Feed me . . . please!

Our compost heap is devouring everything we give it and is hungry for more. Don't be shy about contributing your kitchen scraps, napkins, coffee filters and clippings/trimmings from your patio gardens. Previous posts have elaborated on some of the unusual possibilities, so please go for it.

Last weekend Roger and I sprinkled in a small load of powdery, well-seasoned horse manure gathered from the stable at the foot of Sentinel Peak. It's already being absorbed. We're also turning the pile (with the pitch fork) and adding water every few days.

A couple of notes:

Thin stems (about the thickness of a pencil) from yard clippings are fine, but please cut them up. That helps them decompose more quickly and makes the pile easier to turn.

Ordinarily eggshells are fine, but our soil already has too much whatever is in eggshells, so no eggshells please (I know, boooo).

It's not a huge deal but, when you're making your dump run, take a second to bury your stuff below the surface of the heap (there's a shovel behind the rusty fence). It makes for a more tidy appearance and allows decomposition to begin immediately.

Thank you . . . and Mr. Compost thanks you too!