Posts Tagged ‘Gardening’

Compostable Garden Planters

Thursday, January 21st, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Would you like a more natural alternative to using those plastic planter containers? Well, here is a project for you, where you can have an interesting planter during the growing season, then throw the container out in the garden for mulch, without having to add to the world’s landfill problems.

These planters can be used and grown anywhere you can provide good plant growing conditions, including on a patio, pathway or even a roof top. The main criteria being enough sunlight for the plants chosen, easy access to water and an ease of access to maintain the planter/s.

Just follow the steps below.

What you will need

· One or more rectangular bales of hay, (One per planter).

· 4 to 8 seedlings or small plants per planter.

· One to two good handfuls of soil/compost/potting mix per plant.

· Small garden handtools.

· Hose/watering can.

· Liquid fertilizer.

· Area chosen to provide enough light for growing conditions required by plants selected.

Steps

Take one rectangular bale of hay; flip it on its side so that the straps are around the sides not over the top and bottom.

Moisten the hay bale thoroughly with a hose or watering can.

Using the handle of a hand tool, dig four to eight holes in the new upper surface of the hay bale, these holes have to be big enough to hold a good handful of soil.

Into each hole, place a handful or two of compost, soil or potting mix.

Plant up your choice of annuals, herbs or short-lived perennials.

· Water the plants in well and fertilize them with a liquid fertilizer.

· Because of the air gaps in the hay, this type of planter can dry out more quickly than a normal planter, so regular watering is essential.

· Also remember that your planter is actually decomposing while you are using it so remember to regularly fertilize the plants growing in it. Because nutrients may become temporarily unavailable during the decomposition process.

After you have finished growing your plants, move it out to the garden, take the straps off the bale, and use it to mulch/fertilize a part of your garden. You will find that the centre of the bale has decomposed into compost nicely by this stage.

Good luck!

The Bare Bones Gardener is a qualified Horticulturist and a qualified Disability Services Worker. He hates spending money on stuff which doesn’t live up to the promises given. So he looks for cheaper, easier, simpler or free ways of doing the same thing and then he passes these ideas on to others.
Garden Blog – http://barebonesgardening.blogspot.com/
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Compost Tea Time

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Why hello! I see you’ve made it just in time for our daily four o’clock tea appointment. I’m especially excited over today’s tea selection, it’s a homemade concoction that has been in the family for many, many generations and I’m proud to be sharing it with you. No, no, it’s not our usual black tea and milk, nor is it the spicy orange and cinnamon that we had the other week, this tea is different. My dear friend, allow me to introduce to you the wonderfully nutritious and rich compost tea!

Why are you making that face? No, no, we will not be drinking it! No I haven’t lost my mind! This is very special to me; allow me to explain to you why…

I took note yesterday that you complimented me on my fine vegetable garden, which is, of course the finest in all of this side of Southampton. Anyhow, my secret to having such a fine and award-winning garden lies in my commitment to providing nutritious compost and compost tea for the garden. What is compost tea, you ask? Well, simply put, compost tea is the liquid run-off that results from the vegetables, food scraps and plants themselves, mixed with water. After I harvested this tea, I would then dilute it with a bit of water, pour it into a spray bottle and refresh my vegetables with this wonderful liquid fertilizer. Some gardeners like to call this tea “liquid gold,” even though it sounds a bit crude. However, this tea is like gold for my vegetable garden; it is the reason why they’re so healthy and free of fungi.

Avid gardeners such as myself are fond of this special tea. I would not recommend anyone drinking it, per se, but I do strongly advise any passionate gardener to utilize this naturally organic resource for their garden. And now that I’ve finished offering you my explanation of my fondness for compost tea, would you like to take some home with you for your garden? No? Oh well, quite alright, let us settle down and enjoy a nice spot of tea…

Good luck!

For a wide selection in compost bins, chipper shredder and rain barrels be sure to stop by Composters.com.
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How to Succeed in Organic Composting

