Tag Archives: Compost

New Compost Tumbler

Garden, , ,

In with the new compost tumbler and out with the old!  (Note:  pictures are done in my camera’s Paint format, which is why the colors are exaggerated, and the detail is less.)

DSC03993 Here is my new compost tumbler, which has several advantages over my old box.

DSC03991 The is the old compost bin.  It lost its lid during Hurricane Ike.

DSC03992 This is the compost which I had gotten in about five months.  There is compost in there, but it worked very slowly.  It has undigested eggshells in it.

I can re-compost some of the stems if I chip them up.

Advantages of my compost tumbler over my old compost bin.  The new one:

  1. Has a lid, and will keep out scavengers
  2. Tumbles the contents to mix thoroughly to oxygenate the working compost
  3. Is easily movable
  4. Can hold the heat for proper decomposition of the materials
  5. Empties easily
  6. Should be much faster;  three months at the most for a batch of compost to be made.
  7. Will compost heavier duty materials, such as branch chips.

 

 

Plantains May 28, 2014

Carbon dioxide, Garden, Plantains, , ,

DSC02750 Some of those frozen dead plantain stems are being overtaken by their living cores, leaving dry, tan  debris hanging underneath the newly sprouting green tops.  I wish I had cut out more of the dead stems while they were not covered up by living leaves, but am glad for what I did get done.   The plantains grow from the center out, and the centers of some of the thicker ones survived, and have begun growing.   Also those corms which had formed underground are now sprouting.

In addition to the dead stems, I will cut out the tallest plantains soon which are located in the patch in the back and on the right,  and thereby reduce the garden shade a bit in the coming months, though plantains are not the only source of shade for the vegetable garden.   The houses, other trees, and other vegetation contribute to shade. I am way behind in making compost and mulch out of the  plantain leaves and stems, but I am confident that  both are high quality, the result of fixed and held carbon dioxide and other nutrients.

We will not have many plantains this year because it takes at least 15 months for them to bear fruit.  Next year we should have many again, if we are spared a freeze in the coming winter.

As I learn, I am rethinking the emphasis that this garden should take.   When I saw plantains in the store last week they were $0.60 +  each, I realized that plantains are by far our most  monetarily rewarding  and dependable crop, and aside from the patch grooming, require no effort  or cash input on our part.   Our garden emphasis will surely change year by year. 

 

 

Visiting Our Compost Pile

Garden, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

DSC02160 Mr. Possum came to eat from our

compost pile.

DSC02162 Sometimes he did not look  friendly, and I thought about what he could be carrying in the way of noxious microbes and parasites, so I decided to discourage him.

DSC02170

I remembered a safe formula for discouraging cats and dogs from entering a garden in this book, and thought it would work for possums, so I looked it up.

DSC02169

Here it is!  DSC02171  I made a quart of this by blending up a whole head of garlic instead of using the garlic powder.  I added the 1/4 cup of Tabasco sauce, a 1/2 teaspoon of vegetable oil, and  shook it up in the one quart spray bottle.  The spray mechanism did not get plugged with the garlic at any time.  A very small residue on my hands did not hurt my eyes when I rubbed them.

DSC02163

 

I squirted a couple of squirts of this into the compost, and lifted the sides off of the compost.  Mr. Possum went scampering down the alley.  I hope he will not return.  I sprayed by far the most of it around and into the garden to discourage cats and dogs from entering our garden.  We’ll see how long the spray effects will last.