February 19, 2013

Winter Mulching at the Farm

In the new March issue of Martha Stewart Living, I have written a column, complete with photos, about the rather large-scale composting cycle at my Bedford farm.  I find composting to be very gratifying because almost nothing goes to waste at the farm, since anything compostable is added to the pile.  My wonderful farm crew is such an integral part of why things look so good on the property.  They’ve been working tirelessly, cutting, chipping, and removing hundreds of storm-toppled trees in the woods.  It’s still so sad to see how many trees have been destroyed.  However, none of that wood is going to waste.  Selected tree trunks are being turned into lumber.  Limbs, roots, leaves, and needles are being chipped or ground to speed up decomposition.  The final product, rich compost, is used generously all around the farm.  Before our recent blizzard, the guys spread a thick layer of that black gold over all of the gardens, tucking them snuggly away until spring.

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