FREE Fertilizer

PSU Fact Sheet “Home Compost: a Guide for Home Gardeners” contains information on making compost.
. 

Over the last 20 years I’ve put compost on the garden almost every year. The garden’s soil is rich and black. I rarely use other fertilizers. You can buy a bin or simply make a pile (heap composting). I used the heap method for many years. Plans for “ConstructingCompost Bins” from PSU Center County Extension.

I simplify the recipe: Three parts brown (leaves) to one part green (garden cuttings. weeds, vegetable scraps). Water if it looks dry, Mix it once in a while to aerate. If I don’t get the ratio exactly right, It’ll turn into compost anyway.

I try to avoid adding weeds that have gone to seed. My pile may not get hot enough to destroy the weed seeds. I also don’t use anything twiggy or woody because it takes too long to break down. Newspaper counts as brown, if I run out of leaves. Coffee grounds count as green. (We drink a lot of coffee.)

You can spend time making compost or spend money on fertilizer. I choose to make compost.

Thinking of Spring

Not much time for garden cleanup this week. As I cleanup I dream of spring.

.

I managed to get some compost on the garden from my little compost bin – 3 wheelbarrows of wonderful black organic matter to be exact.

.

Leaf raking is in full swing. A pile of leaves, chopped and collected with the mower will help produce next year’s compost.

A few more plants need to be cleaned up.

.

The hostas are a mushy mess.

Some lilies need to be cut back.

The garden phlox is waiting to be lopped off.

There is more to do before the snow arrives but I’ve got a good start for spring.
. 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Garden Cleanup

Since the Halloween snow and a hard frost most of the garden is looking sad. I’ve been working steadily on cleanup. I think I’m doing better this year than usual. I want to make sure I don’t have a lot of cleanup to do in spring when it’s time for mulch.

.

Canna tubers (above) have been dug up and stored.
.

Autumn Joy blooms have been cut back. I usually leave the seed heads for the birds but the snow smashed them to the ground. Iris and hibiscus have been cut in the background.

Most of the mums are cut.

The annuals are gone.

The pile awaits delivery to the city’s compost site.

More to do before the garden is ready for fall compost but I’ve got a good start.

Tomatoes, Compost and Bees

I attended Master Gardener Spring Garden Series on Saturday. The informative and interesting topics made the morning speed by. I’ll share just a few details.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Heirloom tomatoes are passed down from generation to generation mostly because they taste good. Other qualities such as meaty texture in ‘Opalaka’ for a paste tomato or the large sized ‘Kellogg’s Breakfast’ (1 lb or more )caused growers to save seeds year after year.

Descriptions are listed in heirloom seed catalogs. Heirloom plants can be found at local garden centers but it’s best to do some research first to know what you’re looking for. (Google “Heirloom Tomato”.)

The stories behind some of varieties are entertaining. Folklore says the heirloom ‘Mortgage Lifter’ was named for a man who sold his crop to pay off his mortgage.

Compost

Making compost can be as easy or labor intensive as you want to make it. If you get everything perfect you will make compost in about 3 months. If you don’t get everything perfect, it may take a little longer but you are still most likely to get good compost.

Add –
Browns (fallen leaves preferably shredded, torn newspaper);
Greens (weeds preferably without seeds, kitchen vegetable scraps, coffee grounds):
Air (turn ever week or so);
Water (should remain as wet as a damp sponge).

The benefits of adding compost to the garden? Less waste to the landfill, improved soil and healthy plants.

Pollinators

According to the Natural Research Defense Council, “Honey bees are disappearing across the country, putting $15 billion worth of fruits, nuts and vegetables at risk.”

Mason Bees (Osmia lignaria ssp.) supplement honey bees in pollinating fruit trees and other spring crops. It is slightly smaller than a honey bee, lives in the ground, is non-aggressive and solitary.

Man-made Mason Bee houses are used to attract the pollinators to the garden. A series of tubes (made of bamboo in the picture below) or holes drilled in a wood block is all they need. Mason bee houses can be purchased or made at home and hung in a tree. Think cherries and apples, blueberries and strawberries.


See February 9, 2011 post for future dates and topics in the series. Join the spring excitement.