Monday, January 18th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Is this going to be your first time to try your hand and luck in composting? This should not be that hard. But it isn’t that easy either. The sure thing about this is that it is going to take a lot of your time. But the end result will all be wroth it, especially if the next thing that you want to try your hand on is organic gardening.
The two actually go together. You will be able to utilize to its full potential your compost on your organic garden. If you think that you have a knack and you have the talent for it, you should really try gardening. It is not all work but no play. This can actually be just a hobby that you can use to relax while flexing those muscles out for a much needed exercise.
The main reason for gardening may be for beautification. But when you go the organic route, the reason behind this will be much bigger and much in tuned with nature. By making compost, you are also being one with nature. You are doing your part in preserving its beauty by gathering the waste elements that can be recycled to act as fertilizers to your garden.
For starters, it is only natural to worry if your project will be a success or not. But why worry if you can take the necessary actions for it to actually succeed. Here are some tips that you can follow.
1. Manage the stink. You don’t want to get into trouble with your neighbors for the sake of nature. To achieve this, you must keep the pile oxygenated. You can turn the materials periodically to gain such effect. This way, the materials on your pile will decompose regularly.
2. Decide if you are going to do it hot or cold. If you’ve decided on cold, you just have to pile all the organic materials and let nature takes its course over them. But this will take months to even years for all the materials to be good enough for compost.
If you will choose hot, this is a more detailed process and more effort is required on your part. You have to place your materials on a compost bag. Place the leaves first then put soil into it. Add other kitchen wastes like scraps from vegetables and fruits. You must remember to moist this pile periodically for the bacteria to grow so they can aid in decomposing the materials faster.
3. Watch out for the unnecessary visitors. You must be vigilant in a sense that if you are seeing flies and other pests inhabiting on your pile, take the proper actions to get rid of them. You want the pile to rot but not in a way that it won’t be useful in the end.
4. Place the compost, whether it is being done through hot or cold way, a good distance from the household and nearby neighbors. This way, you can proceed with the steps without the probable intrusion and questioning by the people nearby who don’t get what is that all about.
Composting can really eat up a lot of your time. So do it methodically. Make sure that you’ll devote ample amount of time into the process if you really are serious about gaining positive results from this.

Good luck!

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Biodegradable Utensils Make for Great Composting

Saturday, January 16th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Summer’s just around the corner and you know what that means – barbeques, family gatherings, picnics, beach parties, and even more barbeques! This is the time of year that all your good dishware and silverware stay in their cupboards and drawers and you utilize nothing but disposable plates and cutlery. But did you ever consider how much waste that adds up at all the landfills? So many plastic utensils end up piling up landfills and aren’t being recycled, because who would even think to recycle that? A better alternative that does the job and is good for the environment that’s now catching on in the market is biodegradable cutlery.

Made from corn starch and other biodegradable “plastic” fillers, eco-friendly utensils are on the rise in popularity. Contrary to belief, they will not fall apart on you if you use them in hot items like soups, and they will not break if you use them in cold foods or desserts like ice cream. Biodegradable utensils work like their normal plastic counterparts; the only difference is that they won’t pile up in landfills and can even be used in your compost bins.

For the avid gardener who likes to compost, these eco-friendly utensils can be highly beneficial to your garden. After you’re done using these utensils, toss them into your compost bin or heap instead of the trash can. In most cases, the packaging that the utensils come in is also biodegradable, which means you can add that into your compost bin, too.

Since they’re made out of corn starch and other eco-friendly materials, these biodegradable utensils will not harm your compost heap, adding to your nutrient-rich compost. Do keep in mind that if you plan to toss these utensils into your compost bin that it can take anywhere from six to 18 months for them to fully decompose.

So the next time you’re planning your big summer barbeque or food outing, consider using the eco-friendly alternative versus the regular plastic ware. Not only would you be reducing waste at landfills and giving back to the earth’s soil, you’ll feel good knowing that you’re doing your part to protect the earth while enjoying the barbeque.

Good luck!

For a wide selection in compost bins, chipper shredder and rain barrels be sure to stop by Composters.com.
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Worm Composting Fun for the Family

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

If you’re thinking about starting up a family-friendly composting project, why not consider doing one that involves worms? That’s right, worm composting, also known as vermicomposting, is a fun-filled way to get the compost you desire for your garden. All you and your kids have to do is keep the worms happy by feeding them and they’ll do all the work for you. Here’s how you get started:

All you need is a plastic 10 gallon worm bin with drainage holes on the bottom (home made or store bought is just fine), a tight fitting lid to keep the worms in the dark, moist bedding made out of one inch newspaper strips or sawdust, a pound of red wiggler worms that you can get from your local fish bait shop or from internet retailer sites like Composters.com, and some food waste like banana peels, fruit rinds and vegetable stalks. Be sure to keep in mind that this will get a bit messy, so it might be best to do this outside especially if you’re children are going to be involved. If it gets messy, it’s okay!

