It seems my recent ‘Reader Questions’ posts have inspired some others to write in. (Keep em coming - I think these posts will really end up helping a lot of newcomers, and I certainly enjoy answering them).Anyway, today I have some questions from Suzanne, who is new to vermicomposting.Hi Bentley,I am planning on setting up […]
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Eric Fenster, co-founder of the organic catering service Back to Earth Inc., carries hor … All those things can end up in a compost and get turned into fertilizer instead of ending …
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A little while ago I asked my good friend Jeff “The Friendly Worm Guy” Sonnenburg to make a video of his worm/castings harvesting machine in action, and here it is!What makes Jeff’s harvesting method really interesting is the fact that he uses an antique winnowing machine (also known as a ‘fanning mill’) to do the […]
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As some of you may know, for the last couple months I have been experimenting with another waste management strategy called ‘bokashi’. I’ve been writing about it over on CompostGuy.com (which unfortunately seems to be experiencing some server issues as I write this).For those of you unfamiliar, bokashi is a very simple way to deal […]
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Compost piles in garden are unsightly if not properly held up. It is important to keep compost piles in proper structure and convenient location.
The most common composting structures are barrel composters and holding units. Holding unit is just a square or circular space in the garden surrounded either by redwood slat, snow-fence or cement block. Barrel composters are more elegant but also more costly. Barrel composters are rotating structure with internal fin for aeration.
Holding units is easy to construct using redwood slats for bin-type structure or chicken wire, snow fence for wire fencing. Holding units tend to compost slower in terms of creating finished compost, as they are not turned as frequently. It is easy to add materials to the holding unit but it is not as convenient to turn the pile. There is also pest problems if the food wastes are not properly sandwiched between other yard wastes.
The advantage of a barrel composters over holding units is that organic materials can be easily turned simply by rotating the barrel. A barrel composter is relatively easy to construct. Commercial barrel composters are also available at a price.
Though relatively expensive than the holding structure, Barrel Composters occupy much less space and require little efforts to produce finished compost. By manually turning the barrel composters frequently, finished compost can be made within short time. Gardeners who are especially conscious of aesthetics always prefer rotating barrel composters.
Turning barrel composters is effortless and it provides much better aeration then the stacking of compost piles in holding unit. Fins inside barrel composters keep material well aerated, speeding up the composting process significantly.
Compared to holding unit, barrel composters reduces composting efforts by 75% and composting time time by 90%
A kitchen compost crock is a container to store compostable wastes. It is usually a heavy countertop container for eventual recycling of kitchen scraps into fertilizer-rich compost.
Place the kitchen compost crock indoors where you can easily reach it. Collecting kitchen scraps for composting shouldn’t detract from your kitchen décor. A sleek, ceramic kitchen compost crock is attractive enough to keep on the kitchen counter, so there is no need to hide it under the sink.
In most cases the kitchen compost crock sits near the sink. It serves as kitchen trash for all indoor items - banana peels, apple rinds, veggie scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, leftovers from soups or stews, houseplants, nut shells, and lots more.
Most kitchen compost crock is designed to trap odors. Some are glazed inside and out so that the crock will never stain or absorb food odors. Another common feature is the use of silicone “washer style” ring that sits under the lid. This means that when you place the lid on top, the silicone seals tight and stops odors from escaping that way.
The most common feature is an activated carbon charcoal filter which sits in a slot in the top of the lid, underneath several pencil-sized holes. These washable filters allow air to circulate into and out of the crock, but removes odors along the way.
Store up vegetable matter in the kitchen compost crock until you have a chance to take it out to the garden and add it to your main pile in the compost bin.
If you’re tired of battling winter weather to get to your compost bin in the garden then the kitchen compost crock is useful. During winter it’s not always fun to take food scraps out to the compost bin, especially that most people would keep their compost bins far away from their houses. Having a Compost Crock is a great way to cut down on the winter treks through snow and ice to your compost bin.
Most crocks are designed with looped handle made of smooth finished metal, with rubberized areas near the edges. The handle is long enough that you can carry the crock without having the main portion hit your hands. A crock made of smooth glazed ceramic is also easy to wash.
Leaves and dry stuff can be wiped out easily with a paper towel. Moist stuff can be rinsed out with soapy water.
Garden Organic - www.gardenorganic.org.uk - have completed another positive study on green manures - this time for the government agency responsible for agriculture - DEFRA. Green manures put nitrogen back into the soil if planted as part of normal crop rotations. The new study found that growing grazing rye over the winter reduced leaching of […]
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It was in the fall of 1998 that I took up composting. Most Saturday mornings were spent watching gardening shows on HGTV and DYI. I understood that without good soil a garden was doomed to failure. Wh…
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Home Kitchen Compost helps build a home garden
Coolest Gadgets, UK - In fact, a NatureMill automatic composter recycles its weight in waste every 10 days, diverting over two tons of waste from landfills over its operation … |
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I must say, I’m really enjoying this new ‘Reader Questions’ category on the blog! I’ve been getting some great questions, and I’ll be honest, it is typically much easier to sit down and write a quick response post than it is to write something completely new. Unfortunately I don’t have nearly as much time for […]
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