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Listing all posts with label water conservation. Show all posts.

Reasons to Compost in the Fall

Posted by Cathy Sullivan on November 12, 2011 at 1:02 PM under
compost, environment, gardening, gardens, soil, tumbling composter, water conservation
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I know...it's November, and who thinks about composting in this weather? The answer is that I guess my husband and I do, since we continue to produce compostible materials in our kitchen every day! The thought of throwing it all into the trash is so unpleasant. Not to mention the water wasted when we run the garbage disposal. Additionally, we are still raking leaves and picking up twigs and small tree branches that all can be run through our chipper and added to our compost tumbler.

So starting a compost pile is something you can do any time to reduce waste. And the added benefit is the compost you’ll be able to work into your garden soil or spread onto your lawn in the spring.

It can be a bit tricky trying to get the right mix of ‘greens’ and ‘browns’ so that they will work together to break down into usable compost. Even the experienced composter can run into this problem now and again. Rest assured that there are many different materials that are great for composting. People who compost often refer to “C:N” needs; some materials are rich in carbon (in the form of cellulose), which is what the bacteria in the compost need for energy. Other composting materials contain nitrogen (in the form of protein), which provide the bacteria with nutrients for the energy exchanges.

Some of the best ‘browns’ to add to compost piles and tumblers are:

·        Shredded newspapers (soy based inks only) and cardboard

·        Dryer lint

·        Wood shavings and sawdust

·        Dry leaves and twigs, shredded or chipped

‘Greens’ to add in can include:

·        Grass clippings

·        Kitchen scraps (leave out dairy, meat and citrus though)

·        Green leaves

Include just enough water to make it damp, but not wet, and leave air spaces in the compost because the decomposing organisms need oxygen. You’ll be well on your way to a compost that will be rich in nutrients. You’ll be able to use it in your garden and lawn as a soil conditioner, fertilizer and as a natural pesticide for your soil. Happy composting!

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Fall Cover Crops Enhance Spring Garden Soil

Posted by Cathy on October 16, 2010 at 2:21 PM under
compost, composters, composting machines, gardening, gardens, growing, organic, soil, tumbling composter, vegetables, water conservation
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With a good 1 to 2 inch layer of organic compost over your garden bed, and a cover crop of green manure planted from seed in the fall, you will be on your way to improving your garden soil for next year's planting. Sown from seed, cover crops germinate very quickly and will grow all winter long. Then simply till the cover crop in once it flowers in spring. The cover crop's foliage will help protect the soil from getting compacted, which can happen in constant winter rain or from blanketing of snow. And when you till it in, the foliage adds organic material that will improve soil structure, increase nutrients and help your soil retain moisture.

Plants in the the legume family, commonly known as the pea family, bean family or pulse family, include soybean, alfalfa, vetch or fava beans. These are some of the best cover crops available (check online seed companies and nurseries). Legume plants are special in that they will retain nutrients that will then be returned to the soil when tilled in, thereby providing nutrients for your spring and summer crops next year. These crops have assertive root systems, which are helpful in breaking up hard soils. They are also very hardy and frost tolerant.

Cover crop seeds can be broadcast in mid-October right over that one to two inch layer of compost and all around the fall crops that are currently growing in your garden. Fall cover crops will grow quickly and reduce weed problems, but won't grow tall enough to overwhelm existing plantings.

Making organic compost for your fall cover crop is easy with tumbling composters. Look for models with more than one section inside: one for new compostible materials and one section for completed compost. If you live where there are temperature extremes, consider one of Jora tumbling composting machines. They are manufactured in Sweden, and insulated to withstand temperature extremes.
Happy Composting!

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Preparing for Winter With a Garden Journal

Posted by Cathy on October 7, 2010 at 9:35 PM under
compost, composters, composting machines, gardening, gardens, growing, organic, soil, tumbling composter, vegetables, water conservation
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I wrote in June about keeping a Garden Journal, which might include a map of your garden, what was planted and where, how often it was watered, even details about amounts of sunlight it received and the temperatures it experienced. Written down should also be information on the yields you've experienced from your vegetables, what you liked and what you weren't so crazy about. These bits of information can help you prepare your garden for winter.

This preparation should include planning for next year. It doesn't have to be exact, but a general idea can help you decide where to put the bulk of your compost. Plants should be grown in different areas of the garden every year, most especially tomatoes, as they absorb different nutrients from the soil. But most will benefit from a fresh place in the garden. Plants that need more fertilizer and water should be grouped together for most effective use of both; an example would be peppers and tomatoes; squash and beans.

After pulling up annuals and weeding, the next step is a good layer of compost to condition the soil for next spring's planting. Our tumbling composters have been busily making nutrient rich organic compost all spring and summer, so we have plenty of compost to spread around. We'll put down a two-inch deep layer of compost to enrich the soil and act as a mulch, conserving moisture and reducing the odd winter weed. We use our Fold-A-Cart to get the compost where it's needed. It's pretty easy to park our Fold-A-Cart under the compost machine, dump the compost in and wheel it to wherever in the garden we need it. This cart is especially nice because it is so easy to clean up afterwards, and it has two ten-inch pneumatic rubber tires that give it a great center of gravity and prevent tipping like our old wheelbarrow used to want to do. When we're done spreading the compost layer, we'll give everything a good soaking to provide the moisture that our garden worms need in order to do their jobs. Another spray with the hose and the Fold-A-Cart is ready to be folded down to 20% of its usable size and hung in the garage.

Even though I still have lots of vegetables in my garden (the warm weather still hangs on!): tomatoes, beets, beans, chard and spinach, I'll be updating my garden journal this weekend on what worked in the garden and where I need to move things next year. When we finally do get cold weather, all the refuse from the garden will go back into the tumbling composters to help make more compost for the spring planting.

Happy Composting!

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Readying the Garden for Fall

Posted by Cathy on September 6, 2010 at 10:09 PM under
BiOWiSH™ Products, compost, gardening, gardens, growing, organic, soil, tumbling composter, vegetables, water conservation
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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.

Check out the variety of tumbling composters, paying particular attention to the Jora models for year round composting. And don't forget to order some BiOWiSH™ Compost Boost for your own compost piles for faster, better smelling, 100% organic compost for your garden. Happy Composting!

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Saving with Rain Barrels

Posted by Cathy on August 26, 2010 at 9:15 PM under
environment, gardens, rain water, water conservation
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Water being our most precious resource, it makes sense to conserve it wherever and whenever we can. After all, an average person can live on water alone for about eight weeks, give or take about a week for an over- or underweight person. That same person, without water, will perish within only a few days, depending on the temperature and how much they are sweating. And not only is water important for our own personal consumption. We also need water for our washing, gardening, cooking and pets.

One very smart way of conserving water is with a rain barrel from www.BestComposters.com. We have a number of sizes, shapes and colors that will provide your household with rainwater runoff. You’ll get ‘free’ water and reduce your monthly piped or well water consumption and your water bills. You’ll also be saving the energy that would be required to purify that rainwater in a treatment plant. Runoff from roofs can add up quickly, to like over 16.5 thousand gallons per year, or 65% of the annual water needed for an average landscaped yard – from a two thousand square foot roof. And untreated rainwater is better for plants.

Fresh water prices in the U.S. are averaging about $1 per 100 gallons, and we use typically 69.3 gallons per capita every day. Your savings will add up quickly with a rain barrel or two in your yard, on your patio or deck. Visit our Gardening Tools and Accessories page at www.BestComposters.com today for competitive prices and great customer service!

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