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Great tips on homesteading, frugal living, and self reliance. |
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What is Compost and How Do I Grow the Stuff?Compost, in a word, is dirt - the best dirt for your organic garden. Brand new, chock full of nutrients, it is rich loam that gives your garden everything it needs to be healthy and strong.Heard vaguely about a soil's PH Balance? Worried that your soil is too acidic or too alkaline? Wouldn't know an acidic ground if it jumped up and punched you? Don't worry; with enough rich, brand-new humus thrown in, you don't have to worry about it. Fertilizers aren't nearly as important as you may think either. The only thing you really need is good, healthy humus you've grown yourself. Grow enough of that, keep adding it to your garden beds, and you're set. 
So How Do We Get It?By piling things up and letting 'em rot. Leaves, grass, potato peels, watermelon rinds. Throw them in a compost pile, let them sit long enough, and eventually they'll turn into dirt.But as wonderful as these things are, leafy green matter isn't the only thing your garden needs for good, rich loam. There's an additional ingredient that every pile needs. Poop. And You Thought It Was Just a Four Lettered WordFor truly rich, fertile humus that will feed your organic vegetable or flower garden and make your plants strong from the inside out, you're going to need manure from an animal that eats primarily grass. Don't add dog or cat feces to your pile, as it will attract rats, unwelcome visitors to your garden. Cow manure is usually available in most garden centers. Be sure to add at least twenty pounds to every six-foot pile you build. But if you want turbo-charged humus, nothing beats a few chickens.
Line the bottom of your nesting boxes with fresh straw or hay periodically and use the old, dirty hay in your pile. The rich nitrogen in the chicken manure will turn your pile into rich soil in a relatively short amount of time. Because I have goats as well as chickens, I usually have about three piles going at once (five goats, forty chickens - lots of manure!). After just one week of stirring, the pile is starting to turn black - organisms in the manure are eating away at the straw and converting it into soil. How to Build a Compost PileSome gardeners keep their compost piles in a bin. I personally just keep my matter in a large pile in the corner of my garden up next to the fence. Choose what works best for you.I add dirty hay and manure every day and keep adding it until it is at least six feet in diameter and four to five feet high. Once I have enough hay and manure collected, I try to stir it at least once a week. I do this by shoveling it out of one pile and starting a new pile right next to it. Ideally, you're supposed to stir it every 2-3 days, but I've never had the time to do that. Whenever I water my garden, I add water to my pile as well. This will speed up the process. 
If your compost pile stinks, stir it. Since I've been using primarily hay and manure as my main ingredients, I haven't had as much of a problem with this. In the days before I had my farm critters, my pile stunk a lot and had flies. Back then it was primarily fruit scraps, which can cause problems.Stir your pile faithfully at least once a week, and by the end of the month, you'll have marvelous, rich humus. After four weeks, different bits of organic matter are unrecognizable. This humus is now ready to be added to the beds. Use it for mulching of your young plants. It will feed them and keep away the weeds. More Homestead Gardening LinksGreat vegetables for beginning gardeners.How to choose the best garden location. Put in raised beds for a stronger, healthier garden. Or better still, try these easier raised beds without digging. How to make your own compost. Mulching tips to strengthen and protect your plants. Organic pest control tips Tips on dealing with poison ivy Tips on organic container gardening Find the right garden container Self sufficient gardening Tips on composting with worms How to build and use a cold frame. |
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Gardening Techniques Made Simple Certified horticulturalist and former edible plants nursery owner Julie Villani has written one of the best gardening books out there in an easy-to-read, folksy manner. Buy it here, and you'll not only get a great gardening book, you'll also get a free garden diary, seed saving tips and techniques, a free question and answer session with Villani, and a four-year rotation plan. A $64.80 value for just $24. Click Here to purchase your copy. 
Available from Master Gardening, this composter has a 90 gallon capacity, is black to help absorb the heat from the sun and is discrete.
Click here to learn more. |
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