Compost Pile -- July

Garden blogs, like gardens, evolve. I’ve been talking with people about little things they do or ideas they have for the garden. I’ve also been reading magazines and culling a few ideas from those. But, most of the ideas wouldn’t fill an entire post, so until now, they’ve just been rolling around in my brain, or in the folder of good ideas. So, I’m starting the Compost Pile. And, once a month, I’ll share the good ideas others have thrown out.

Coffee Filters. A colleague mentioned that she and her mother use coffee filters instead of (or sometimes in conjunction with) pebbles at the bottom of pots. They hold the soil in and let the water through! Very clever!

Cupcake tin liners. The August issue of Martha Stewart mentions a use for cupcake tin liners I think is super creative. She makes an x in the bottom with an xacto knife and uses them upside down to protect summer drinks from bugs. (The x makes a nifty hole for a straw.) If you’re like me and use gigantic cups outside when you’re gardening, a coffee filter may be a better fit!

Last year’s leaves. A friend saves her leaves from the fall and then uses them through the year as mulch. I was skeptical, but tried it this year myself, and, I’m sold. I put paper down first, then the mooshed up leaves. I did end up topping it off with a little cypress or cedar mulch to keep the leaves from flying around. Cost savings and soil enriching. How can you go wrong?!

Okay. That’s the Compost Pile for July. If you have a nifty idea for the garden you’d like to share, send it along! August is right around the corner.