compost toilet
A composting toilet made from 5 gallon buckets
Duration : 0:8:29
Using Leaves To Make Mulch And Compost
If you’re wondering what to do with all those leaves that fall onto your lawn from the trees each fall, why not consider turning them into mulch or compost? All you’ll need is some urea and a compost bin. You should be able to find both of these things at home improvement stores or anywhere gardening supplies are sold.
In the fall, rake up all the leaves you want into a large pile. Make sure the leaves are dry, and shred them. You can use your lawn mower, a leaf shredder or a wood chipper shredder, but you won’t get good results unless the leaves are dry.
Your next step is to place the shredded leaves in your compost bin. Make a layer of leaves 12-18 inches deep, then add urea or glass clippings, if you still have any handy at that time of year. Then add a small amount of water to this pile. Leaves should be damp, but not soaking wet.
Repeat these layers, 12-18 inches of leaves, then urea or grass clippings, and a bit of water, until the bin is full or you run out of leaves. When you are done filling the compost bin, cover it with plastic sheeting or a tarp to protect the contents from the elements and to keep animals from getting into the bin.
Just let it sit over the winter months; there’s nothing to do at this time. As the weather starts to warm up in the spring, it’s time to turn the mixture using a pitchfork. By doing so you will be exposing the buried materials to the air. Now cover it up once again.
By the time you are ready to begin planting in the spring, your mulch should be ready to use. If you prefer compost instead of mulch, just let it sit a little while longer. The only real difference between mulch and compost is the degree of decay of the organic materials. Compost is more like soil in texture, while mulch is still fairly solid in composition. What you want for your gardening needs is a personal preference.
Mixing up some mulch or compost from your autumn leaves is actually a simple process, and can be a satisfying way to add some welcome nutrients to your garden.
In order to shred your leaves for mulch, why not run them through one of those wood chippers shredders that you can buy or rent. Not only will these machines break up the leaves, but you can throw in all those dead branches at the same time for some terrific mulch to keep your garden protected over the winter.
Testing Home Compost Units: Intro
Part one of a study being conducted by the Sacramento Master Gardeners testing various composting units and methods.
Duration : 0:3:20
It’s the Compost! Creating Abundance at K-JO Farm
Peak Moment 55: Karen Biondo and Joe Walling take us on a tour of their incredible backyard farm on Vashon Island, Washington. Pet the goats, see chickens dusting in divots, and crunch a carrot. See how Karen’s colorful paintbrush combined with Joe’s creativity with salvaged materials and hot compost are creating playful beauty and plentiful harvests.
Duration : 0:27:58
Feeding Amazing Compost Bin
Here is how I feed the worms in my Amazing compost bin. I blend my food scraps instead of throwing in whole pieces of food, so that I can speed up the vermicompost process. With this technique I am able to harvest castings every month instead of the usual 3 months! Check out how I set up my Quick and easy compost bin for under $5.00 here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rFxSeMXGoU&feature=response_watch
Duration : 0:5:4
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Making Compost at Back To The Garden Athens Georgia Mark M_0001.wmv
A video about returning organics back to the earth. Composting food waste and teaching others about the importance of sustainability
Duration : 0:9:30
Composting Ideas For Small Spaces
If you are a place occupant or live in a house with small or simply no lawn, you could think that the situation is impossible to compost ones household waste materials. You may in addition think the fact that at this time there is bit of objective to fertilize waste if a person will not get a significant lawn or patio to utilize the fertilizer in, but this is simply not true.
Recycling house debris is essential for a lot of explanations. Decomposing had gain the atmosphere, by adjusting organic waste into a beneficial end-product (”compost”). This likewise helps decrease the demand on landfills and can even lessen your own personal garbage collection bill. Even though you will never possess a yard or garden to use the fertilizer which you develop in, you will likely come with pals and neighbors who would certainly welcome the compost in theirs. And if you possess houseplants, you must surely look at employing the compost on all of them – the benefits will be fantastic.
Yet exactly what really should an individual carry out if an individual will not have a huge place to develop a fertilizer pile or area large decomposing containers? Luckily presently there are generally many slighter recycling bins right now available which can easily effortlessly fit into a little property or also on a outdoor patio. Nearly all of the packing containers are crumbling decomposing containers, this means that you spin them each day which in turn speeds up the decomposing method.
These bins furthermore perform a excellent work of retaining the recycling product covered, out of sight, and handling any odors that could arise. Now there are several good motives to compost your pure debris and apartment residents usually do not have have to quit on the recycling procedure.
Even if you tend not to have a small decomposing bin or desire to buy one, you should check with your local city hall to see if the city you live in will compost your waste for you. Some cities are now even supplying unique bins similar to popular recycling bins for collecting organic waste.
