Black Gold, at least I hope it is.

So, I've been piddling around with composting for about two years now. We've had the Tumbleweed compost tumbler for about a year and a half. I've harvested the compost approximately every six months, so we've had three harvests.

Here's the thing: I'm still not sure I'm doing it right.

I put in our vegetable-based kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, etc, and "brown" materials like leaves in the fall, shredded newspaper in the spring and summer. I turn the thing regularly. I'll admit I don't chop kitchen scraps or even yard scraps into tiny pieces to hasten the decomposition process--I'm just not dedicated enough to take it to that level, I guess. I don't own a compost thermometer, either.

And eventually, like today, I get some promisingly dark brown, earthy- (not nasty-) smelling stuff. It just tumbles out in balls--anywhere from little dime-sized crumbles to softball-sized or bigger clumps. I can manually chop them into smaller bits, like I was doing in this bucket, with this scoop. But I wonder whether the components have broken down sufficiently to benefit the garden where I spread them.

I'm not sure about the correct procedure for emptying the composter, either. My unscientific method is: unscrew both end caps, dump the stuff on the ground, rake it together and shovel it into a bucket, where I haul it and dump it wherever I want to spread it.

I'm sure I'm wasting at least a little bit this way. But I figure it might benefit the plants immediately surrounding the compost area.

Here's a recent new addition to my composting area--an open, wire bin. I'm layering green and brown materials here, too. The only problem with this, so far, is that it has attracted a family of mice, who are living under some railroad ties buried along the back fence. I don't so much mind these critters in my yard, but I bet my neighbors would. I don't want them in my house, though. 

I won't poison them--that seems overly cruel, and I've heard about the problems posed up the food chain to dogs and birds of prey. I'd rather not trap them, either, if I can avoid it.

I'm hoping that by starting the compost over in the tumbler, and letting the open bin rest with no new additions for a while, the mice will just find food elsewhere and decide to move. Any thoughts/suggestions are welcome!

Here's the inside of the tumbler, post-harvest. Clumped around the middle are bits of shredded newspaper.

Here's the empty veggie bed, awaiting compost.

And here's the newly added compost. Exciting, I know. 

I guess I won't know whether I'm going about this compost business the right way until I see what happens with the veggie garden this fall, after I've planted it (September) and given the plants a month or two to do their thing (October-November).

Any advice from fellow gardeners would be gratefully welcomed!

Transition time

As Austin bloggers, and heck, most US bloggers know all too well, we had an unusually long and cold winter this year. Spring was slow to take hold, and we had to keep the plant wraps ready as a series of late freezes hit us. I'm not complaining. Mostly, we have been savoring the cool mornings and warm days, all the while knowing that any day we could get back up into the upper 90's here in Austin.

That day came yesterday, though I hear we will have a pleasant little dip back into upper 70s/lower 80s temps this week. Beyond that, getting into May, we're almost certainly headed into late Spring in Austin, which means 90-something degree highs. Maybe 100's, if we're particularly unlucky.

Summer has long been the season I tolerate while waiting for the much more enjoyable other 7-8 months of the year here. (Summer here is 4-5 months long, at least in my mind. May/June - September/October.)

So yesterday we found ourselves suddenly hot, and unaccustomed to dealing with it. I took the kids to a park playdate from roughly 10am - 1pm. My husband went mountain biking with a friend from 11am - 2pm. That's not what smart people do when it's really, really hot out. Outdoor activities have to take place in the 7:30 - 10:30 timeframe (am or pm, take your pick). He came home red and drenched with sweat, and when I told him he could go ahead and shower (don't worry about the kids, in other words), he said something I haven't heard in a long time: "I'm too sweaty, I have to cool off first." Otherwise, the shower would be pointless. He'd emerge almost as sweaty as he was before showering.

We brought out the kiddie pool for the girls, and realized we are woefully unprepared for the onslaught of mosquitos. It hasn't been raining much lately, but I guess it doesn't take much.

On the bright side, all sorts of heat lovers are perking up around the garden. There are tomatoes(!) on both of my tomato plants, which are now gargantuan in stature. The Lantana is blooming again. Lots of pretty colors are coming out to mix and mingle.

