkways. It became problematic when the chickens arrived on the property and found the hay a perfect home for all those tasty bugs they love. The hay rarely stayed where it was put. The hens don’t love the wood chips nearly as much and according to Rebecca, once down, they should last 2 or 3 years.
The office paper now goes into the compost as layers between all of the buckets of food scraps that come off the Riggin. A perfect balance, for our noses too, as the piles used to be a little stinky due to not enough brown and too much green.
Annie
Hello neat and tidy garden. I will see you in the spring!
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