Some days are harder than others to remember that I love my job. I help do crucial work for gardens around the country transporting people and plants. Sometimes I am carrying seeds. Sometimes little plants. Sometimes soil. My favourite is when I get to carry people to the gardens or give lifts into the countryside so people can visit family.
BUT the worst thing to carry, the absolute worst is manure. Like really! Who decided that that would make such a great fertilizer for plants? Why do gardens need so much manure?
I mean at least they put down tarps but how would you like it if you drove an hour thinking it was just a normal day at a garden and then suddenly have your back filled to the brim with manure? How gross!
I have to keep reminding myself that manure is essential for creating compost. And compost makes good, nutritious soil which is necessary for the gardens.
But really for a car, the making of a compost pile is so dirty. You have to carry bags of all the different parts of the compost pile: the grasses, shredded paper, manure, ashes, sticks to elevate the pile for air flow, and tarps to cover the whole mess so that the heat and moisture will be trapped aiding in the decomposition.
If it wasn’t so good for the gardens I would revolt! But I have driven around enough and been covered with enough dust to know, the soil here is dead. It lacks all the needed nutrients for most plants to grow, especially fruit and vegetable plants. SO – a compost pile is necessary!
I am proud when I see the gardeners starting to get excited about the idea of compost. It took a while to convince people of their necessity. I mean, seriously, who wants to collect and carry manure? But I guess, manure can be helpful at times.
Now I’ve helped carry materials to build compost piles in at least 3 different gardens around the countryside. They need to be turned every 3 to 4 days ideally, but even if turned less often, in 4-6 months they will produce rich, black soil for the gardens.
I guess it is crucial work even if it’s a little dirty. I guess it’s teaching me to be less vain…
Kerith Trust 