Vegetable Gardening:Garden Tips- Composting # 2

Decomposing Hot Compost Pile

Friends, Fertilizers are very important to feeding your plants. They add missing nutrients in the form of NPK ( Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium : read more at garden tips: part one fertilizers

Compost adds organic matter to your soil and improves the drainage capacity in tight soils. Air penetration is increased so that beneficial microbes can flourish . Your kitchen has lots of great items to add to your compost pile. Herbs, grains, cereal boxes, vegetables, coffee grounds, tea bags are just a few of the many items that will supply the green ingredients for your compost pile.

You can speed up the decomposition of your compost by covering it with black plastic. Heat will build up and increase the composting process. Do not forget to add a little moisture between the layering of brown and green materials as mentioned in part one of this series.

Vegetable Gardening:Garden Tips- Composting # 1

Black Gold Compost

Hi there, Do you Compost ? Well you should. Compost is broken down organic materials of the soil by microorganisms that give the sweet smelling rich, light, dark soil that feeds your soil. Have you heard the term (Black Gold) ? ]
Compost consists of two type of materials brown and green. The brown carbon rich matter are things such as dead leaves, straw, sawdust, paper and hay. Green nitrogen rich materials include grass clippings, manure, coffee grounds, and fruit and vegetable peels. You want to aim for a balance of brown and green material.

To Make a hot compost pile you can start with a area 3 ft. by 3ft. so that you are able to stick a pitch fork or shovel in and turn your pile over. Start layering the pile with the browns and green materials.( ie  one layer of brown material then on top of that another layer of green and the brown and so on.....) You want to add moisture between layers.

You will want to turn your compost pile every 3 days. You should also purchase a compost thermometer to check the temperature. It should start around 120 degrees and go up from there. If you stay up with your pile turning and adding more materials you will have rich compost in approximately 2-8 weeks !

Gardening for the beginner: Fall Planting 2

Burlap Bag Potatoes

Friends, Did you know that Burlap bags make great growing containers for root plants, like potatoes, carrots, and beets. Fill the bag with soil, tie it closed, and place it in a sunny spot.  Next , cut holes in the bag and plant the crops. Make sure to water it often. To harvest, just cut the bag open

Gardening for the Beginner: Fall Plantings 1

Hello, did you can grow vegetables after spring--Summer schedule. You can grow hardy vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, beets, spinach and peas. All of these vegetables can be ( overwintered ) which means planted in summer or fall and harvested in spring.

Pick your Cabbage !

Organic Vegetable Gardening: Fall Cover Crops

Hello Friends, Do you know the benefits of growing a fall cover crop. If you have a area in your yard where you are not going to grow a Fall crop like potatoes, greens, or garlic. You can plant different types of cover crops in the category of Lequmes. These are plants like peas, beans, clovers, afalfa, and even peanuts.

These cover crops are low cost, easy to maintain and earth friendly. They increase organic matter and available nitrogen and increases earthworms and beneficial microorganisms. Cover crops also provide habitat, nectar and pollen for beneficial insects.