Start by halfway filling the worm bin with the newspaper strips; moisten the strips once you’ve reached the halfway mark. Once the newspaper is damp, push it to one side of the bin and repeat the process until the bin is full but not entirely packed and make sure there are no standing puddles collecting at the bottom. Add half a cup of sawdust or soil so that the worms have some grit to work with. Go ahead and add your pound of worms and watch as they wiggle their way down into the soil and newspaper. Next, bury your food waste into the bedding a few inches deep and cover the bedding with a five page blanket of damp newspapers.

After a few days you should notice some positive results – the worms are digging in and out of the bedding, eating the food waste, soil and newspaper, digesting it and leaving behind worm castings (explain to your kids that it’s poop!). It’s the worm castings that you really want for your garden. To keep your worms happy keep adding food wastes every few days or so and they’ll keep producing that rich black gold for you. Have fun and don’t be afraid to get down and dirty!

Good luck!

On the lookout for a chipper shredder, lawn sweepers or even some rain barrels? Stop by Composters.com today!
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The Basic Guide To Organic Composting

Thursday, January 14th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

If you care about the environment, you will be in favor of the composting process. This concept is all about giving back to the land what it has given you. It is all about recycling. It is all about a cycle that things go through in order to grow.
It is an interesting cycle. If you just take a moment to take a deeper look into a pile of decaying things, you will see that some things that are slowly becoming part of the land. And you also see some offspring that are growing from the process.
That’s life. And that’s how your life is also going to be. If you are in touch with nature, you will see such cycles as miracles, and something to be joyful about.
Compost is also more than just a using fertilizer on soil. This actually means that the cycle of life goes on. You can gather decaying leaves of plants and other manures and things that can be found in your garden for this purpose. You will then use all the materials to form your very own compost.
This process is actually practiced by many farmers in all parts of the world. But ordinary gardeners or people who love nature and things that revolve in it can also benefit from this.
The organic residue that you collect when you gather different materials from the land that is converted into something black, somewhat fragrant, and crumbly (decomposing) is what will be the compost. The idea here is to arrange the materials so that the soil bacteria and fungi can survive and also multiply as they all break down. The bacteria act as the converters of all raw materials so that they must be in a workable environment with proper moisture, food and air.
If you haven’t made yours, but is interested in starting a compost, you can begin by gathering the green and dry elements that you can see around your garden. You must think what you can feed the bacteria for it to thrive. For such, you can tap on the grass clippings, the green weeds, as well as the vines of pea and leaves of lettuce. What do they have in common? They contain sugar elements as well as proteins and they all can decompose fast.
Dry leaves and other small twigs must be mixed with the greens when decomposing. These materials take a lot of time in order to decompose because they contain little nitrogen. That is why they must not be left alone in the process.
You can also build a compost pile by mixing a fertilizer, then adding manure and garden soil between every layer of your gathered waste material.
You need not be a pro to be able to come up with your own version of this tool. All you’ve got to have is a big heart for nature and you are set to go.
What you have to remember is that you are doing the environment a great favor by being involved in such a process. Not everyone loves to garden, having said that, it is also true that not everyone will love the idea of making compost.
Practice will make everything perfect. This is also true with the idea of composting. Through time, you will be able to develop your own techniques. And hopefully, you will be able to share with others what a gem you have found in this kind of process.

Good luck!

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Save Our Planet With Organic Composting

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

If you are still find it hard to understand the nature of composting, it can actually be simplified. Compost is an organic substance that is added to the soil which functions more than just being a fertilizer.It can actually be compared to recycling. Instead of throwing out all your waste and garbage, or at least what you consider as garbage, you can sort that out. In recycling, you need to pick the things that can still be transformed into other materials so that you can use them for different purposes.
The more popular things that are being utilized in recycling are the pins on soda cans. These are said to help out in making aluminum. Other containers can be used as pots or vases. Used clothes can be turned into mats or rugs. The idea here is that while there are things that can still be useful in your everyday lives, most of the recycled materials are being implemented as decorative elements.
With the products of compost, you will not pick things out of the garbage pile to be able to come up with other things that will be useful to you on your everyday life. No, the process will not come up with an exotic looking vase or a picture frame made out of shells or bottle caps. You can leave those thoughts to recycling.
Composting entails the recycling of the materials that can be found on nature. The popular samples of this would be dried leaves, grass clippings, vegetable or fruit peelings, animal manure, sawdust, among others. How would all these be useful? Unlike the practical applications of the product of recycling, this in turn will mostly be for gardening purposes.
This will be especially helpful if you are into organic gardening. This method requires the use of organic materials. That means that you cannot turn to synthetic products, especially for the purpose of fertilizers and pesticides. And it is possible. Your compost can make the soil for this type of gardening healthy and happy. As a result, it will produce healthy crops and chemical-free plants.
Organic gardening may sound complicated to the novice ears. But if you put your heart into it, you will find out that all the hard work that you will spend doing this will all be worth it. But this doesn’t really mean that you have to do it especially if you can’t afford to because of the time consideration and other factors.
But even if you don’t have time to do organic gardening, you can still try your hand in making compost. This can also apply with people living on the urban zones. Even with such situation, you can still do a little gardening trick by having your plants in pots. No, you don’t need to go organic all the way. Nobody’s telling you to do so. But using the products of your compost as a fertilizer can actually engage you with the project and may start your curiosity towards the real organic gardening thing.
Besides, everything nowadays seems to be marketed as organic. Look at the grocery aisles. There are organic food, organic soap, organic tissue, cloth and everything. This seems to be trend. And nature is definitely not complaining.
By going out of your way to do composting, consider nature sending out her appreciation your way. And may this inspire you to do other things to help with the causes of Mother Earth.

