Volunteers make dent in compost heap

Emily, Debbie and Jackie

Our compost heap, where we throw sticks, branches, Phormium, Agave and Yucca leaves, pinecones and other items that compost very slowly, was getting a bit big. We were adding faster than Ma Nature could compost things down! We decided we needed to remove some of it to... somewhere else.

Today Emily arranged for a huge green waste debris box to be dropped off at 8.30am by Recology, and picked up at 11am. She specified carefully that it should NOT block Gary's business entrance. Naturally they delivered it at 7.30am, parked it right across his roll up door, and tried to come take it away at about 10am.

Awesome.

Much smaller!

A bit of wrangling and they agreed to come back at 1am to remove it, and luckily it seems Gary wasn't affected, since he was out of town.

Jackie, Sara and Debbie weeded the dog area thoroughly.  Nate, Emily, Josh, Carlin and I ferried wheelbarrow loads to the debris box all morning, removing about 2-3' off the top. What's left on the heap is well on the way to composting, though quite dry, so I set up a sprinkler and wet it down for an hour while we all went for lunch.

I came back later and watered all the new plants, deadheaded some Kniphofias, weeded some more and put away the watering equipment.

Great job team!