Prehistoric Compost

 

 

It's probably cliche for someone who likes to garden to say they love their compost, but I do love to make compost.  And I don't really mean that I love compost because of the way it makes my garden grow.  I do love that, too, but I actually get some sort of reverse garden kick from turning plants and kitchen scraps to dirt.  I might even go so far as to say I would make compost even if I couldn't grow plants.  I mean, it's so satisfying, and so easy.  You can even make it in the winter, so it's not seasonally persnickety like plants.  It's an all season crop.  Just not very tasty.   I know I'm not alone.  Why else would gardening magazines use so many sexy pictures of worm bins and compost tumblers?

These photos are of fossils Byron found about 1800 feet under the surface.  The fossils look like ferns or stems of plants pressed into slabs of coal.  The fossils are obviously plants - plants that were covered in muck so long ago that they aren't even on the surface of the planet any more!  I can't really comprehend the passage of time, the necessary chemistry, and geologic luck that it took for these to be preserved, or what the planet was like for these plants.  It blows my mind that we can find it, rip it out, and turn it into energy.  Everything about these fossils is fascinating, but what's really cool to think about? This is prehistoric compost!  I wish my compost was this black - talk about "black gold".. ha...ha...he...nerd... 

It's the time of year to plan the garden and buy seeds so it feels like compost is in the air.  When I look into farm fields while I'm driving to project sites instead of admiring the winter landscape, I find myself searching for manure piles or old hay bales.  Even in the forest, the leaves that fell last fall are breaking down and I like to admire, and covet, the compost.  I practically snatch things from peoples hands if I think they are going to put a peel or coffee grounds in the trash instead of the compost.  Mine!