Most people will agree with me that gardening is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable pastimes that you could ever do. Not only do you enjoy yourself but you also are able to produce some fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables to feed your family and even sell to make some extra money.
For the most part, composting is just a good way of getting ready for the next growing season. It is a way of creating a heap or bin of organic matter that will then enrich your garden. I personally use alled style compost bin, which is a steel drum, much like a cake pan, but you can use sausage blocks or bricks also.
The added benefit of the pipes is that they just keep the soil nice and tight, which can then reduce evaporation. This will also give the benefit of a good soil cover and prevent those pesky weeds from popping up. Having a good soil cover means that the roots of your plants will also be able to penetrate the soil much easier, making for a healthier plant in the end.
The other thing I love about these pipes is that they just simply smell great! I have two go round my garden, they really do add a nice smell to the place and my plants like them a lot.
So what do you use to make compost? Well you could always use those nice smelling kitchen scrap bins, but there are better alternatives, trust me they don’t work. I tried straw, but straw is a pain to move around and store. I tried plastic bins with lids on, but then I had the problem that the plastic kept seeping out. I tried keeping my grass cuttings, but my grass cuttings are heavy to move and the last thing I want to do is bring them in, then get rained on again.
What I use now, what I use a lot, is newspaper. I have a local Farmers Market, every Sunday morning I head out with my newspaper, and every other day I go back. I keep the newspaper up to 18 months old, and it makes me feel really great. I also save some peanuts and throw them in the newspaper too.
The problem I have now is that the paper and peanut shells are heavy to move.
I did notice that you can buy plastic bins with lids already in them, a long time ago. I tried one of those but they are so heavy, I decided not to spend money on them.
What I ended up with was some old chicken fencing, cut into 6 foot lengths. I painted it all black and buried the edges around the garden. It keeps the squirrels out, and a light rain will wash them away.
The funny thing is, the last 3 feet always have a collection of fruit flies hovering.
So I am going to keep the cage full of fruit flies and see what happens. You scare the birds with the heavy food, I’ll see if it works.
Atum for the question
What do you do with compost? Just burn it?
This was a good question for me to ask when I was deciding what to do with the yard waste. Because now I am a little ways into the garden season and my buddy poop has been cleared away, so I have been looking for other options.
If you are looking for a hearty plants and plants that don’t need much water and can still be planted under the shade of your selected plants and trees, then a good place to start putting together a compost fertilizer is to check out the local farmers market.
There you will find fresh compost waiting for you.
Is there any question longer to be answered?
PH Balance
How do you feel when you walk among your beautiful garden?
Do you feel proud or satisfied that you took the time to get that patch of earth looking plant going in the garden?
Are you in a hurry to see results?
Have you ever wondered if you were missing something out there?
