Green Slime and Dirt Pile Sandwiches.

A lovely squall of rain drove me inside this afternoon so I thought I’d share what I was up to today in the Riverworks garden.

I’ve mentioned before that this garden has absolutely zero organic matter in the soil, and we’re on a shoestring budget so I’ve been looking for free mulch, and have had the good fortune to have three local mowing contractors bringing me grass clippings. Unfortunately, I’ve also had to have time off because my body needed it, so some of the grass clipping mounds have turned to the ubiquitous and dreaded Green Slime…

so, between the Soylent Green and “Mt Gambier” the 13 tonne dirt mound, I thought I’d try an experiment. Out the front, right next to the small mound that marks the deceased shrub full of borers that i removed two weeks ago, I’d marked a spot where i want to plant a Brazilian Cherry according to where the winter sun can warm the house.  

I barrowed in five trips of slimy grass cuttings to lay on top of the small pile of dirt I left there three weeks ago, broke them up, and then sifted on top a handful of blood-and-bone per square foot. On top of that, I laid seven barrows of the clay soil from my (Mt Gambier) dirtpile. Another three barrows of stinky, slimy clippings dusted with blood-and-bone went on top of that, with the larger chunks being broken down by hand to handful-sized wads. 

Three more barrow loads made one last thinner layer of dirt.

 

 

 

I intend to do more dirt pile sandwiches just like this, hoping that in the absence of comfrey (until my plants get a chance to take off) or other significant amounts of compost accelerators I can still get some worm activity happening.

I also planted thirty nasturtium seeds in a small part of the fenceline hoping for some groundcover and colour, because nasturtiums are not only edible but are also compost accelerators and companion plants for fruit trees. and just because I love them, as they’re attached to some of the best memories from my childhood. 

another afternoon rainsquall watered in both my seeds and my garden. i love how Nature works with me 🙂