Organic Gardening Soil Preparation

Seasonal Considerations For Composting

2012-03-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

Seasonal Considerations For Composting

Most composting is done in the spring and summer months. The reason is that heat is such an important element to the process. Even though the compost process itself generates heat, the warmth from the weather certainly helps everything along.

Most composts goes dormant in the winter months and start-up again with the spring thaw and warmer temperatures. But if you live in a milder climate that does not get harsh winters, there is a way to continue to compost during the winter months.

You can create an insulated compost bin. Using a plastic garbage can dig a hole big and deep enough to put at least six inches of the can underground. Use a natural insulating material such as straw and pack it around the base and up the sides of the can. Continue to compost as you would at any other time of the year.

Even though this method will still work in the winter months, the speed at which the material will decompose will still be slowed down. Winter composting will allow you to continue recycling your kitchen scraps throughout the colder months and you may even have compost at the beginning of spring to use in your garden.

The spring and fall are the best times to collect leaves to start a new compost bin. In the spring, the leaves you collect have already started to decompose as they stayed wet and insulated throughout the winter. It doesn't matter though if you collect your leaves in either season – they are the perfect base for a new compost pile. If you are using dry leaves from the fall, consider putting them through a chipper of some kind. If they are smaller and already cut up it will aid in the whole composting system.

Step By Step Composting

2012-03-12T17:59:00.000-07:00

Composting . . . Step By Step

Organic matters tend to decompose naturally. But you can actually help make the process easier by learning the process of composting. Having a compost may be easy or hard, depending on the way you will do things and how you will manage your time in doing so.

Hot or Cold? . . . What is YOUR Preference?

There are basically two ways in having compost done. It can either be hot or cold. The cold type is the easier route. You just have to leave the pile to rot. That is the idea.

You gather useful materials for your compost. This includes matters like leaves, grass trimmings, vegetable peelings, fruit scraps and all the waste that can be seen in the garden. But this will take a long time because you are not really helping the materials on the pile to disintegrate much faster.

This is the difference of your second option, the hot type. For this, there is an art and method being followed starting from the time that you put your materials on bags or compost bins. Some people recommend that you place the green leaves first, add soil, then you can add the kitchen wastes.

The latter includes the peelings of vegetables and fruits, eggshells and other kinds. Just do not add up on the materials that will attract unwanted visitors to your compost. Do not throw in excess food especially meats.

You must keep the pile that is holding up your compost moist. But keep it at a moist level. Your pile must not be totally wet. To do this, you must add up just bits of water to the pile periodically or when you deem that it is necessary. Others will suggest using beers instead of plain water. Beers contain yeast that will then make the bacteria on the pile contented with glee.

Your compost pile should always be maintained. Aside from keeping it moist, you must add up on the trimmings as well as the soil whenever necessary. You can also add some manure to help advance the decomposition process. Aside from these, you should also take time to turn the pile every once in a while. This way, air circulation will improve and this will also make the process faster.

When will you know that the end result is ready to be utilized? If it already smells like earth and it already looks like dark soil, then it is time to get it out of the bin and utilize it on your gardens.

Some gardeners believe that the products of compost alone will not make your garden soil completely healthy. You must aid that with other materials and use the compost just like how you will use a conditioner on your hair. It can be treated as an amenity but not the complete package.

To make the process easy on your part, you have to remember that you are doing this for the sake of nature. You are only giving back what it has given to you. And look around you very closely before starting out the process. Your location should be good enough to accommodate this process. This should not cause any inconvenience on your neighbors as well as your family members.

Composting is good and can be easily done. You just have to remember to do everything with the responsibilities completely retained in your heart and on your mind.

Composting - Home Based Style

2012-03-11T12:18:00.000-07:00

Home Based Composting . . .
The Dirty Low Down

Basically speaking, there are two types of composting processes: residential or home-based and industrial composting processes. Each type of process has different techniques associated with it. Home-based composting is growing in popularity because it is easily implemented in homes; all it would take would be a willing mind and some manual labor on the part of the composting enthusiast.

A clear advantage of home-based composting is the minimal need for machineries and other equipment that industrial composting requires. Here are some of the types of home-based composting processes that a potential composting expert can use in his quest.

