Well, today the garden took a back seat to my desperate need for a new cell phone. I've been pining over a single device that will replace my well-used and dying palm pilot, my broke but functioning cell phone, my fritzy MP3 player and take decent pics of my garden (or kids) on the fly. No small task but I've been patiently waiting for 5 (yes five) years. Back then I KNEW it was only a matter of time before I could drop 5 pounds by ridding myself of four devices. Needless to say I'm at a critical point and need to make a decision, but nothing is meeting all my needs. GRRR. How difficult is it? Ok, it's difficult, but not impossible, one would think.
Ok, enough rambling about non-gardening junk. When I got home my trellis netting was here. Unfortunately it isn't nylon cloth netting but more like plastic. Apparently I didn't read it well enough before I bought it. I hope it works because I need it now and can't afford to wait for a replacement. So I got the two top corner screws and washers in place, but didn't install the netting because it started raining.
I did get to add dirt to my Yukon Gold bin and boy did it need it. I didn't add to the Butte bed since I needed to install more boards and couldn't find the right screws quickly. Tomorrow I'm off work so I'll do it then.
I also am having problems with my compost bin. My eldest asked me politely to move my compost bin because it stunk and he wanted to swing on his swingset. It smells just like when I open my yard waste container after dumping my grass clippings and closing the lid for a few days. Thankfully it's not that strong since it's open to the air. I don't think it's an amonia smell, but I added shredded paper to the mix and tried to aerate it anyway. I sure hope the smell goes away because my wife is not happy.
Oh, I'm running drastically low on radishes. Without radishes, I'll have to buy garnish for my lettuce and spinach. I've got tons of that to eat, but 5 more mature radishes. I've planted tons but it takes a while to grow. Go figure.
Finally, the weather's officially turned back to rain. Today was a high of 70 but late rain showers. Tomorrow is a high of 60 and rain. And tomrrow's the beach day, rain or shine. Drat!
Sounds like you need more browns in your compost. Adding shredded paper is a good thing. With all of your grass clippings, you need A LOT of browns to balance it all out. Also, make sure you top off the bin with a layer of browns (i.e. shredded paper) on top. That helps the smell a lot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tom! I did everything you suggested except the layer of brown on top. For some reason I have always encapsulated the browns and kitchen waste inside a cocoon of grass clippings.
ReplyDeleteFrankly the aerating seemed to help most, but I'm sure it was everything that got rid of the smell. Thank you!