Well, I spent all day Monday following the advice of my fellow posters, and the job is now complete! The gardens look beautiful, with the donated perennials now beginning to fill out and shoot up. I'm eagerly awaiting the first sign of life from the many others I planted. I was very careful to place a mound over each one, and avoid covering the mounds while I mulched. I'm delighted to discover that last nights torrential rains did not dislodge any of the mulch - not even the top coat of nuggets. I am a happy gardener! I discovered I had extra time at the end of my mulching, and even began a compost heap - using the grass clippings, old leaves, some not-so-great soil I had removed from the gardens, and some left-over newspaper. I presently have it covered with plastic, with a very light coat of leftover shredded cypress mulch. My mother used to add all sorts of household waste to hers, and I'll be doing the same and hoping for the results that she once got - rich soil! If I recall correctly, she used to be particularly vigilant about adding eggshells, coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, potato skins, melon rinds and peanut shells. Anybody have any other hot tips for my new heap? Also, I have a bizarre question. I have a blue and gold macaw who creates her own variety of potential add-in and I need to know if it's safe for me to use! Her cage bottom is lined with crushed walnut shell - a product purchased at the pet store. I use a special scoop to remove debris from the bottom of the cage. Is it a good idea to start adding what I remove to the heap? It will contain her droppings of course, but also dropped feathers, and various foods she's dropped, including banana peels, nut shells, toast bits, various pieces of fruits, pasta, vegetables etc. Plus the remains of her bird-toys which are usually constructed of various types of ropes, woods, braided palm, paper, leather strips and sea coral. To my uneducated mind, these would all be good candidates for decomposition, but I could be way off, so I need some more expert advice. Any ideas? Thanks in advance! Hope you all have a wonderful day!
