The Compost Bin

Two of my favorite garden blogs, Dirt By Amy Stewart and Angela's Northern California Garden Blog are having a gross out contest by showing off the worst of their gardens. They really aren’t holding back and have shown us neglected spots in the yard, children’s toys thrown about, their trash cans, etc. I definitely think it’s some of the best garden blogging I’ve ever seen and judging by the comments on their sites, other people love it too.

Other than a few times a year for the occasional BBQ party, my yard always has some ½ finished project or just plain old mess that’s an eyesore. And even then the mess is still there. Just don’t look in the garage or the tool shed. I’m sure a lot of gardener’s yards are like this too because unless you’re Martha Stewart or someone else with garden workers at your beckon call, there’s never enough time to get everything that you want done.

Right now I’ve got both of them beat because my yard looks like a nuclear bomb testing site. I’m expecting Doc Bruce Banner to get belted with Gamma Rays any minute now. But for once it’s not my mess. We’re having major work done on our pool so I have an excuse. It’s the team of guys that I’m paying a ton of money (don’t ask) that are destroying my yard. But eventually it’s all going to look great.

At that point I’ll be able to mess it up myself again.



Here's my front lawn. I'm a big fan of garden art so the Bobcat and the broken pallets create great focal points.








This is where my landscaping contractors leaned my old fence sections to hide the giant mess they're making. Note the artistic use of the fence posts.










Is this a close up of my compost bin? No, it's actually my front lawn but it's hard to tell the difference.








Drainage is a serious issue. It's smart to stockpile large quantities of hose. The bigger then better.











And this is the veggie garden. My main crop right now seems to be broken pallets. They must be volunteers because I don't remember planting them.







And here's the reason why I'm not so upset about this giant mess. The contractors are doing such a excellent job building these stacked stone retaining wall around the pool that I'll put up with this disaster area for another month.

Hopefully my next garden tour will look at least a little better.