Green Gardening.....

With the gardening season approaching I thought I would touch on "green" gardening, specifically composting.

For our garden this year I picked up some organic seeds so that we can grow organic vegetables. Organic seeds are harvested from their organic parent. No chemicals are used to grow the fruits/vegetables yeilding organic seeds.

What better way to feed my garden then to do it in an organic and environmentally friendly way. Not to mention it also stretches your hard earned, already spent dollar.

Creating a compost at home is an excellent thing for both you and the environment! Alot of people know this, but do not know why or if they are into this whole GREEN thing sweeping the nation.

There are TONS of resources out there for composting. Everything from books to articles and even free videos on the internet. I'm here to serve as a helping hand, as someone who is doing it for herself. So for starters....

WHY COMPOST?

I am sure many people out there wonder why they should even bother composting. Whether you have a grand garden in your yard or if you have a container garden, anything that grows in soil will LOVE fresh compost. It is natures best food for growing plants. Plus, composting cuts down on the amount of trash you are contributing to your local dump. On average for the person that eats at home on a regular basis, one third of the garbage you put out each week could be used for composting.

SETTING UP A COMPOST:

When I speak of composting to friends, at first they are quick to talk about how they don't want a big stinky pile in their yard or that they can not afford one of those big compsot bins that are "needed." Well let me tell you that you neither have to have one of those specialty compost bins nor a big stinky pile.

With a compost you are providing a nice muddy place for bacteria to live and thrive. You dump in your scraps and the bacteria decomposes the material. And the heat needed for the bacteria to thrive is not based on the temperature outside, the heat builds from the microorganisms inside. You can even compost in winter if you chose to.

The two basic ingredients to any compost pile are wet stuff and dry stuff. That's it!

First you need to chose where you will have your compost. If you really want or need one of those compost bins that accelarate the process, go ahead, but you don't need to spend tons of money. The other way to build a compost is to literally have a pile in your yard. You can build a box for your pile with anything from wooden pallets to cinder blocks. I keep mine in a rubbermaid type container right outside my kitchen door.

You can start your compsot with a layer of dry leaves or straw. Then you dump your kitchen scraps and cover it with a dry layer. The dry layer is what will keep your pile from stinking!


WET AND DRY

Wet materials are your kitchen scraps from your fruit and vegetables. Banana peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, broccoli stalks, etc. Pretty much anything except for meat, fish and dairy are fair game. Just be sure to chop up larger pieces so that they can decompose easier and break down faster.

The dry stuff can be leaves that have fallen from trees. So the next time you are raking and bagging piles of dead leaves, save a couple of those bags and you'll have a good supply for your dry layers. If you live in a state where you don't have to rake leaves, you can buy a bale of straw at your local garden store or nursery.

LETTING GO

The final part of composting is knowing when to let go of your pile. Basically after you have built several layers of wet and dry you need to let go. Top everything with a layer of dry leaves or straw. NEVER end with a layer of scraps, it is what will create a not so pleasant odor and attract raccoons. Cover it tightly and protect it from the rain and leave it alone. Nothing more than the occassional monhly jab with a pitch fork is needed. The pile should do it's job in about a year or so.

In the meantime you can start another pile and before you know it, you will have the best fertilizer you didn't even have to buy (talk about stretching money already spent). On top of helping your garden by feeding it the best thing you possibly can, you have reduced your waste, and helped the earth and humanity.

If you have any questions, comments, or would like more information on this post please either add a comment or email me at betterlivingenterprises@gmail.com.