Compost -Black Magic

October is time for Black Magic in the Garden. For us gardeners, the Black Magic I am talking about is compost. I recommend top dressing your garden beds with a layer of compost seasonally to reinvigorate your plants. Now that our weather is getting cooler, and we are finally getting some rain, most of our plants can use a boost.
Compost helps with soil structure and adds nutrients to the soil. It is easy to make your own compost,
On October 10, the Master Gardeners will be sponsoring a plant sale and compost demonstration at the Arboretum located at the corner of Williams Road and Expressway 77 in San Benito. Taffy Herridge will present a program on butterfly gardening. Master Gardeners will be on hand to answer your gardening questions. The excitement starts at 9:00. Hope to see you there!

Compost Demonstration Site

We are nearly done with the construction phase of our Compost Demonstration Site. Many thanks to the Lower Rio Grande Valley Development Council for the grant that is funding this project! Signage, one more composter, and some more plants are all that remains until this construction phase is complete. Come by and learn how to compost your household and yard waste - It's good for the environment - It's good for your pocketbook - and it's good for your garden!

One of the weekly tasks at the Compost Demonstration Site is turning the compost piles. In Week 1, the Master Gardener Interns put most of the material through the chipper/shredder and refilled the bins, sprinkling the material as they went. The bins are currently heavy on brown stuff (carbon) - but members help keep the Compost Demonstration Site supplied with green stuff (nitrogen) by bringing trimmings from their homes and gardens, and old fruit and vegetables from fruit stands.

Week 2, the piles are warm to the touch - so we know they are "cooking". We have found it is easier to empty the entire bin and turn or mix it in the open ground. Then it is reassembled, adding water as needed. Remember, our compost piles should be damp to the touch - like a wrung-out sponge.

We've also been rustling leaves . . . . Our last few bags are leaning against the storage shed in the photo above. Any bagged leaves left on the curb are likely to be snatched and added to the demonstration.

It is amazing how fast we are making compost now that we are turning the piles every week!