Good luck!

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Helpful Composting Tips

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

So long as they have a high surface to volume ratio, most plant materials from your garden will work beautifully in your compost bin. However, you want to use common sense when adding larger items like sequoia branches or giant rubber tree leaves, simply shred them or chip them up into smaller pieces – the more surface area available to you resident critters, the faster the decomposition process. Plant food scraps from the kitchen, shredded cardboard boxes, and sawdust from untreated wood will all contribute nicely to your organic potpourri, just don’t put too much of any one thing in – it can throw off the N-P-K balance, not to mention the pH.

Always remember to throw in a handful of good garden soil to inoculate the new pile with living organisms. A few earthworms and rollie pollies are a nice addition, too. Though it is not required, many individuals add compost starters and accelerators to help their pile along–this is fine, just avoid the synthetic additives and seek out natural and organic sources with minimal packaging.

Though all organic matter can be broken down naturally, some materials are just not suitable for the home compost pile. First and foremost, no human or pet excrement should be added to the bins. Feces can harbor harmful bacteria, and there is no guarantee that the high temperatures of your pile will successfully kill them. Second, stay away from greasy foods, dairy products, meat scraps and bones. Not only can their decomposition result in ‘colorful’ aromas, they can attract rodents. Unless you are a seasoned composter, it is best to avoid them completely.

Natural chemicals in citrus peels, eucalyptus leaves, and pine needles can actually slow down your compost pile, so avoid mixing them into your artistic masterpiece. Ashes from your fireplace are basically worthless — they are already broken down as much as possible (remember the heat and flames), and therefore have little potential energy to offer the micro organisms in your pile. Beside, ash can drastically alter the pH of the soil. If your prize tomatoes experienced their worst blight on record, you probably want to keep their diseased leaves and stems out of the pile, especially if the finished compost will be returning to your vegetable garden. Why propagate pestilence? Rocks, plastic and Styrofoam are not going to do much for your creation either, so keep them out. A good rule to go by is “when in doubt, keep it out.”

Good luck!

For a HUGE selection of compost bins, rain barrels, and chipper shredders, check out Composters.com today.
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Calculation for Purchasing Packaged Compost

Monday, January 11th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Packaged compost is one of the wonderful products now available on the market designed to help make your gardening a little easier. Knowing how to calculate the number of bags of product you need to cover an area in your garden though, can be a bit overwhelming.

For instance, one of the packaged compost products is available in a 16-quart bag. Suppose you want to purchase enough compost to cover a garden area roughly 10 foot long by 10 foot wide with compost to a depth of 2 inches.

With a little calculation and conversion you can figure it out easily enough.

First, you’ll need to use the mathematical formula for volume: length (L) multiplied by width (W) multiplied by depth (D) or L x W x D. Also, all of the measurements will be easier to calculate if they are in the same units. Since you want the depth of compost in inches rather than feet, convert the foot measurements of the garden area to inch measurements.

To convert the area that is 10 foot by 10 foot into inch units, simply multiply each foot by 12. This will give you an area that is 120 inches by 120 inches. Now use the volume formula from above. For mulch at a depth of 2 inches, the calculation will be 120in x 120in x 2in or 2880 cubic inches.

The compost is packaged in a 16-quart bag. Since there are 4 quarts to a gallon, the 16-quart bag would contain 4 gallons of product per bag. How many gallons will you need to cover the 2880 cubic inches?

