Estreya, Composting isn't that hard, and it's well worth the effort when it comes to improving your soil without breaking the bank. But it's good to arm yourself with information first. That way you can avoid the smells and the "pile of goo." Of course with all those wood chips that shouldn't be a problem! I'd recommend a couple of things: 1) Buy or borrow a copy of "The Rodale Book of Composting." Read it through, let the ideas compost a bit, and figure out what might work best for your situation. 2) See if your local Cooperative Extension offers composting demos. It's a good to see the process first-hand and network with folks who have interest and experience in the area.

I promise, no stalking. You're not terribly far from me, and we have similar climate conditions. I've found the worst problems with blackspot occur when the humidity condenses at night and the air is still. It's so thick in the air that sometimes the roses are still wet at 11 am, even with no rain having fallen for days. I don't think your chameleon plant contributed to the blackspot--but that's just a guess. I think it's the nature of where we live. I spray BEFORE I notice blackspot getting a foothold, and that has worked better for me than spraying as a reaction to it. One thing I know nothing about is Kentucky soil. Here in Illinois it may be alkaline at times, but it's generally pretty darn good. Just drive through our state in July and look at all the corn & beans! I really haven't found a need to amend my soil. I dig a nice hole, plant the rose, mulch it, and feed it a couple of times throughout the summer. I go for the simplest method possible, since I truly hate Rocket Science. I totally agree with never putting potting soil in your planting hole. It doesn't compact in the same manner & I've seen a plant 'sink' when the potting soil was used to fill the hole. One thing I will mention is to fill your hole with water before you plant anything & check the runoff rate. You may be shocked at how long the water sits there with heavy clay, and not realize that just because the top inch of soil is dry that there's a TON of moisture just below the surface.

I use a green compost bin that our city loans people to have r vegetation hauled away. Then I put c. a foot of broken crockery on the bottom and a few sawed up branches for drainage, as the bin lacks holes and I put all my fruit and veg trimmings, egg shells and used tea bags in it, after it is 1/3rd full I mix in some chicken manure tea, I use only enough fluid to dampen it, because the bin has no holes in it. then I keep adding the fruit and veg et cetera until it's 2/3rds full , add some more manure tea, I also put in the cardboard rolls from paper towels and toilet paper, and used paper plates. Then after it sits there for c. 6 weeks I turn it out into a 6' long by 2 feet deep trench for it to break down more. As I take it out of the bin I mix it up more, as aeration is an important part of making compost. When I pre-soak the larger chunks of fruit, the completed compost takes a third less time to break down. I make compost c. 4 times a year. It is better than c. 90% of the compost I've ever bought. I used to feel silly giving all my compost to be hauled away by the garbage crews and then paying c. 8 bucks a bag for compost from a store. Now I have wonderful compost at all times available without having to lug it home. One of my favorite gardening memories: when a new batch of compost was ready for her garden, my mother used to run her hands through that rich, dark and friable substance while she wore a soft and endearing expression; as if she were seeing not compost, but was viewing something enchantingly wondrous, as I would if there were colorful precious gems in front of me. As a child I used to think mom was a bit eccentric. Not so much now. Lux.

Gotcha Dave. Sour is often used to mean acidic, though most folks don't probably realize that when they use the word. But I see what you're saying. For my part, I would never advocate purposely mixing uncomposted woodchips into soil. As a mulch layer over the top-yes, of course. But not mixed in. The other problem with bark or woodchip mulches is their tendency to form a hydrophobic mat. It seems that some of these beneficial fungi which colonize the chip layer, over time, glue the whole thing together with their mycellia. I've already seen it where you can lift an entire tree ring of mulch with one hand like it's all one-piece. The only reasonable method for dealing with this-so far as I'm aware-is to get your three-prong cultivator out and gently work the stuff up. That also freshens its appearance. We use wetting agents to water some of our ornamental plantings in areas where stirring up the mulch isn't feasible, but I wouldn't expect the average homeowner to be purchasing wetting agents! BTW, some folks claim just your general-purpose dish detergent will "work just as well" as the expensive pro stuff. I can tell you from direct experience that's not necessarily so. The big manufacturers of consumer goods like dish detergent vary their recipes as different supplies come and go, or as ingredient prices rise and fall. So you never really know what you're getting. At least with professional wetting agents, they are what they say they are. And it is possible to find relatively low-cost ones, relatively being the operative word there. +oM