Want to find out more about back porch compost tumbler, then visit this site on how to choose the best tumbling compost bin for your needs.
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Easy Steps To Making Your Own Compost
One of the biggest barriers keeping more people from making their own compost is that they just don’t feel like they’ve got the time to make a big pile and go out and turn it all over every few days. What’s more, they don’t know what the best materials to use really are, and the right proportions to mix them to make the magic of composting take place.
Let’s consider what keeps many people from starting. Many simply aren’t sure just how to do it. What materials should you use and what ratio is right for a good quality result? Another concern people have is the work involved. They find themselves waiting for that window in their schedule when they’ll have time to build their compost pile, and then turn it every few days. In some cases, just the idea of all that work scares people off. But is there a way to make compost that doesn’t require as much work, making it feasible for busy people. The answer is yes, and we’ll take a look at that in a moment.
So, what are the best materials to use for making compost. In answering this question, keep in mind that the ideal ratio of carbon (brown) to nitrogen (green) is 25-30:1. In other words, about 25-30 parts of carbon mixed with 1 part of nitrogen. Some materials which many use to make compost have that ratio, or close to it already. Examples would be hay or vegetable scraps. If you’re trying to compost other things, simply add high carbon or high nitrogen as needed to achieve the right ratio. Some examples of high carbon are things like wood chips, newspaper (avoid paper with color ink printing), or cornstalks. Examples of high nitrogen materials would be things like alfalfa, seaweed, manure, and grass clippings.
Now, what about the best method to use to make the compost? Some people just make a big pile right out in the open. That’s the method that might have been scaring you off before because it involves a lot of work and time. A necessary ingredient for composting to happen is heat. To get sufficient heat in a pile, you’ve got to pile it at least four feet high. So you’ve got to have enough stuff to make that happen, then you’ve got to have the muscles to turn that whole pile over every so often. Well, I have some good new for you. There is a better way. First of all, you can generate sufficient heat by using a composting container that is dark in color and setting it in the sun. Secondly, if it’s contained, it can be much easier to turn over. Some people like tumblers which simply require a little bit of rolling every few days – easy and quick. There are also vertical bins designed to allow the forces of gravity to mix the material when you open hatch doors. Again, an easy and efficient solution.
In the end, successful composting has more to do with just doing it, than doing it exactly right. As you move through the process, you can always add what you need if you get the ratio off a little bit. The main thing is to get started. Like so many other things, practice makes perfect.
If you enjoyed Glen Tello’s article and want to know more about making compost without breaking your back, you’ll find answers at http://biostack.net.
Grow Your Own Organic Vegetables
To grow enough food to sustain a household requires a huge amount of land so if you are going to grow vegetables you may as well do it organically by not using any pesticides or artificial fertilisers. You might just be growing for fun but this is also much cheaper than buying organic food, for which there are many benefits.
You can grow your own food free of any chemicals and pesticides using compost from recycled materials. Organic growing is entirely safe for you, your family and the environment. You can make your own compost very easily from more than half your household waste. Construct a compost bin from four wooden posts, some chicken wire and cardboard. Empty into it any wasted food, peelings and all sorts of paper.
Dedicate a small patch of land that gets the sun almost all year round; avoid being near buildings or fences as heavy metals, paints and chemicals can taint the soil and hinder growth. Be sure to get rid of any debris such as rocks, get rid of any weeds by hand and move any wanted plants to somewhere else. Turn the soil so it is loose and allowed to absorb air and moisture.
Spread organic material such as leaves, dried grass and fine plant material from a non-pesticide garden over your chosen area. Either buy or borrow some good quality compost or dark crumbly soil from under forest trees and spread it thinly over your patch. This will provide your soil with all sorts of organisms and beneficial life forms that will work the soil for you if you give them the chance.
Mix the top three inches of soil and organic material to help them work. Keep the soil damp but not soggy, never walk on the soil, when you are working with the plants, use a kneeling board. Obtain some vegetables in small square pots, commonly available from garden centres. Place the bulb and its roots in a small hole, deeper than the size of the bulb itself. Cover with plenty of organic material and water.
When your vegetables are planted you will only need to check them on an infrequent basis, making sure the water level is good, soil is rich and debris is clear. If you want to use them, pick them shortly before as without the chemicals they will decompose fairly rapidly.
You will need to be wary of lawn weeds and lawn moss as these can damage your vegetables but otherwise don’t worry too much as the soil will look after itself.
Saving Leaves for Compost
As trees begin to change color and fall, Gardener Allen Smith has a way to turn those brown leaves into black gold.
Duration : 0:1:35