Want a really fast cooking compost pile?
Here’s all you need:
1/3 horse manure
2/3 leaves or grass
If you don’t have ready access to a barnyard, substitute a high N product, such as blood meal.
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How to Make Hot Compost : Planet Green
How to Make Hot Compost : Planet Green.
The Hack: “…Insulate: Lining the sides and top of your heap with cardboard can help keep temperatures up …”
Great idea! You can find corrugated cardboard at most retail establishments, and many of them will be happy to give you as much as you need. NOTE: some of the larger establishments actually bundle the cardboard and get paid for it – these places won’t be so inclined to give you the cardboard, but think of it as a better solution for the planet.
Make a Compost Bin from an Old Storage Tub : Planet Green
From Planet Green, a simple DIY project to make a composting bin from an old storage bin. Be sure it’s at least 3 cu. ft so that it’ll heat up properly. You’ll also have to turn the pile once a week. You can incorporate worms the easy way by cutting out the bottom and letting them find it themselves (as long as it’s not sitting on your porch – which would be a bad idea anyway), and you really didn’t need all of those “treasures” that were sitting in that bin anyway, right? Just don’t let the kids see you emptying their old toys at the Salvation Army – you’ll never live it down.
Late Blight Resistant tomato from the Last Century
Okay, late last century – 1994 article touts the Brandywine tomato as a great choice for blight resistance. http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000j1Q
Buying Organic Food on a Budget
Some common sense and a little creativity can go a long way to eating healthier as your garden rests comfortably under the snow.
Let the Asparagus Go (until spring)
Many tips for gardening from Purdue University Extension, including
“…Asparagus top growth should not be removed until foliage yellows. Let foliage stand over winter to collect snows for insulation and moisture.
“… Plowing and incorporating organic matter in the fall avoids the rush of garden activities and waterlogged soil in spring. Fall-prepared soils also tend to warm faster and allow earlier planting in spring.…”
via Purdue Yard & Garden Calendar | www.carrollcountycomet.com | Carroll County Comet.
Nature’s Answer to Pressure Treated Lumber
When is a weed not a weed? When it’s Black Locust, and you need a fence that lasts! While black locust don’t usually grow straight, and the grain is often wavy, it’s ability to outlast cedar and it’s abundance makes it a great source for your garden fence.
The Hack: look around your lot, see if there are any black locust you can use, and skip the big-box store, shelling out the bucks, and hauling back something that won’t last as long. Plant a few more while you’re at it!
- Photo Credit: greenopolis.com
“>Nature’s Answer to Pressure Treated Lumber | Greenopolis.
Peas – Good hack if you had spaces in your trellis
While I had good success with peas this summer, there were still some spaces where the peas did not germinate. Replanting can be preempted by other chores and lower your production.
The Hack: soak your peas, and change the water several times a day until they’ve sent out their roots, then put them into small pots of gardening soil. This will ensure there’s no problems with germination. This can also be done with other seeds as well, and – as Kenny Point recommends – you can even “add a splash of liquid kelp” to get the slow starters moving.
I’m going to be trying my hand at some “Tom Thumb Peas” this winter in my “growing room” (as my nephew says “only a die-hard gardener would change a full bath into a half bath.”), and hope to update the results – good or bad – in coming posts. See Kenny’s site at http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/
4 Square feet = 100 lbs of potatoes?
(right-click on the pic and “view image” to see full instructions)
On many occasions, I’ve been tempted to grow my own potatoes. They’re fairly low maintenance, can be grown in a pot or in the ground, last a fairly long time if stored properly, and can be very nutritious (high in potassium and vitamin C). Here’s more incentive: according to this article, you can grow 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 sq. feet.
The Hack: Add another side and soil (or hay/grass clippings) every time the plant grows one ft. Makes it easier in the long run than using a cage. If you’re going to be doing this on a regular basis, making a “Lincoln Log” style bin would be easier, since you wouldn’t need to use the screws, just stack and fill!
via: re-nest.com
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