Today was the day to finish planting potatoes and I do intend to finish it before dark. The potato row needs to be amended with compost. No problem, we compost. Just need to turn the pile and harvest some black gold. Number one thing you do not want to do on a beautiful day is discover fire ants in your compost pile. This big finishing pile is completely infested. So I spent about thirty minutes pissing off fire ants. They don't like to be disturbed. For the next few days or as long as it takes, I have got to disturb this compost pile until they move on. With my luck, they will probably move on to the collection pile.
The little water garden was looking kind of funny. On closer inspection some Monkey or another had decided to feed the fish during the winter time. Second thing you do not was to do on a glorious winter day, find that the container water garden must have the water changed out. Bust out the fish tank syphon and begin cleaning out the pond. The water at the bottom of that thing was YYUUCCKY. The garden got a healthy dose of fish water fertilizer. I think I need to do this about once a week to keep the set up a little cleaner. The garden will get fertilized and the fish will have a cleaner home.
Now back out there to dig in the worm bin and try to find uninfested (I know not a word, but I like it) worm castings/compost for the potato row.
The picture above is me looking up through the peach tree. Notice the mistletoe in the hackberry tree. We lose about one of these trees a year. I am going to replace them with better trees. Any new hackberries that come up are disposed of without any regrets.
Hope your day was pretty and not infested.
Eew. Fire ants in the compost pile is NOT good. I hope I don't end up with problems like that. I have been thinking about making a worm bin in my craft room. It's a bit hard to add to the compost pile when it's so darn cold and snowy outside. I've got the perfect soil for potatoes up here.
ReplyDeletePretty good day all around. Course I didn't find fire ants. I don't know who is more pissed off when I find those damned things: me or the invading fire ants. Can't they ever come up with a way to finally rid our yards of these terminal pests?
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Oh man! Fire ants in the compost pile! HORRIBLE! And then to have to clean our the water garden too just makes today a day you don't look back on fondly. Hopefully, you'll get the potatoes in soon and won't discover more things that are unpleasant "have to's".
ReplyDeleteCinj, we never get so cold I can't make it to the compost. Unfortunatley, they ants are a result of not turning the compost for a long time.
ReplyDeleteBrenda, We need some of those ant killing wasps.
Cindy, I got about half of the row ready. A little bit every day and I should have them all in soon.
Tuesday was a pretty day!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know fire ants get in compost--oh dear!! I need to tell hubby as he has just built a small compost bin by the little garden.
WE have infestation too but it's not fire ants, it's fleas! Nasty little buggars.
ReplyDeleteLinda, they will not move in if you turn it every now and then.
ReplyDeleteMy Little Family, I hate fleas.