Feeding the Grass

One of my compost tumblers has finished its latest batch of compost, so this evening I used it to feed my front lawn.  I like to use the compost to help feed the grass, and to gradually improve the soil by adding organic matter.  Earthworms are attracted to the compost as food, and will carry bits of it down into their burrows, spreading the compost through the soil.

Earthworm Rescue

Today's rescuees exploring their new home

Last night we got another half inch of rain, so I was not surprised to see quite a few earthworms in the water along the curbs when I was walking my dog this morning.

Core Aerating Your Lawn

Q.  What does a core aerator want to be when it grows up?

Clover Lawn

White clover

Once, most lawns had at least some white clover growing in them. Clover has little nodules on its roots that fix the nitrogen pulled from the air into the soil. This nitrogen then helps feed surrounding plants. Until the 1960s, clover was routinely included in grass seed mixtures to help lawns get established faster. When broad-spectrum herbicides came into common use, this changed.  The ideal became an all-grass lawn, and clover was seen as a weed. 

Soil Drainage

It's been raining again this evening; just light showers at this point, but the soil is already saturated, and water is standing in the yard in places. In part, this is simply because we've had so much rain over the last couple of weeks that there's a flood watch in the area. But it's also because the soil in my yard tends to be a heavy clay, that doesn't drain very well.  I've observed that lower-lying areas in my yard, water pools up after heavy rains.

Are you unsure of how your garden soil rates on drainage? Sometime when it isn't rainy, try this test. Dig a hole about a foot deep, and about as wide as your shovel. Fill the hole up completely with water, and leave it to drain out completely. The next day, go back and fill it up completely again. This time keep an eye on it to see how long it takes for all of the water to drain away.

Corn Gluten

Grape hyacinths

Last week I took another step in the on-going battle with weeds in my lawn.  I avoid using most of the weed-killer products available, and prefer products that are safe to use around my dog (and all of the non-domesticated visitors to my garden).  Twice every year I apply corn gluten to my lawn.  It serves as an organic fertilizer, plus it helps to suppress germinating seeds.  It is suggested to apply it at about the time forsythia is just starting to bloom in your area, and again in the early fall.  It does not kill any weeds already present, just helps keep down any further generations, plus encourages a nice, thick lawn of grass, which helps smother weeds as well. 

Compost Weekend

This week my current batch of compost looked ready to go, so today I emptied out my tumbling composters, and spread the finished compost in my garden.  How do you know the composting process is complete?  When you can no longer recognize the original materials, and it just looks like nice dark, loose garden soil.

I put an inch or two thick layer of compost over the surface of selected flower and veggie beds.  Next time, I'll choose other beds, until hopefully every garden area will be so blessed over the course of the summer.