Composting Toilet

The use of a composting toilet or pit is one of the most popular methods of small scale composting in both urban and rural residences. The composting toilet is convenient, easy to set up and quite simple to monitor and mix. The composting toilet is a bit tricky, however, since it will require you to orient your family members about it especially if your composting activities burgeon to larger proportions.

It may also be very difficult to distinguish the materials in cases where you need to monitor carbon to nitrogen ratio due to its simplicity. But it is is still widely used and accepted in most homes as a good method for small scale composting.

Open or Closed Bin Composting

The use of composting bins has been very useful for many people, especially those who are particularly drawn to compartmentalizing and organizing the composting activity. In some cases, a composting toilet or pit may not be easily cleaned; this is where the advantage of the compost bin comes in. the compost bin will ensure that the composting process will remain under your control.

Especially with closed bin composting techniques, you can more directly observe the variables affecting your compost pile, as it is not exactly exposed to external elements that can actually affect the compost greatly when accumulated over time.

German Mound

Also known as a Magic mound, the German method consists of forest elements such as wastes from wood-rich gardens, clippings from hedges, prunings, bashwood and brassica stems. These objects will then be placed in a circular trench, which is about 5 inches in width and an inch deep.

Another hole is dug at a center, an additional inch deeper than the outer circle, and this is where most of the rough materials are placed. From this, layers and layers of manure, wasted leaves and compost are added. Apparently, the results of the German mound is good for the soil in the next 4 or 5 years that it is installed in the land.

Ecuador Style of Composting

When you are involved in some composting that are comprised of tree trunk or banana stalks, then you are up for some Ecuadorian treat in composting. Embedding the whole pit with tree trunk or banana stalks, then placing the organic matter in an interspersed manner for each layer, helps segregate the compost materials more efficiently.

This will take up a lot of space, because it only gets watered after the pile gets to a height of a meter and a bit beyond that. But the good thing is that the high pile need not last forever. The people of Ecuador often wait for it to settle down, remove the top layer and aerate it and repeat the process for more humus production.

If this is a bit over-whelming for you then I have a solution to you dilemma. Sometimes one needs that helping hand to get one through, don't forget there are also local resources through you local nurseries and garden stores

2012-03-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

The Greens And Browns Of Composting

To cook a delicious meal, you carefully measure the ingredients and combine them to create wonderful dishes. The same can be said when creating composts. This time, however, instead of the people in the restaurant as your customers, you will be answering the needs of your plants. And just like cooking, you are given the task of putting together in equal amounts the "greens" and "browns" of composting.

"Greens" and "browns" are nicknames which are used to refer to the organic materials used in creating compost. The major differences between these two elements are not so much on the colors of the organic matter themselves but rather on their basic components. The Greens are organic materials rich in nitrogen or protein. Meanwhile, Browns are those organic matters that have high carbon or carbohydrates contents.

Because of their high nitrogen and protein contents, Greens allow micro organism in composts to grow and multiply. Also, the Green components generate heat in compost piles. The Brown elements on the other hand contain the energy that most soil organisms need. Furthermore, because of their high carbon contents, the Browns function as a big air filter, absorbing the bad odors that emanates from the compost pile. The carbons also help prevent organic nitrogen from escaping and also aids in the faster formation of humus from the compost.

In case you're stumped whether an organic waste or material belongs to the Greens or Browns variety, one of the easiest way to test it is to wet the material. If you find the material to stink after a few days then it belongs to the Greens variety. Again, remember not to be fooled by color.

For example, although leaves come in green, brown, red, etc. colors, they are classified as Browns. Leaves are high in carbon. The evergreen leaves for example have higher carbon contents than any other leaves. However, there is always an exception. Oak tree leaves do not fall under the Greens classification. Oak leaves contain high amounts of nitrogen which makes them fall under the Greens category.

Other examples of Greens include animal wastes, grass clippings, and those left over food from your kitchen. AS long as you don't use harmful chemicals like inorganic fertilizers and pesticides on your grass, then the use of grass clippings I is okay. Meanwhile, papers, wood chippings, sawdusts, bark mulches and other wood products are most often than not fall under the Browns classification.

