I love this time of year in the garden! The flowers and shrubs are starting to bloom (and some of the bulbs are still in bloom). Almost everything has at least started to make an appearance  (if not fully leaf out).  I shot some pictures on Monday of the garden. Hope you enjoy on this rainy day!

Mountain Laurel

Azalea

Hosta, Tulips & Ferns

Closeup of Hosta Leaves & Viridiflora Tulips

Virginia Bluebells

Lawn Before

Lawn Stage 1: Till

All tilled!

Sod added & leveled

I hope everyone enjoyed the nice weather! We spent a good part of our weekend repairing the lawn. The weather gods smiled upon us and there was free sod to be had (thank Stacey!) so we decided it was time to fix the giant ruts in the backyard from the crane before someone fell in!

Saturday morning we rented the tiller and went over the compacted areas of the backyard (okay so when I say “we” I mean I made my husband do the hard part). Sunday we made 3 trips over to Stacey’s House (who rented a sod cutter and cut in her new plant beds) and filled the truck with sod. Then we came back home, adjusted the ground as necessary, laid the sod, and filled in between the sod and the existing grass. It was a lot of work! Today I need to put down the grass seed in the bare spots.

Back Planting Bed and Missing Fence (lovely view of neighbor's garage!)

Kerria installed & all of the plants laid out

All of the plants replanted!

We are also still waiting for the fence to be reinstalled (part of our chimney contract). If we get lucky maybe this week! In the meantime, I replanted all of the plants that have been living in the compost pile for the last month waiting for the crane to be finished.

Ecomposter (71 gallon), $144

Soilsaver, $75

Compost Aerator, $20

I received a request for composter suggestions. In this case, for a smaller composting bin that looks acceptable and doesn’t take up a lot of space.

In our yard we use 2 methods of composting. For yard waste we have a big pile behind the garage. This includes mostly leaves, pine needles and grass clippings. It is not beautiful, but it is easy and it works. However, I was uncomfortable putting kitchen scraps  (fruit and veggies) in there due to the potential for attracting animals (we already have a large family of bunnies nearby).  After some searching last year we decided to go with the Ecomposter.  It is a giant ball (which I thought was really cool). I envisioned it rolling around the backyard and letting the kids play with it. It spent the winter under our pine tree, but I think once the yard is back in order I would like to reconsider rolling it around the yard. I also need to empty it soon!

There are many options to choose from on the market but it looks like a lot of them are overpriced and overly fancy. Here are a couple to consider:

Ecomposter:

I use this for kitchen waste (only fruit, veggies  & egg shells). I also add leaves occasionally from my large compost pile (brown matter) and coffee grounds. I like that it has spikes on the inside to help mix the compost while it rolls. I also like that it is completely enclosed. I bought it on sale at BJs for $99 last year (71 gallon), although it looks like it is priced at $144 and is out of stock at the moment. Amazon seems to have a similar smaller one for $100 (50 gallon).

Pros:
-Looks nice
-Completely enclosed
-It is made of recycled plastic
-Easy to turn

Cons:
-It took a couple of hours to put it together.
-The “door” can get stuck if dirt collects in the grooves.
-It can be pricey if you don’t find it on sale

The Soilsaver Compost Bin:

This is one of the least expensive composters out there and seems to do a reasonable job and has pretty good reviews. Also look around for this on sale. It looks like it should hold around 90 gallons. I would recommend getting a compost aerator for this type of set up.

Pros:
-Fully enclosed. and has a locking lid and screen
-Uses hard nylon screws & bolts that won’t rust
-Good airflow
-Easy to put together (must be placed on level ground)
– 25-yr manufacturer’s warranty

Cons:
-Can be difficult to turn the compost.

Make Your Own:

There are a number of sources online for making your own out of large plastic garbage cans. The nice thing about this is you can have these right next to your regular garbage cans (and they can even match!)

Instructions:
-Purchase plastic garbage can with locking lid
-Drill 1/4″-1/2″holes around the sides, top and bottom.
-Place garbage can on bricks or 2x4s. (alternately cut out bottom and bury the can a couple of inches)
-Add water if it gets to dry
-If it gets to slimy or wet add additional brown material (leaves or newspaper)

Things to consider with Enclosed Compost Bins:

The best set up is to fill one at least halfway up and then let it “cook” for a while. This means that you need to have 2 bins. One for cooking and one for filling. Then you empty the finished one and start over.  I am going to empty my ecomposter into my large compost pile. It has been “cooking” for the winter. There will probably be some unfinished stuff in there. I may need to consider getting a second one.

You need to get the brown/green mixture right. It looks like a 4:1 ratio minimum is ideal but a 1:1 can still work. For brown material you can use brown leaves, shredded paper (no glossy paper) and cardboard. Green material is all of the kitchen scraps and “green” leaves and grass clippings from the yard. You should also turn your compost occasionally. This helps add oxygen and speeds up the process.

Home Depot Plants, $2.50 a piece, including 3 types of sedum and some grass

Coral Bells (Heuchera)

One of the things in life that I can’t resist is a good plant sale! I was at Home Depot today (a frequent occurrence this time of year) and I saw that the smaller (1/2 gallon) perennials were on sale for $2.50 (from $3.97). I was looking for butterscotch colored heuchera (coral bells) to add to the ones in the backyard (part shade) and fortunately they were part of the perennials on sale (yes, I did a little dance).

If you aren’t a member of the Home Depot Garden Club (free and you can join online) I recommend joining. Most of the coupons and tips are useless but I did get several plant and planter discounts that came in handy last year (including a buy one get one free tree coupon that saved my about $60 last year).

I also picked up some variegated sedums and a couple of grasses. I want to start using more perennials in my planters and these were also on my list of something to try. They are good to -40 so they should be able to stay in the planters year around (yes, less work for me) and I can infill with a few annuals.  So with about 10 minutes of work here are the front planters….

Front Planters Before

Front Planters After

I am planning on painting them too. What do you think terracotta, red or yellow?

Planters After