Urban Mulcher

Teague and I spent some time outdoors today in the "backyard". I put it in quotes to signify that the idea that our 200 square foot patio, situated in the canyon of inner-city row-houses, that it is yard-like in some way is somehow suspect. The previous owner, a wildly A-type personality by all reports, with a serious green thumb, had maintained the back patio as a very nice perennial garden, which I have mostly let go to seed. I mean, I do try, but what springs up each year is mostly a mystery to me. For instance, there is this incredible plant that blooms each spring called a "Bleeding Heart" (spectablis dicentra), but I was basically ready to yank the thing out of the ground, because honestly, it looks kind of like weed to me when it is not blooming. I'm glad that I held off though, because it looks fantastic in the spring (see a representative photo below), though it kind of dies off later in the summer and looks lame the rest of the year. But anyway, I let Teague crawl around out on the patio, and he got into the flower beds and crawled around in there and got really filthy, but seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. He has never really tried to eat dirt or sand or anything, which I chalk up to his deep, innate intelligence. Every time a plane flew over, he got really interested and spent time trying to spot it, grunting to me by way of trying to alert me to its presence.

The main thing I'm trying to do is to start a compost pile in the backyard. I have been thinking about this for a while, and came across an article by a woman who was doing "urban composting" using a large plastic container http://www.yougrowgirl.com/garden/urbancomposting.php .So, I had been thinking about doing this myself, though I so far have hesitated to go out and buy anything new. We are in extreme budget conservation mode these days in the Furtherdad household, and all purchases are examined closely. But then, the other day I came home from a walk with Teague and Mumi the Killer Spaniel to discover that our neighbors had thrown out as garbage the exact kind of container I needed, a large "Rubbermaid" container with a lid that clamps downs. It was cracked along the bottom, but this is perfect because you need to let water drain out the bottom anyway! So, I raided their trash, dragged the container to the backyard and started planning the compost. We now have a sealable plastic container that sits by the sink where we collect organic scraps like coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit rinds, vegetable peelings, etc. I'm starting to mix it in with other yard waste in the bin. I'm totally impatient though. After two days of adding to the bin I started going out there fully expecting to see this great, black, organic mix of humus. Of course there are still just wet leaves and garbage in there! Also, I realize that starting your compost at the beginning of winter isn't exactly the most ideal time, but so what, I'm ready for the spring I guess, plus, what with global warming, I'm sure we will have plenty of above freezing days this winter!