Sugar products are also classified under Browns. These include molasses, syrups, sugar and carbonated drinks. You could use these sugar products to activate or increase the activities of microbes in your compost pile.

Some other Greens include vegetable and fruit wastes, eggshells, as well as coffee grounds, filters, and teabags. For the Browns, they have hay, straw, and cornstalks. Pine needles fall also under the Browns category. However, it is suggested that using too much pine needles on the compost pile will give the Browns too much of an advantage.

Once can achieve a successful compost with the correct ratio of Brown and Green components. Ideally, a "Browns" and "Greens" of composting ratio of 3:1 would ensure a successful compost.

This means, you will have three parts or the pile made of components high in carbon (Browns) and one part of it made up of nitrogen-rich ingredients (Greens).

Detailed Composting Advantages

2012-03-09T17:53:00.000-08:00

Advantages Of Composting

Composting may literally be viewed as a dirty job. Depending on the type of composting process that you undergo, you may find yourself immersed with dirt and other external elements that other people normally wouldn't want to get involved with.

However, the dirt has its own paybacks, and here are just some of the advantages of composting that you may want to tell your friends if you are to convince them that composting is worth their time as well as yours.

It agrees with nature . . .

The very first advantage of composting is that it agrees with nature. It is all-natural and you will not be able to clash with the forces of nature to be able to do it. In fact, you are actually contributing to the natural scheme of things if you are constantly taking care of your composting pit.

It helps the people involved to be more meticulous and mindful . . .

People who are involved with composting tend to be more meticulous and mindful because composting requires rigorous monitoring. The ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen, the temperature of the compost materials, and also the activity in the compost as it develops need to be closely monitored to ensure that it will not go passive and yield less than its maximum potential. Being able to take good care of your compost not only helps nature but it also helps you become more mindful and meticulous.

It allows you to make best use of organic materials which would have otherwise been placed as trash . . .

Composting lessens the garbage in your home. since what you would otherwise put in your garbage bag may now be placed in the compost pit, it will also help you in your garbage management. On a larger scale, there will be less need for dumping site spaces and less probability for landslides on mounds of garbage being added to on a frequent basis.

It's flexible: you can add or subtract materials as you go along . . .

The flexibility of composting materials lie in the fact that most of the materials are readily available anywhere. You can add or subtract materials at any time you please and in any conceivable quantity just as long as it doesn't interfere with the ratios you are maintaining for your compost.

There are numerous resources and support groups online and offline for this purpose. Support groups are readily available for composting enthusiasts on a global scale. especially with the emergence of global warming issues, the need for environmental solutions are on the forefront and are highly promoted these days. The good way to expand one's network and establish ties that last with other like-minded individuals lie in getting support groups and engaging in activities that are universal. Composting is one such activity.

For farmers, it brings in higher revenue . . .

Revenue can be obtained by farmers if they yield better crops from better soil. Better soil can be obtained by having a healthy compost to fertilize their land. This can actually increase their profits and keep the sources of the profits healthy and thriving for all seasons.

It costs virtually nothing . . .

Aside from the manual labor and the gathering of materials readily available virtually anywhere, composting costs nothing. The actual costs are inconsequential compared to the returns that composting can bring the people and Mother Nature.

The good thing is that it accelerates the positive processes beneficial for plants, animals and humans!

2012-03-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Mature Compost -vs - Store Fertilizers

Many people wonder what the different benefits are between fertilizer purchased from the store and compost humus that you make at home. The aim of both is the same, to improve the quality of your garden, lawn, and soil but there are a few differences as well.

The majority of fertilizers that you purchase at your garden center contain artificial or toxic elements to make your lawn look nice – not necessarily healthier. The benefit of this type of fertilization is the ability to purchase a mix that meets the needs of your specific lawn. If your lawn is too dry, patchy, or has a lot of weeds – there is a product available that can target each problem (be aware that a pesticide is part of this solution). If you are using a commercial mix in your garden, read all labels carefully to ensure the product is safe to use around vegetation that is going to be consumed.

