November - Oregon State University Extension Service

Compost Specialists
When October began, I thought that our lovely
sunshiny weather was finished for good - most of
the veggie plants in my garden were certainly telling
me they were finished after the downpours of
September. I’m happy that dry warmish days have
returned for the time being, and I’m enjoying
spending time outside hiking, foraging for chanterelles,
and gardening. Because so many of my
plants were ready to come out earlier than usual, I
was able to incorporate compost into the beds, and
planted my garlic and winter greens earlier than I
usually do. I like watching the trees self-mulch for
me as they drop their leaves all over the yard. (I
love that whole concept of self-mulching; the Sustainable
Landscape evaluation gives you points for
what I used to think meant I was just too lazy to
rake them up!!)
Early in the month, I joined a work party at the
River House compost demo site to help ready the
area for a demo the following weekend. I had never
participated in one of these before, and it was
really fun, but also hard work! For years, I’ve
heard people complain about bindweed, but I’d
never actually seen it until that morning at River
House. (Don’t worry- I have plenty of challenges
with thistles, poison oak, blackberries and Scotch
broom). Dave Kayfes pointed to a plant that was
climbing the fence, and told us to rip it out. I
thought it was some kind of bean or vine!! But
now I know! It was coming out of the compost
bins, and growing around the community garden.
I always say that one of the things I like about being
a MG is that I learn something every time I
volunteer. I also learned that these compost specialists
are STRONG people and can maneuver a
Joanne Carlson, MG, CS
wheelbarrow full of compost far better than I am
able to! But we are a team, and everyone pitched
in to make the site look great!
One of the things I’m learning
about is soldier flies. In
our CS training, we learn
about “the creatures of the
compost pile,” and focus on
macro- and microorganisms.
The soldier fly and its larvae are large
macroorganisms. Dave Kayfes has been studying
them and how they fit into compost ecology. They
have a lot of them at River House. I took a bucket
of compost home with me, and noticed it was
muckier and smellier than the stuff I make at
home. Then a few soldier flies started buzzing
around my car… I decided I need to learn more
about these guys. Later Cindy Wise called me to
share about her soldier fly epidemic- she has been
giving buckets of larvae to Pat Patterson, whose
chickens gobble them down like candy. Stay tuned
because next month I’ll actually share some useful
information about soldier flies.
I’m looking forward to the annual Mushroom Festival
at Mt. Pisgah October 27, where CS will have
a booth. It’s always a fun time, and a great opportunity
to see the amazing array of fungal specimens
brought in to the show. Nature does a most
amazing job of composting, and it’s fascinating to
see the variety of organisms that make this happen:
fungi, bacteria, red wigglers, soldier flies and
more!!
Enjoy the Fall in your garden!!
Calling All Gardeners Who Love to Cook
A group is forming with an interest in putting together a Lane County Master
Gardener cookbook. Ideas include not only recipes but tips on growing and eating
seasonally. We are looking for people willing to work on putting one together
with a view to publication next year. If interested contact Cindy Wise
cindyawise@comcast.net
The Garden Gate November 2013