I watered the lemon tree today after the top inch or two of soil felt dry. It had been five days. I used about two cups of city water that sat in the can overnight to let chlorine off-gas. I’ve read mixed opinions on how fast that actually works, but it costs me nothing to do it this way.
The compost pile hit 88°F this morning, another 10-degree jump. I didn’t want to disturb it while it was finally heating up, but I had a bucket of kitchen scraps to add. I mixed them in quickly with a light turn for aeration. When I pushed the thermometer deeper into the core, it read closer to 100°F in the most active spots. That felt like a real win.
I think I’ll start adding diluted urine every five days while the pile stays active.