Sunday, January 01, 2012

Compost aerator review and compost thermometer

I LOVE my new compost aerator from Lee Valley. This year we have a pallet on top of the compost bin to hold the tarp up and in place. What this means is that any compost turning I do has to happen with me folded in half and digging is sideways. The aerator is really easy to push into the compost and grabs a big load of it to stir up. Really effortless and efficient. At the angle I have to work at, it is much easier than my pitchfork.
I took the compost pile's temperature with my new thermometer and found that it is quite cold. I did turn it a few weeks ago. I am hoping today's turning will get things going.
Garden Guru Jim told me that his garlic is starting to poke thorough the ground. I parted the mulch I had loaded on the garlic bed and realized that it was very deep and matting. I got out the wonderful old pitchfork that my parents gave me a while back. I gently slid the fork into the mulch and lifted it off. I made a pile. Indeed, under all that I found a garlic shoot just breaking the surface. I sprinkled a much thinner layer of mulch back on.

2 comments:

Mark Willis said...

Call me old-fashioned if you like, but I just use a pointed stake for aerating my compost! It seems to work well enough.

KL said...

All my garlic bulbs have started to growing and shooting off new green leaves. Many of them have also become large plants.