Juli Lawrence – Rakish Gardening

September 16th, 2007

I was turning the compost pile today and saw several centipedes scurry around. Surprisingly, I only saw my first centipede this year, under some wood out by the fence in back.

I think I heard a horror story about giant centipedes when I was little; some cousins lived in south Florida and I believe that’s where the story came from. Maybe it’s imagined or maybe I saw something on tv when I was a tot, but there’s something that scares me about them.

Anyway, they apparently feed on the pillbugs that inhabit the pile during part of the composting process. It has heated and cooled and probably ready to spread somewhere. I’m thinking I may get out tomorrow and put out a crop of romaine lettuce and use some of that compost. Plus I still need to get the hairy vetch planted. I actually have several things that need to be done.

I usually sniff the compost a lot. Instead of a shoe fetish, I guess I have a compost fetish. I like to smell it because it reminds me of living in the forest, which I greatly miss. Now I probably won’t sniff as closely, afraid I’ll get my nose snipped off by a centipede.

I’m not afraid of snakes, but those centipedes freak me out.

• Cool weather crops

Tags: composting
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