Monday, May 4, 2009

Strange Dirt

I’ve invited a stranger into my yard. A stranger I’ve been warned about. Town dirt.



My town has a compost facility and this year they’ve taken the finished compost to a much nicer site at one of the recreation facilities to make pickups easier. Too easy. And there's mulch, too.
It's risky behavior, I know. People have warned me. They say that it’s unclean. That it might be contaminated. That we “don’t know where it’s been.” I confess that I am attracted to this strange dirt for one primary reason: It’s free.

It may not be the cleanest or the finest or even the most fertile, but, I mean, just look at it. Black gold.
I can’t help myself. I’ve been seduced.


The Clarkstown Mulch and Compost Site is at Germonds Park, off Germonds Road in West Nyack.

5 comments:

Joanne said...

My town has the same type of service, and we've used the soil in the past. Not to a great extent, but as fill around the shed before putting down decorative mulch, mostly things like that, covering bare spots in the lawn. We haven't had any problem with it, but I wouldn't use it in my veggie garden though. For the right purpose, it seems like a great, free idea!

tina said...

I'd be there too. You can usually tell if there are issues when you look at it. This is looking pretty good to me.

Kathryn/plantwhateverbringsyoujoy.com said...

I know this seduction! There's a pile of compost right down the street! Fortunately or unfortunately you can only pick it up in a TRUCK. My Explorer doesn't count. Good for you for trying it out!

Anonymous said...

My plants are happily growing in town compost and we aren't glowing yet. I love it too.

Pam J. said...

That dirt looks mighty fine to me. How can you worry about what MIGHT be there? If we applied that kind of thinking to everything in our lives we'd never do anything. Congratulations!