Paws for Dirt

Our three Pembroke Welsh Corgi (Corgyn) are such a source of entertainment and fun.  Especially the young ones -- Ao Pokole Poko, and Princess I'ilani (Poko and Lani for short.)

This last week we got another delivery of rich dark cinder/soil.  And Poko bradda convinced lil' sista Lani to explore the new (giant) hill -- what fun to climb!  Their very white sock feet, of course were no longer white after this escapade.  The "hill" they are climbing is 1/3 of the delivery -- which the driver was willing to deposit in two other large piles elsewhere on the property for easier disbursement to needed projects.

(For many years we had Corgi's with short (bobbed) tails...but we LOVE their "paintbrush" tails -- so expressive.)

For those of you on the Continent, we can buy a variety of "soil products" from red cinder which is OK for driveways and for keeping the soil from packing, to black cinder...rich in nutrients, to any combination thereof -- including crushed macadamia nut hulls.  Our delivery is composed of tiny grounds of black cinder mixed with good wholesome soil (from elsewhere on the island, but hard to come by in Puna where the land created by lava is so new.)

20 cubic yard delivery of cinder/soil

How aquifers under the island are formed

Admittedly, a 20 cu yard delivery is costly, $400-500.  But when you find lava only 1" down...you gotta supplement the garden with something for your plants, vegetables and fruit to grow in and produce.  And, for your further appreciation -- a couple of factoids:  First, because the "ground" (ie, lava) is so porous, 140 inches of rain a year simply disappears down into a huge aquifer below the surface, making the amount of fresh water under the Big Island one of the largest in the world.  The good part of that is you rarely have to water your garden.  However, the flip side of that is that what little nutrition there is is washed away completely every few weeks.  Daswai (that's why) we have to use heavy doses of compost, fertilizer and mulch on all our garden beds -- flower, fruit and vegetable.

Two weeks ago we made the pilgrimage to the Hilo Dump -- well-loved for its recycling -- green waste and FREE mulch.  We drove up with a tarp, and in 5 minutes flat had a HUGE Tundra 8' bed fully loaded and ready to bring home -- all free.  Not only does it enrich the ground, it helps keep weeds under control.

Just another slice of every-day life for the Haysmer Tribe in the Puna District on the Big Island of Hawaii.