In contrast, when you use compost humus as a fertilizer there isn't a lot you can do to customize the end result. But the good thing is, you don't really need to. Mature compost is a process that occurs naturally (in a forest, the leaves on the ground are composted with only help from Mother Nature). The compost contains a wide range of benefits for your lawn that do not involve chemicals.

It will really depend on your personal preference whether or not you use commercial fertilizer or compost. If you like the idea of using compost but not the idea of making it yourself you can purchase the compost from some gardening centers. Also contact your city's recycling department, they may have a program set-up that allows residents to donate food and other organic waste for composting and then share in the mature compost when it is ready.

Composting Friendlies

2012-03-08T18:15:00.004-08:00

Friends Help Make Compost

Work composting or vermiculture is easy, affordable, and low-maintenance way of creating compost. It has a lot of advantages. Definitely it requires less work, just let the worms eat up all your scraps and in two months you"ll have rich compost at your disposal.

The worms used in composting are the brown-nose worms or redworms. They work best in containers and on moistened bedding. Those night crawlers or large, soil-burrowing worms are not good for composting purposes. Just stick with the redworms and things will work out well. All you need to do is add food waste to the container and soon enough the worms will eat them up and convert compost together with the bedding.

Before placing your redworms inside containers, place a nice layer of paper to serve as bedding for the worms. Any kind of paper will do, but it has been observed that the worms will consume newspapers, cardboards, paper towels and other coarse papers faster. The worms will eat this layer of bedding together with the scraps of food to convert them in compost. You can also add a bit soil on top of the paper and a few pieces of leaves. If your redworm container is located outside the house, try considering adding livestock manure on it, the redworms love them.

Fruits, grain, or vegetables are great for worm composting. The redworms can even eat egg shells, coffee grounds, and even tea bags. Avoid giving them meat, fish, oil, and other animal products. Like the traditional composting, these materials only attract pests to the composting bin and also produce bad smell.

The proportion of worms to food scraps will be based on how much scrap you like to be composted in a week. For example, if you want 1 pound of food scrap to be composted a week, all you need is also a pound of redworms. You don't need to add redworms into the container unless you want to increase the amount of food scraps you intend to compost in a weekly basis.

For containers, keep it well ventilated to let the air in and let the excess moisture out. You can use plastic bins, and even wooden boxes for worm composting.

The time to harvest would be when the container is full. Scoop out the undigested food scraps as well as the works which are usually on the top few inches of the material. The remaining material inside the container is your compost. To remove the remaining worms from compost, you can spread the compost under the sunlight.

Leave a few small mounds of compost. As the heat dries the compost, the worms will gather in the mounds. Just be careful not to leave the compost under the sun that long or the worms will die.

Afterwards, you can place the worms in the container again and repeat the process all over. You see, this is how our wriggly friends help make compost and for those who don not mind the feeling of worms in their hands, this might be a good and easy way to make compost.

2012-03-08T11:43:00.002-08:00

Vegetable Gardening Using Sustainable Organic Matter

Sustainable organic vegetable gardening can only happen if people know how to use and prepare organic matter which improves the soil and prevents it from compacting and crusting.

It causes an increase in the water's holding ability so earthworms and other microorganisms can aerate the soil and it slows down erosion and in later stages of decay so that organic matter is able to release nitrogen and other nutrients which help the crops grow.

This technique is very old but is now making a come back because the using of synthetic materials like fertilizer and pesticides have ruined the soil and depleted it or organic matter so this cannot be used for replanting.

So where do we get this organic matter? Believe it or not, the best form of organic matter comes from animal manure. The fresher the better because you can apply this directly to the soil but this should only be done in the fall and plowed down to give it adequate time for sufficient breakdown and ammonia to release before the planting season begins.

If you don't have access to fresh animal manure, you can use the dried version that is being sold in nurseries and garden stores.

For those who don't to use manure, you can use compost instead. This can be made from lawn clippings, leaves, food waste and other plant materials. It is cheap but its nutrient content is very low.

There is another kind of manure better known as green manure . . .

You don't use any waste by animals here but rather growing a cover crop in your garden and then plowing it under so you are adding organic matter to the soil. The best way to maximize this is for you not to use the garden for one season.

You can also seed the green manure in the fall and then turn it under with a plow or a large tiller in the early spring. That way, you can use your garden normally while at the same time building up the soil.