The one Crinum 'Summer Nocturne' bulb I had leftover and planted in a pot seems happy enough for now. This spot gets morning sun and afternoon shade.

The Crape Myrtle we transplanted still has its leaves, though it hasn't leafed out as fully as its neighbors in the back strip. I saw a few new sprouts emerging from the sides of the trunks today.

The Meyer Lemon has these cute, plump little baby lemons on it. My daughters already picked off all the ones on the lower branches. It'll be a miracle if these survive.

The volunteer Wild Morning Glories are starting their sprint up the trellis in the Purple Pocket Garden.

Side view of the vegetable garden box. We thought some critters had outsmarted our mesh cage yesterday when I saw two of the panels hanging loose, a missing red strawberry and a severed white strawberry. Then my 4-year-old dutifully fessed up. DH and I were relieved that it was her and not a squirrel.

I harvested those lovely beets from the vegetable garden a few days ago, to make room for eggplant transplants. We had those two beets for dinner, and we've enjoyed a couple of beet green salads, though I think we still have a few greens left in the fridge. 

Here is one of the two eggplants that replaced the beets.

The Crookneck Squash is getting big and bushy. I guess I shouldn't have assumed it would be a climber! There are 3 small squashes under all those leaves.

My kids brought home green beans they grew at school to transplant into the garden. So, of course, we did.

Can you find the tiny jalapeno in this picture? I can't, but I swear it's there!

Our tiny carrot sprouts, planted out of season, are recovering from whatever little critter defoliated them.

The Sweet 100's cherry tomato is a towering 5 feet tall, and well-stocked with small green tomatoes and yellow flowers. Now to see if those fruits will ripen before the mercury hits 100...

The Texas Redbud peeks over the back fence where the vegetable bed is. And of course, the scarecrow.

I've never messed with Geraniums before this year, believe it or not. I have no idea how long they'll last into the heat, but they've been pretty since the freezing days.

Along the back fence, I separated the two trellises and planted a Cardinal Climber vine transplant that I picked up at Countryside Nursery this past Friday. The Wisteria next to it has plenty of leaves, but I don't know if we'll see blooms this year. In between are slowly recovering Tropical Butterflyweed (orange/yellow blooms) and the first recovering leaves of Echinacea/Purple Coneflower. If it ever all blooms together, it'll be a colorful combination: blue-orange-purple-red.

Close-up of the Cardinal Climber. Natalie and tried growing this from seed earlier this year. We managed to transplant some small seedlings that are now struggling to compete with the now-massive Blanc Du Bois Grape in the Western backyard bed. When I saw this transplant, I couldn't resist. The blooms are eye-catching red trumpets that I bet the hummingbirds will love, but equally fetching to me are the cute spiky-fingered leaves. (I'm sure there's a more appropriate botanical term.)

The Western backyard bed is turning out to be the Rainbow Bed. I like that name much better. Knockout is living up to its name.

Lantana flowers are back! Bad photo, but you get the idea.

Yellow Shrimp Plant is blooming in front of another Knockout.

Sunflowers are bringing up the rear--my daughter and I started these seeds at the same time as our Cardinal Climbers.

Gotta keep everything moist for now, though these plants should all be drought-tolerant once established. Fingers crossed.

Finally! A Red Lanterns Columbine is blooming.

Its neighbor is about to show off, too.

Heartleaf Skullcap. I saw thick beds of this recently in another garden, so I'm eagerly anticipating what this might look like next year.

Another side view of the emerging Rainbow Bed. The wilting one is a new addition--Fall Aster.

Here's a peek around the corner that leads to the Purple Pocket Garden, and eventually the vegetable bed. It's fun to see this all green again.

Stay cool, my friends!

Before/After

Forgive the amateur shots, and indulge me in a little Before and After. The Before pics are mostly from February of this year. The Afters were taken in April. Spring gardening is such a thrill--getting to see things come back to life, leaf out and bloom.

We are forecasted to get mid-30's temps tonight. I wrapped the tomatoes. Praying everything else will make it.

Here's the garden box before:

And after...

The sheet mulch bed after pruning, but before mulching and new planting. The Knockout Roses are visible, though dull, but the Blanc Du Bois Grape is almost invisible between them.

