Musing on manure. In my side yard.
I have a garden. Actually lots of people lay claim to my bed of red clay that I plant stuff in — which is fine by me since I know nuthin’ bout havn’ no gardens.
I came home Friday to Lofton, my yard/garden helper, waiting for me.
“I have a truck load of chicken manure at the house. When do you want me to bring it by?”
Uh. Did it ever occur to him, even as garden committee member, to ask what I thought about manure in my side yard before acquiring same?
But he looked so happy about the manure, so sure it would make a fabulous garden, so sure it wouldn’t stink once tilled in, I trusted him.
Help.
* * *
Today on my way out to the lake for interview I swung into…
I asked Al Kimsey, the owner, if they could bring a tiller by my 6 x 9 inch spread.
“Sure.”
“Al, (I said with lots of conviction like I really trust you Al) will it stink?”
“Not if it’s tilled in. And if it does, you just need to water it.”
Water it? Wet chicken manure sounds stinky. Wonder how it smells?
I trusted Lofton. I trusted Al.
Who wouldn't trust this face?
* * *
A few hours later, I came home to this.
It looked harmless.
Then I smelled it. My yard smelled like farms you ride by and say knowingly to puking kids in the back seat, “It’s natural. It’s nature giving back to nature.”
What the heck was that bull sh*t (or chicken poop) talk? It stunk.
But I still held out hope that the aroma came from the bed of the truck where the manure had ferminted for 5 days.
I gave Lofton a little extra to wash out the back of his truck real good.
He tilled it the ground.
Looking at this picture...I can still smell it.
Later in the afternoon, I was on the other side of the house working on the porch. Flies buzzed all around. I wonder why?
Sorry you guys have to go into stinky manure clay.
I went and bought some nice green things to plant later on in the week.
* * *
Lofton is already planning where he can get some horse manure for the spring. He said horse and cow manure doesn’t smell.
(Not making this up.)
I guess I’m a bona fide farmer now.
Would you eat lettuce with chicken poop in its roots? Is that sanitary?
Hi, Jamie! I had to unlurk. This post made me laugh so hard and brought back a rather odiferous memory.
When I was a kid in central Florida, I attended a school where all the classrooms opened on to breezeways. There was no air conditioning so during the warm months all the classroom doors and windows were open. The resultant cross breeze was quite lovely normally. But not so much the day they used chicken manure to fertilize the orange groves that surrounded the school. The nurse’s office was extremely busy that day! I still remember how it smelled.
Beth ~ where oh where did you go to school? I went to elementary school in Orlando. I remember the windows all along the back wall of classroom being open…then those all along the top in the front of the classroom. That would be bad having to smell chicken manure all day. Those fields can really stink up a wide area. It’s a little better this morning (or maybe I’m getting used to it.. eek.) The neighbors haven’t complained yet.
Haha, oh dear. The gardener’s life, I know it well! (not to mention that one man’s “doesn’t stink” is another woman’s fly playground!) As for the sanitary question…. I can’t even count how many calls I’ve made to our extension office about such things, and knowing me, I’d be calling on this one!
That made laugh Julia…if I called our extension office — or better yet went down there — they would think me crazier than they probably already do. Maybe Mr. Bacon might have an answer, since he was once part of a farm critter. They get to know stinky things.
[…] out there are children and responsibilities and manure. All things that give me buck-shot pain behind my left shoulder […]
Jamie –
I went to elementary school in Kathleen outside of Lakeland. Way back then, the area was very rural…mostly orange groves with an occasional house thrown in. But of course, that was pre-Disney World.
I remember Lakeland Kathleen the high school. I too remember when there was nothing between Orlando and Lakeland except orange groves and palmettos. Now it’s wall to wall stuff. Though I love to watch for the ospreys/eagles nesting on top of those huge utility pole platforms along I-4. Disney changed that landscape forever.
Me? I run.
Because all I need are two shoes. And some clothes.
No towels. Or flip-flops. Or drives to the pool.
I just lace up my shoes…and go.
I like to run to Sue. Swimming gives my joints as rest. And you are right, it takes extra effort. But seems to be worth it when I get there.