A Walk on the Wild Side

After it rains, there's a rainbow of colors in the forest.  I decided to try my hand at mushroom hunting but the vivid colors took my mind away from what I was looking for.  I took little pinches of different moss and wild flowers and stuck them in a large ironstone bowl to create a  small garden.  Just the smell of the earth makes me giddy and sends my mind to wandering to far away places where I used to hike and wander.   

Green tip of the Day-  It's Compost Awareness Month.
That's why everything in the forest is so lush and healthy, because the decay at the forest floor is a natural compost.  If you aren't already making it, compost is  a great way to divert raw food waste, twigs and woody stems, leaves and cardboard from the landfill and convert it into free fertilizer for your plants.  Start with an airtight container to collect your kitchen scraps and locate your compost bin away from the veggie patch but within easy reach of the back door.

Alternate wet and dry layers (food scraps with leaves and grass).  Every so often turn your pile with a garden fork.  You won't believe the beautiful soil that comes from the pile.  You can always tell a good soil by the earth worms that live in it and the rich smell (it smells like the forest to me).

This is an area between our home and my neighbors that I'm prepping for landscaping.  I started by laying down cardboard and newspapers, then leaf mulch from last fall.  The front of the area has compost on top.
After all the dirt is in place I'll call 811 for NIPSCO to mark for gas lines etc then the planting will begin.  No more loud mower's and dust flying between our houses!  It will be a lush walking path when I'm done.  The compost and leaf mulch will give the plants a great start.  I'll share the progress as I go.  If anyone has hosta's or sweet woodriff (or plants that love shade)to share I'll trade you for some sun loving plants.