But look at the grape now. It's exploding with new leaves and tendrils, and even the tiniest stems of grapes. Probably nothing we'll be able to eat this year, but it's fun to see. Maybe we'll make some dolmas.

The Knockouts are perking up nicely, getting ready to explode with blooms.

Here's the side view, showing the return of the Asparagus Fern, Pavonia (Rock Rose), and Lantana, joined by other recent additions.

Same bed, the Pavonia/Rock Rose in the bottom left corner of this pic was reduced to bare sticks. Ditto for the Texas Lantana bottom right. The Pavonia showed early signs of returning, but the Lantana was bare until late March.

Pavonia returning.

Dead-looking Lantana.

Lantana with enough new growth to almost completely obscure the bare sticks that preceded it.

The Purple Pocket Garden before... I was excited to see some new growth on the Coral Bells (Huechera), and the remaining purple elements had all died to the ground. I didn't know when or if they would return, or what I would do with the gaps left behind.

The Purple Pocket Garden returns... the Coral Bells are getting tall, thick and lush, the Oxalis and Purple Hearts have heartily returned, and I've added annual 'Kauai Deep Blue' Torenia. I saw the first sprout of wild morning glory returning, too.

Pretty Oxalis, now blooming every morning.

New Torenia, trying to steal the show.

Coral Bells livening up the corner. The more subtle green-purple foliage to the right is Purple Heart, slowly but surely making a comeback.

 There are several more Before/Afters... I'll save those for another post. Happy Gardening!

New friends

So, I stopped at Red Barn Garden Center a week or so ago, and went a little crazy. I had a running list of plants I wanted to pick up for the west-facing mulch bed we built last year, and I snapped up several of them... and more.

Japanese Aralia, Heartleaf Skullcap, Columbine, Salvia Mystic Spires (a relative of Indigo Spires) and Tropical (or Scarlet) Sage bring up this side of the bed, which was formerly occupied only by two tiny transplanted Columbines and the Cedar Elm.

At the other end, I planted a couple of Yellow Shrimp Plants and another Salvia Mystic Spires to join the other occupants (Knockout Rose, Blanc Du Bois Grape, Pavonia/Rock Rose, Texas Lantana and those newly planted Crinums.)

 

Here's the view from the middle of the bed. It will be fun to see these plants grow up and take over the now mostly-mulch space.

 

A wider view shows the whole bed, which doesn't look like much yet. I have faith.

Here's a closer look at that Scarlet Sage. 

Over in the dirt rectangle left by the transplanted garden box, Natalie and I scattered some wildflower seeds from Native American Seed. Winecups seedlings are slowly emerging. There's Black-Eyed Susan and a bunch of others in the mix.

The Crape Myrtles are leafing out.

That Wisteria I had almost given up on? It's leafing out, too!

Here are a couple of pictures of the towering Chinese Tallow that we are having removed (by Austin Tree Experts) within the next couple of weeks. I'm confident in my decision, and there are things I won't miss (like the hard pollen spikes and cracked-open seed pods that clutter up the yard every year). It's an invasive tree. Still, it has been a reliable shade tree, with attractive foliage, and I've enjoyed watching the wildlife in its branches.

At its base is a small watering hole for birds, squirrels and butterflies.

Back to all things new--on the same Red Barn trip,  I picked up several succulents to replace the ones I lost in this year's freezes. Kelanchoe, Hens and Chicks, Echeveria, some kind of Sedum, and Dragon's Blood liven up the pots now.

Catmint is perking up nicely. I've told Rachel she has to withhold the scissors until this one gets big enough that the leaves are spilling out of the pot. She loves to cut on this plant, and it didn't seem to mind last year.

The chimney garden--all of my Leucojum (Snowflake) bulbs were blooming at one point. I think three are blooming in this picture.

I had to catch the Texas Redbud while it was blooming. That never lasts more than a couple of weeks before the green leaves start to take over. I think perhaps it's not completely happy in this spot, but I love to look at it from the kitchen window.

Meanwhile in the garden box, strawberries are plumping up. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago. A couple of these are big and turning red now.