Annual ryegrass is a good example for green manuring and covering. This should be seeded 1 to 2 feet per 1,000 square feet. If this is not available, you can use seed rye or wheat and place it 3 to 4 feet per 1,000 square feet. This helps prevent weeds from growing and in order for this to be effective, wait at least 2 weeks before you start planting.

Sustainable organic vegetable gardening can only happen with organic matter. Now that you know this, choose from manure, compost or sludge.

Popular Types and Styles . . . Garden Wise!

2012-03-08T10:01:00.001-08:00

Now that you are contemplating about starting a organic vegetable garden, the first thing you need to consider is what type of garden you want have. There are many different choices and often it can be hard to pick just one, but hopefully you can narrow it down.

Organic Vegetable Gardens usually require a little more work and research than a flower garden, but can be much more rewarding for you. REGARDLESS what time of the year it is, you can usually find one vegetable that is still prospering.

Fruit gardens are the more difficult of gardens to manage and it' is very high-maintenance. Many more pests will be attracted due to the sweetness of the fruit that you will be cultivating. It is imperative that you have the right dirt and fertilizer, and choosing the right pesticide is going to be major for the success of your fruit garden.

If you are seeking to have production with very little work then you will want to concentrate on flower gardens and house plants, if you are seeking delicious healthy organic vegetable production then it is onto vegetable gardening you go!

Conventional farming makes people plant crops over a field of land, give it water to help it grow then harvest it when the time comes. This was practiced for many years until the demand for food increased which made scientists rely on other techniques to increase production.

Such practices made the use of pesticides and herbicides, fertilizers, contaminated sewage sludge and irradiation. Since these methods are harmful to the health, people have gone back to organic farming that does not use any of these methods.

Technology has found another way to increase crop production without jeopardizing the health of people and the environment.

This can be done by . . . hydroponic farming.

Plants need water to survive but this is only one ingredient. The other and most important are the nutrients. Scientists have discovered that it is only when this is diffused into the water system that the roots of the crops consume it making it grow.

By doing this in a controlled environment such as a greenhouse, the nutrients can already be mixed into the water system allowing the crops produce more yields which is what hydroponics gardening is all about.

To prove how effective it is, scientists made a comparative study on the growth of tomatoes. One batch used soil and was able to produce ten tons. The other batch used hydroponics and was able to produce 60 tons. This shows that this method can produce 6 times more than traditional farming.

I, personally have been gardening for the last six years, flowers and vegetables and I simply cannot imagine going a season without my own veggies. The joy that I feel when I can go out and pick a fresh mango or tomato for dinner is indescribable!

Yes as you can see, I am all over the place! You should see the inside of my home. Truthfully, I often take my heartiest plants and gift them as housewarming, get-well and birthday gifts . . . that way I have an excuse to go flower pot shopping!

Proper Organic Soil Preparation

2012-03-08T09:57:00.001-08:00

The initial misconception most new organic gardeners have about their soil is that any thing can grow in any type of soil. All you have to do is throw a few seeds in the ground and boom you have a natural garden, this is a train of thought that will not benefit you AT ALL!

You must also insure that your soil has the proper levels of hydrogen, phosphates acidity in the soil which is often referred to as the ph factor in the soil. One of the best ways to determine if you have right kind of soil for organic gardening is to take a sample of your soil to your county agriculture agent or to your local nursery.

There happens to be a lot of materials out there about composting and the last thing you need is another one that explains the technical aspect of the process and the scientific basis behind the importance of using composts. So let's us simplify the situation a bit . . .

When composting, you will need materials rich in carbon and nitrogen namely fruits and vegetable scraps and other table scraps except left over bones because they attract a number of pests and animals. Other products include eggshells, grass or shrub clippings, pine needles, seaweed and kelp, coffee grounds, wood ash, tea leaves, cardboard and shredded paper, corn stalks, wood chips, and sawdust.

I was attempting to provide you with a more simplified view of the composting and hopefully you received some useful and simple tips. For more detailed information you will want to read further! Just remember that composting is difficult only if you want it to be, but if you need some reinforcement to help you along then this is what you need to succeed.