We do not have another dust bowl in Oklahoma. It's because they imported TREES. Be thankful for TREES and realize the important role they play in keeping the soil from eroding and breaking the wind. If we did not have trees we definitely would have another dust bowl. The method of agriculture has improved, too. However, those are the conditions we are in. According to the drought footprint of the US these droughts are decadal. Nonetheless, how am I to keep my compost from being destroyed by the sun/heat?

Seriously, when it began to sizzle last year at desert-like temperatures in Oklahoma I quit composting until the weather changed. I can no longer afford to do this. I need to continue building my soil. The sun is baking the frackin' thing. Do I cover it? It is under a tree, but that - of course - is not sufficient.

I cannot afford to water this bugger more than once a week. No way. Here's what I do (no laughing or I'll shoot your eye out) lol. After the kids bathe I soak cardboard in the bathwater and rip it down to small pieces to be placed into the compost pile along with the compost from the kitchen (usually 5 gallons at a time). I always always utilize any cooking liquids right into the slop bucket - water from noodles, soups, stews, boiled veggies, etc. Every ounce of moisture is utilized.

I do have rain capture systems but not a hook up yet. Still, it's unreasonable to carry buckets over to a friggin' compost pile every day when it's all we can do to keep the garden watered. Even then, it's not sufficient. Currently, my still water is gone bad. Blek

Looking for experience here. I am assuming a tarp or some type of makeshift cover is my only solution. You desert peeps know what dry means. It's not going to stop it, but I want to reduce the sun/heat from destroying most of the good organisms in the compost to do the work. What do you recommend?

Grey water is something I'm looking into, btw. My compost pile is always at least 3 foot by 3 foot. Do I need to have a larger pile to be more effective in these extreme temperatures while rotating and watering at least once a week?

bon

You might want it longer, but not much wider or you won't be able to turn it.

According to some old timers in Oklahoma the weather is turning permanent. I don't believe it, but am no expert. This sucks. If I wanted to live in a desert I'd go there. lol

bon

It's doable, and you might get a reputation as the "crazy water lady", but hey, it's all good!

Other alternative means are worms for vermicomposting. Another idea is to bury the compostables in the area you hope to plant in the future. Some call this trench composting others probably have other names but it does tend to work. I often bury things while I am waiting for the compost piles to break down some before adding new things.

We keep a bucket in the kitchen that is used for plant watering or flinging on the lawn. Water from the basement dehumidifier is used on plants.

I'm thinking about closing the tub drain during showers and figuring a way to run that out through a hose to the yard for a poor-man's graywater system. If this keeps up next year I'll be considering a real retrofitted graywater system to reuse the dishwasher and washing machine water.

Even then, I still have to add water all the time. One trick I've found is that immediately after adding water, or stirring it up and getting it moist, it helps to put a layer of plastic over the top to trap in that 'steam' moisture as the pile starts to cook.

In the meantime my husband suggested burying the compost right into the garden to be planted for fall. The trench composting suggested confirmed that! I think we'll be doing that as well.

Luckily, I began vermicomposting a couple years ago. Boy, now those little buggers are hard to keep moist nowadays even though they are inside. I've had wonderful friends dig up their yard worms and mail them to me! We have such extreme stupid temps and weather I just keep them indoors. My silly visitors do not even realize they're socializing near by a tub of worms and assume the blue plastic tub is a toy box for the kiddos. The oddity of a blue 35 gallon rubbermaid tub with wire mesh screens on each side never hits them. ROFL I love my wormies and so do the kids! But they're so delicate in this enviro I'm very picky how I utilize their dirt. It usually goes into seedlings. I haven't enough supply yet to put it directly in the garden. I can hardly tolerate the idea of throwing it in teh garden to have it, essentially, baked in the sun destroying those wonderful nutrients. I use it, mostly, for worm tea putting the used worm casting right back in. My worms even have a lean diet because I don't want too many bugs in the house and the reprocessed worm castings from making tea turn out to be a much finer grain very highly useful for seed-starting. They're not caky like all the others. So, now, I have like three different bins for different purposes!

I think my initial thoughts of a larger compost pile would indicate a higher moisture content in the center as suggested above. At this time I just don't have the energy to turn a larger pile. My back is pretty much rotting away with degenerative disc disease. Looks like burying it might be best.

That brings to mind a method I have begun utilizing in one area of the garden successfully. HUGELKULTURE It is working... still working despite absolutely NEGLECT. I wanted to see how it really did in drought conditions and BY GOLLY it actually works! Only now... right into August after so very long without rain am I considering watering it and the initial test phase section is NOT very deep suggesting that a 3' or deeper pit of Hugelkulture would actually finish the job and do the trick. Only problem: I don't have a back hoe and digging out by hand will only be possible during winter months. Yet, it is so effective that considering to dig it out by hand with a broken back is going to be absolutely worth it in the long run.

How else are we to survive? I need a large plot to survive to feed my family of four PERPETUALLY and Hugelkulture stands to be THE one way to "get er done".

The extreme climate: There is no more fall tree foliage!! Unbelievable. The trees are defoliating in early august to conserve their own water moisture eliminating this highly essential garden amendment. I must rake them up in the heat of July and August before they, literally, disintegrate. And, to be expected, we are losing certain varieties of trees. THANK GOD FOR PECANS TREES that love extreme heat and hate moisture on their leaves. Even they are defoliating to a degree and I might lose some if the winter precipitation of any form is diminished in any way.

Anyone else with H-kulture?

The Oklahoma Garden Forum welcomes visitors askign questions about plants/gardening. We're not an all inclusive sort of type and okiedawn's gardening suggestions are often the top of the google search engine. I've only recently started gardening but have learned if anyone can garden in Oklahoma they can garden anywhere (I do not fall into that category yet) but if it's a climate issue to either extreme, the experts in Oklahoma have dealt with it and always will. I don't know if Oklahoma is the ONLY Place on earth that experiences both extremes of weather temperatures, but it sure seems like it. Texas panhandle, of course, is a near example. With exception to monsoons or hurricanes, we have it all. The perpetual triple digit weather is, yet again, another matter we need deal with and we're all simply learning to deal with it. Most advanced gardeners have already switched varieties of plants to suit the new climate. Even as I type my head is spinning to the sheer insanity of it all in Oklahoma - as if Tornadoes and hail storms weren't sufficient excitement. SHEESH Ever tried to protect your 'maters from hail damage? Buy a hard hat and expect to be labeled a redneck gardener from all the makeshift coverings in your garden during inclement weather. LOL

Thanks again to all.

bon