This was the perfect weekend for preparing my garden for fall. Today's temperature hovered around 70 degrees, with a little breeze and the bluest sky.  I've harvested the lettuce and the beets, and a bush bean that hadn't done so well.  Now I have room and cooler temperatures to allow for some more spinach and chard.  But the soil looks like it needs a lift.  It's a good thing that we've been composting all summer, putting into our tumbling composter all our kitchen scraps, some shredded newspaper and alittle hay.  Now I have plenty of organic compost to amend my garden soil.  As a mulch, it will retain moisture, so I can water less.  It will also keep down the weeds that have sprouted up so prolifically in my walkways and rocks this year.  Need I mention the nutrients that my organic compost will provide to the vegetables I'll plant?  I can hardly wait for some fresh spinach salads!

I'm convinced that the biggest reason that we've been so successful with our composting is because we've used BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost regularly.  It's kept the temperature of the compost at a regular 130 degrees to allow the organic matter to decompose at just the right rate.  With all it's powerful enzymes, BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost has also prevented the odors that sometimes accompany compost.  It doesn't mask the odor, but actually digests it.

There seems to be a lot of 'talk' on gardening websites about this common problem, but not many folks have a sure fire answer about what to do when your zucchini, yellow squash and cucumber plants develop a white, powdery mildew on their leaves.  Some gardeners have said that it's a natural occurrence as temperatures begin to drop.  Others say not to plant too closely together, as overcrowding can lead to the fungus.  Still others have said their plants just develop this at the end of the season, so they do nothing.

Here in the Denver area we've had pretty steady high temps...fortunately for my veggies, but unfortunately for me!  And I certainly hope that mid-August isn't to be considered close to the end of the growing season!  Can't do anything about overcrowding at this point, unless I just want to get rid of otherwise healthy and productive plants.  So my husband and I decided to try a product from BiOWiSH™ that is newly available in the US: BiOWiSH™ Crop.  As always, we strive to make our gardening 100% organic, and so we're happy to be able to use BiOWiSH™ products because they're all 100% organic and environmentally safe.

Some of the benefits of Crop include:

•Increases nutrient availability

•Reduces habitat for fungal spores

•Improves yields

•Improves plant health

•Increases total number of crops per annum

•100% natural and biodegradable

•Non-toxic and chemical-free

We saw a huge difference within 24 hours!  The Powdery Mildew was almost completely gone.  And we've got lots of lovely flowers on the plants, which I hope will turn into even lovelier zucchini and yellow squash...since I haven't made a single batch of zucchini bread yet!

BiOWiSH™ Technologies Septic Rescue is especially designed for septic systems in failure mode. It's been found to be so effective that the manufacturer guarantees that clogged septic systems will be working smoothly again in only three days or they will provide a full refund! One box of Septic Rescue has three packets that are easy to use and money saving.

This 100% organic, biodegradable revolutionary product will, without a doubt, save thousands of dollars in pump-out or remediation costs.  Foul odors emanating from septic tank failure will quickly be eliminated. 

Septic Rescue is non-toxic, non-chemical and non-pathogenic, and provides up to 3 months of residual action with the easy, three-step treatment process.

Septic Rescue can be used in domestic septic systems and aerated wastewater systems. 

We feel very strongly that, as Authorized Distributors of BiOWiSH™ products, we have the ability to care and respond to the overwhelming environmental concerns facing us today through these safe and organic products. Our products perform not just equally, but better than many well known brands and will drastically reduce the need for excessive and wasteful use of harsh chemicals. Septic Rescue is a cost effective means of preventing unnecessary maintenance expenses because it removes sludge build up and back up.  Before you consider pumping out your septic system, try Septic Rescue. Effectively maintains a healthy septic system to avoid sludge build up and system back ups.