By using an online conversion tool you can determine how many dry gallons are contained in 1 cubic inch. The result is: 1 cubic inch = 0.00372023471 [US, dry] gallons.

You’re almost done.

You can round up and use a shorter figure for your final calculation: 2880 cu in x 0.0037 [US, dry] gal = 10.656 gallons of compost will be needed.

Therefore, in order to cover that 10 foot by 10 foot garden area with a 2 inch layer of compost, you’ll need about 10-1/2 gallons or almost 3 bags of the packaged product.

When buying and using packaged compost, knowing the math can help make gardening easier.

Good luck!

Robin, a gardening enthusiast, published and manages a website for people wanting to get their flower garden set up quickly ‘n easily. Check out additional information about compost at her website: Gardening Quick ‘n Easy
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Compost Tea – The Tea Of Worms Explained

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

Hello! I hope you enjoy the article.

Many people are tea drinkers. Whether they are drinking Oolong tea or black tea from their local grocery store, that person has a certain image as to what it is, what it tastes like, and what it is for. There is a certain kind of tea that no one should drink but is one of the most beneficial, nutrient filled solutions that has ever existed. It is called worm tea. What is worm tea? Here are a few tips on how you can create and use worm tea otherwise known as compost tea to enhance your organic gardening needs.
Used for hundreds of years, organic gardeners and farmers that have known of the value of vermicomposting have been creating this potent nutrient filled liquid that is better known as worm tea or compost tea. This liquid which some say has a fragrant odor or is completely odorless can be used on the leaves of potted plants and also in the soil to enhance plant growth as well as help protect the plants that you grow.
It is actually a very simple process with a couple of not so simple steps if you have never done it before. Basically, the vermicast is put into a filter like a nylon and added to a jug of water and oxygenated in order to encourage microbes within the mixture to flourish and grow. Some additional ingredients to add to this tea include molasses or sea kelp. The oxygenation process will continue for about a day or sometimes longer.
Once done, it can be bottled and sprayed on plants or poured into soil at the base of the plants in order to inject a kind of a topical fertilizer that not only helps plant growth but also repels insects and disease such as spider mites and various pathogens, respectively.
There are various ways to get compost tea and one of those ways is through the collection of worm castings. Worm castings are essentially the poop of the worms. Their manure feels like soft little nodules that can be bagged up and cooked like a tea (except at room temperature water) and then used in the same manner that the worm tea was used in liquid form. Usually distilled water is used in the sifting process when using the castings and can actually be a much neater process when doing this on a large scale.
Most compost tea is concentrated so even if it does come in a bottle that looks ready to use, treat it the same way you would miracle grow or other non organic fertilizers. Castings tea should not burn the leaves of plants or over fertilize the soil but it is a good idea to use it more often in diluted form than less often in concentrated form. Red worms and their castings have become a hot commodity for all of those in the organic gardening field.
In essence, you are putting healthy microorganisms back into the soil which can then begin to thrive and multiply creating the ideal environment for your plants and a natural barrier at times for things that would come to destroy them. And unlike most nonorganic fertilizers, if you happen to spill too much into an area of your crop, it will not burn your plants.
By taking the time to create your own worm farm, and making your own tea for your garden or crops, you should see not only a positive growth in your vegetables or fruit, but a noticeable taste difference and production difference in how long it takes your crops to grow. You will also notice that your plants succumb less to fungus and other pathogens and diseases.
Also, by regularly adding this special tea into your garden area, it will also help you regulate the watering of your garden which is very important for crop growth. If you are doing this on a larger scale, you may need special equipment in order to harvest the worm castings and process them, and also to make worm tea on a commercial scale requires significantly different equipment than a small scale operation.
Overall, it will be worth your while to go the natural way and create a worm farm that will supplement the nutrient needs of your garden no matter how big or small. The use of compost tea as not only an additive of nutrients but also as an insecticide to protect your crops will make your organic gardening growing experience more pleasurable each and every year.
So the next time that you hear about a special tea that can enhance the growth of your crops, make your food taste better, and increase your overall yields, you will not think about the kind of tea that you sip quietly at the kitchen table, but of natures key that is given to us by red worms to help all organic gardeners grow more plentiful crops called compost tea.

Good luck!

Chris Dailey is the owner of Super Organic Gardening Secrets, a free online service that provides valuable information on organic gardening and <a href="http://www.superorganicgardeningsecrets.com/” rel=”nofollow”>worm tea. To download his 7 free organic gardening reports, go
to http://www.superorganicgardeningsecrets.com
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