Compost happens

I did something the other day that I've wanted to do since last summer: dig everything out of the composter and see if I'd managed to make any compost.

First, I had to deal with the last pieces of my bad design. When originally built, the wire fencing came more than halfway up the front side of the composter.

July 2013

That little bit of fencing did nothing to deter rabbits or Scout from climbing in. Not long after this. . .

May 2014

I trimmed the wire down even with the front board. Even that, however, clearly wasn't enough. How did I think was going to get anything out of there?

I finally got my act together and tore the board and the rest of the wire off the front.

Then the fun began. Everything came out, which is much easier said than done.

Beneath all of the uncomposted stuff on the tarp above, I did find some earthy goodness.

Not as much as I would have liked, but the fact that it's composting at all feels like a victory. I'm not very scientific about compost, so I'm glad to know that it's working. Unfortunately, I also know that I'll have to wait another year or so before I'll get much out of it.

Gardening is about patience, if nothing else.