There are so many ways that our bodies are bombarded with pollutants every day.  The air we breathe into our lungs and that is absorbed through our skin includes industrial air pollutants, automobile emissions, and household cleaning agents.  The water we drink has trace chemicals in it from rain water, fertilizers and pesticides.  And let's not forget to mention the chemicals we ingest on our foods.  It's extremely difficult to combat the effects pollutants have on us...shall we live on a mountain top or in the middle of a rain forest?  Instead, why not choose to increase your intake of antioxidants by growing and eating your own organic vegetables?  In a study by Newcastle University in England, researchers found that "organic food has a higher nutritional value than ordinary produce" with "up to 40% more antioxidants in organic fruit and vegetables than in non-organic."  Those antioxidants combat the effects of pollution, slowing aging and reducing risks of disease.

An effective and easy way to start an organic garden is by cutting out chemical fertilizers and replacing them with compost.  Mix it into your soil as an enhancement and/or use it as a top mulch...it will provide nutrients for your plants and encourage earthworms to keep your soil healthy.  I love our tumbling composter because it's so easy to use, keeps pests out because of it's tight seal, and keeps the heat in which helps the breakdown process work more quickly.  Take a look at our full range of tumbling composters suitable to households of two adults to families of 4 or 5.  You might also want to include some of our BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost to make the process really easy!  You won't have to worry about getting the proper mix of nitrogen and carbon into your compost bin, or the odors that can be associated with an improper mix.  100% organic BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost will enhance the output of your compost bin in multiple ways, while keeping with your goal of going and growing organic.

Happy composting!

If you want to learn about gardening while enjoying fresh air and a community spirit, check out the gardening festivals that may be available to you locally.  We attended our first gardening festival as exhibitors this past weekend in the beautiful city of Fort Collins, Colorado.  The town has plenty of gardens to enjoy, and lots of folks interested in gardening.  There was a plethora of information to be gathered at the various booths and lots of gorgeous flowers and vegetable plants.  One thing that I particularly loved was how many people came out with their children, to help them learn how to garden, how important honey bees are to gardens, and best of all - about composting!  We had examples of things that we use in our composting on our table: grass clippings, coffee grounds, straw and alfalfa, dried leaves, drier lint, pet hair and vacuum bag contents.  Since we, like most composting folks, have plenty of greens (nitrogen) to contribute to the compost pile, but struggle to keep the mix of browns (carbons) high enough, we add the drier lint and animal hair.  Still usually not enough, we add BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost to keep the organisms activated and breaking down that compostable material.  This ensures that we have a new batch of compost to add to our garden every 4-6 weeks.  Our garden loves it!  And we love the produce that we are getting from our garden.  And thinking of the zucchini to come, I always keep an eye out for new ways to use zucchini.  Here is a recipe I found for Chilled Zucchini and Green-Bean Soup with Pesto Swirl:

(Start to finish: 1 hour.  Servings: 6)

Ingredients

2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil

1 small sweet onion, chopped

1 lb zucchini, ends trimmed and thinly sliced

4 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium works great)

10 oz package frozen shelled edamame

1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1/4 cup store bought basil pesto

1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream or plain greek yogurt(optional)

Directions

In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil.  Add the onion and zucchini and saute' until very soft, about 10 minutes.  Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Stir in edamame and green beans and simmer, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes.  Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes.

Transfer the soup, in batches if necessary, to a blender or food processor.  Puree', then season with salt and pepper.

Well, we finally got it done, in spite of all the weird weather we’ve had!  Our garden is planted!!  My husband got the new planter box made, we got our plants and seeds assembled and got them all planted.  Whew, what a relief!

