Jerry Black
We finally got some rain Wednesday morning! Yea!!! And, the leaves are just beginning to change. Now I am getting anxious about my two large compost bins that have been decomposing over the last year. If I don’t remove the compost, I won’t have anywhere to put the leaves that are about to drop! My goal for next week is to take the contents of those bins and spread it out in my vegetable garden and some of my flower beds. That means shoveling it out into my wheelbarrow as many times as it takes and working until it is done!
Do you have a yard sweeper? They are pull behind trailers that pick up leaves and grass clippings. They are great for gathering the kind of stuff that makes great compost! I highly recommend you consider one. They cost a couple hundred dollars but last for years if you keep them out of the weather. In the fall, I’ll pick up enough leaves to fill my bins to the top.
By early next spring, the piles will have decomposed by about half the volume. You can take the contents of one bin and pile it into the other. Then, when you have a ton of grass clippings or any other biomass, you can start a new heap next spring or summer.
Rinse and repeat… You’re gardens will thank you! For this week’s recipe, I am giving you my current favorite cornbread recipe! I have taken it to several covered dish dinners and received many compliments! I hope you enjoy it!
GREEN CHILI AND CHEESE CORNBREAD
Directions
Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
This recipe is in the America’s Favorite Jiffy Mixes Recipe Book. jiffymix.com
A career move brought Jerry Black to Webb City in 2002. After being an engineer and in corporate sales, he and his wife, Mary, enjoy their big yard, with plenty of space for Jerry’s garden and a dovecot, where he raises racing and show pigeons. He volunteered to write a gardening column for the Sentinel as part of his training for certification as a Master Gardener.
You can. send him an email at awebbcitygardener@gmail.com.
