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Today, I had a cubic yard (that’s 27 cubic foot bags worth) of TAGRO delivered.
For those who aren’t aware of what TAGRO is, it’s an EPA award winning product made from bio solids from our waste treatment plant.
The thought of using human poop creeps some of the less “earthy” among us out, because they don’t understand the composting process (the “composting/cooking” occurs at a temperature that kills all pathogens. It’s also pasteurized.
Another concern that some have is that it might contain metals. We have several superfind sites here and most of our soil is contaminated by copper, chromium arsenic and lead from the Asarco Smelter. It contains way less metals than our soil does; as a matter of fact, it contains less metals than most commercial products. (*luckily, we have pretty much the cleanest soil in Tacoma up here on the hilltop due to the elevation and winds, but I still prefer raised beds)
To me, it’s the ultimate in recycling. I eat the food, my waste goes down the pipes and it comes back to help produce more food.
It’s FREE if you go pick it up and shovel it yourself and it’s only $8 a cubic yard (that’s 27 cubic feet) if you have it loaded into your truck or delivered (it’s only $15 to have it delivered in Tacoma)
You can also get the potting soil (slightly more expensive per cubic yard). If you don’t want an insane amount of the soil, you can get it in one cubic foot bags at Gardensphere, Portland Ave Nursery or Gray Lumber (just down the Street on the Ave… YAY!)
I was fighting the weather (it had been violently windy all night/morning and thunderstorms were threatening to pound me and turn my pile into wet mush.
The first thing I did was top dress my blueberries that run along the North fence.
Then I finally hacked out all the old corn stalk stubs from the bed I grow my corn in (amazing 7 foot corn stalks which were bigger and better than the commercial growers had this year thanks to the TAGRO) and top dressed it.
*there are tree bits all over the yard from last night’s wind storm.
Then I topped off all the other garden beds. Some weren’t all the way full and others had been filled with lesser quality potting soil as I’d already used up all my TAGRO before putting in the second set of smaller beds.
I had to work around some herbs and berries that survived the winter so as not to smother them.
I found one of my artichokes resprouting.
and the Egyptian Walking Onions my neighbor Steve gave me are doing well.
After taking care of the beds, I top dressed my grapes and fruit trees.
My last chore for the day involved a run to Gray Lumber for a few bags of TAGRO potting soil to fill containers. (I didn’t need a full cubic yard)
I like to grow my tomatoes (ordered some heirlooms today) in containers is so that I can put them in the greenhouse around the time of first frost to extend the growing season well into November. (they’re also easier to manage when not in a bed crawling all over everything else)
As you can see, I moved a LOT of poop…
It didn’t start to rain until I was done and in the house.
Over the next few days, I’ll need to weed, relocate some strawberries and spread some more bark around the garden beds, planters and on top of the raspberry beds.
My potting bench and shelves for the greenhouse are on their way, as are several heirloom/non GMO/organic seed catalogs (ordered some from Urban Farm today) a grow light and some little jiffy peat pot mini greenhouses to start seeds in.
I had a pretty awesome garden last year, even though I didn’t get started until mid-late June due to not moving into the house until the very end of May.
I am SO excited that I’m able to start from seed this year; I’ll have so much more variety (and no damn Monsanto seeds)
My trees and berries will have been in the ground building fabulous root systems for a full year (I did get apples, cherries, raspberries and blueberries last year) and it’s going to be GORGEOUS when it all blooms (three apple, three cherry, one plum, one pear and one peach as well as the Hawthorn tree which should be healthier and happier this year)
Now I think I need some dinner, advil and a soak in the hot tub.
~L
Mood: Tired 
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