The planter box was a big thing, even though there is a lot more area to plant in the ‘in ground’ garden.  We are experimenting with the box.  We’d gone back and forth for a couple of weeks trying to decide how best to fill that planter box.  We knew we were going to use a good quantity of our organic home made compost, straight from our tumbling composter.  But what other medium?  Top soil was my initial plan…shopping at our local hardware store had me doing the math.  The planter box is 12’ x 3’ and 16” deep…a lot of box to fill.  That’s some 500 cubic feet of top soil needed, at $2.50 per cubic feet equals $1,250.  Even if we mixed the top soil with compost 50-50, we’d be buying $625 worth of top soil.  Then I ran across an article about hay bale gardening.  This gardener takes hay bales, dowses them with nitrogen (fertilizer), digs a whole in the center and fills it with soil and plants.  Sounded intriguing, so I talked with hubby.  And he had his own idea.  This is what we did:  Two bales each of straw and alfalfa, run through a chipper to break it up and mix it well - $32.  Into the planter it went, with two gallons of BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost and warm water – under $5.  Mix garden soil excess that we had from last year, that wonderful black compost and a little perlite, add to holes dug down into the alfalfa and straw mix and plant.  The  BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost has already started the decomposition process, heating up the mix and starting to turn it into more compost.  Hubby and I are both excited to see what results we’ll have in our new planter box.  It was big enough to fit three tomato plants, six broccoli, and 16 onions, for under $100 inside the planter.  We won't talk about the redwood lumber that went into building the thing, but it sure is pretty!

By the way, readers remembering the blog about our newspaper planter pots will be interested to know that the single half sheet of newspaper held up just great!  I ended up peeling it off of the lettuces very easily when it was wet.  The spinach and broccoli seeds planted in them germinated; however, they did not get very big.  Next year we’ll get some real grow lights to start them under, and maybe get an earlier start….like February?!?

Preserving a high internal temperature in your compost is crucial for rapid composting. With our compost thermometer,  you’ll find it easy to keep an eye on your compost and thereby ensure that bacteria are working at the most favorable temperature. You’ll also save time and energy because you won’t do any unnecessary turning or tumbling of the compost!

Bacteria are responsible for breaking down food scraps, and they work most optimally at 120° to 160° Fahrenheit. These bacteria also need fresh oxygen, which is why it’s important to turn or tumble your compost, without exposing it to too much cold air. With our compost thermometer, you only turn the pile when it needs that boost of fresh air since you’ll know when the compost is cooling down.

Our thermometer will also help you avoid scalding and know when the compost is finished. With it’s 20 inch stem, this compost thermometer can reach deep into the compost pile and help you spot danger signs.

Benefits of our Compost Thermometer include:

• 1 3/4" easy-to-read dial
• All Stainless Steel Construction
• Very accurate (+/- 1% full scale)
• Plastic No fog lens

Visit www.BestComposters.com to order this and other helpful and time saving gardening tools!

I am awfully glad that we have used our tumbling composter all winter long, as well as a static compost heap to which we've added BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost. What this means is that we have a great supply of garden ready 100% organic compost, even though we experienced our typical cold Colorado winter!  And we really need all that compost we've made because we are adding to our garden.  Out in front of my house will be a garden bed that'll be 4' x 3', and then a larger raised bed in back that'll be 12' x 4' and 16" deep.  And I almost forgot the Garbage Can for Potatoes that we'll need to fill as well.  So I'm sure that we will use all of our compost just getting those two gardens and garbage can filled with top soil and compost. 

Our tumbling composter made composting super easy with it's turn handle and sliding door for adding materials.  I make sure that I cut up my kitchen scraps into one inch size pieces...the more sides that can start decomposing the faster the process will be.  We add to our kitchen scraps the leaves that were gathered from last fall that we've stored, along with shredded cardboard, a handful of garden soil to add microorganisms and coffee that our local coffee shop has given to us.  Giving the tumbler a turn every day or so keeps the air circulating and the microorganisms happy.  We check to make sure that the moisture content inside the tumbler is ideal...a handful should feel like a squeezed out sponge...damp but not dripping.

Throughout the fall and winter, as we continued to add composting materials to our tumbler and static heap, I occasionally would wonder what we would do with all the compost that I knew we were making!  It seemed like an enormous amount of materials.  But as the BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost and microorganisms worked their magic, the materials turned into more compact, rich brown soil-like compost.  And the compost itself isn't the only benefit: both my husband and I were pleased at the amount of water we were saving by not running the garbage disposal.  We really saw a difference in our last water bill.  But now that I think of all the garden that needs the rich nutrients that our compost will deliver, I'm doubly glad that we've made all that compost.  I don't think we'll have any to spare for neighbors without composters or compost piles, but I have a feeling we'll have vegetables to share!

Happy Composting!