“Ugh! What’s that smell?” I still remember the exclamations that came from our next door neighbor, back in the day when we lived nestled way too close together in not-so-blissful suburbia. Over time the exclamations continued, “I can’t sit out here. It positively reeks.” After that came the pointing and glaring.
The Source Of The Problem
You see, it was my compost. We had positioned the two compost containers in a corner, not too far from the back door so that we could easily access it in the winter. The only problem was that the corner was very close to our neighbors.
Such is the downside of suburbia life. We were doing our part to reduce our contribution to the landfill, but as a result, we were stinking up the neighborhood.
What to do? My first thought was to move to the country. We did move eventually, but not soon enough. In the meantime, we had to address the issue of the smell or ignore it.
就我个人而言,我不太介意这种味道。这是发生在我们自家后院的一个自然过程。是的,它基本上是腐烂的食物,但堆肥把我们从它那里拿走的东西还给了土壤。所以,这是一件好事。对吧?
Eradicating The Problem — Sort Of
I did manage to alleviate some of the smell byadding grass clippings,leaves, garden refuse, and dirt. However, nothing I did seemed to alleviate the problem from the neighbor’s perspective.
作为一种替代方案,我们的邻居种了一个很高的雪松树篱,并在堆肥旁边建了一个棚子。话虽如此,种植树篱并不完全在法律允许的范围内,但我有什么可抱怨的呢?
At least the smell problem was solved,kind of.
The Real Solution
Once we moved into the country, I took great delight in my compost tubs and piles here, there, and everywhere. Not to mention, the benefits that the compost added to my garden!
蜜蜂,尤其是蜜蜂,也喜欢堆肥。不是为了筑巢,而是作为食物来源。
Saving The Bees!
If the garden refuse that I added included recently pulled plants, or what was left of a fresh cut floral arrangement, the bees had a “heyday.” The sweet smelling peelings of citrus and other fruits was alluring too. There are a variety of compost materials that attract the bees, and that’s a good thing!
Unfortunately, honeybees are becoming an endangered species. If they want to nest, let them! Start another compost elsewhere. If you’re in the country, you should have space to do so.
Great Grandfather’s Compost
My less than one-acre piece of paradise has a closed compost and countless piles scattered about, mostly behind trees. In contrast, I remember my great grandfather and his wonderful garden on a small piece of property in town, with piles of composting garden and kitchen waste in various corners.
Fresh tidbits from the kitchen would be instantly dug into the existing compost, or a hole would be dug in the ground and the refuse buried. Mother Nature did the rest.
至于花园堆肥,我记得我的曾祖父也把刚收获的大黄叶子放在他的大黄植物的底部。他声称,这保护了根部,并将树叶堆肥到土壤中。
He had the best rhubarb, which is now covering a good quarter of my vegetable garden. I have since heard contrary advice to this trick. Being in a different growing area than my great grandfather was, further north, I have stopped placing rhubarb leaves at the base of my plants.
With the cold and the dampness of our springs and summers, my rhubarb leaves (on the very plants that my great grandfather once grew) often have mold and rust spots.
So the notion of composting them for the plant’s benefit is not a good idea. Plus, it’s a great place for earwigs to abound. Instead, my rhubarb leaves compost behind one of our many trees and benefit other parts of the garden that may not be affected by the mold and rust.
Ready, Set, Compost!
We don’t have to purchase compost anymore, because we can make our own. The benefits are numerous, not the least of which is the fact that we know what’s in the compost because we put it there. Keep in mind that some things don’t compost well like bones, meat, poultry, and fruit and vegetable pits. The rule here is to remember that what grows from the earth has to return to the earth. Compost away!
Today’s post is brought to you by award-winning author and artist,Emily-Jane Hills Orford.When this author isn’t writing, creating collage paintings, working on her needlework or composing, you’ll find her in the garden. Even in the winter, gardening is not far from her thoughts as she plans and prepares for the next season and the next growing adventure. Using pressed flowers from her garden, this author/artist/composer is gardening indoors with multi-faceted garden ideas re-created on canvas.
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