Don’t you just love compost?

Start with a mess -

One of the easiest jobs in the garden – making compost.

I received a compost bin several years ago when I attended a class by Lehigh/Northampton County Master Gardner’s. It was free with the class.

Penn State University Fact Sheet “Home Composting” provides all the details for making compost.

I don’t obsess about the process. I add plant clippings, weeds, vegetable scraps and coffee grounds. I’m not sure the bin ever gets hot enough to kill seeds so I try not to get weed seeds in there. I cut large stems into one or two inch pieces. It would take too long to decompose thick stems.

In fall we run over the fallen leaves with the mower. I fill the bin with the chopped leaves and save a pile to add all year. Every once in a while, I turn the top one third of the debris in the bin. I add water periodically.

.
Before I had the bin, I made a pile in an out-of-the-way part of the garden. That worked just as well.

I spread the finished compost around plants. I don’t use much fertilizer - only a bit for the acid loving plants – azalea, hydrangea, rhododendron, etc - and sometimes some for the roses. Since I can’t make enough for the entire garden, I also get compost from the city recycling center. I get free mulch there too.

Over the years the garden soil has become rich and loamy – good for the garden, good for the environment, good for the gardener. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

- end with black gold.

.

New Garden

.

We have a truckload of compost in our driveway. My family laughs at my delight at a pile of “dirt”. But it’s just what I needed to start a garden.

.

.
The air conditioner unit moved to a new location last spring. It gave me an excuse to put in garden to screen the big eyesore. In June, I found the Pieris japonica ‘Mountain Fire’ on sale. That was the start.

Last week I put down 4 to 6 sheets of newspaper and topped it with 3 to 4 inches of compost. I’ve used mulch for this same purpose in other gardens and it worked just as well. Over the winter the newspaper will kill the grass and decompose into the soil making an instant garden.

.
I tried not to get distracted.

.

I’m fooling around with some kind of stepping stone path. I’ve set up some old bricks but I’m not sure what the final path will be. It will be less noticeable when I cover the area with mulch.
Next spring the garden will be ready to plant. I’ll put in some evergreen shrubs, a hosta or two and maybe a mum and a few annuals. Then I’ll cover the area with mulch.

It’s a simple way to start a new garden.

.

.

Compost

.

Marvelous spring weather between rainy days, gave me a chance to spread compost this week.

I have a small compost bin and a pile of shredded leaves.

I removed the top layer of un-composted material from the bin. Then I shoveled the beautiful black gold into a wheelbarrow and spread it around the lilac/shade garden and pussy willow/sun garden.

When the spreading was done, I put the top layer of un-composted material back in the compost bin to start another pile. I’ll add kitchen scraps, garden waste, and coffee grounds throughout the summer. Last fall’s shredded leaves will be added when I need “brown” material. I’ll turn it with a pitch fork from time to time. I’ll add water when it looks dry.

Five wheelbarrows of compost didn’t go far. I’ll spread mulch next week. I put mulch and compost on the garden every year. The mulch also decomposes and improves the soil making it dark and loamy. I have reduced the need for fertilizer.

The plants are happy. The gardener is happy.

.

(Planet Natural’s “Composting 101” contains a lot of information on composting. This site also has organic supplies for sale. I have never ordered from them. If you have placed an order with Planet Natural, please comment and share your experience. )

.

Leaf Eater

.

We’ve been busy the last two weeks – hording fallen leaves faster than a squirrel hordes nuts.

.

We shredded and bagged fallen leaves with our trusty old Lawn Boy. Then we dumped the shreddings into the compost bin. We also piled leaves next to the bin. Next summer I’ll add a layer of leaves to the bin every now and then.

Our compost bin is full and I’m a happy gardener. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make a gardener happy.

I have to admit I’m lazy when it comes to making compost. I don’t obsess over percentage of green versus brown or nitrogen/carbon ratios. My grandmother made compost before we knew about the carbon/nitrogen ratio.

I use garden waste, kitchen vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and leaves. I add a little water from time to time. I add a little soil sometimes to discourage gnats. I turn it once in a while.

I know the proper mix helps the pile break down faster but I’m not in a hurry. Fortunately, I can pick up finished compost at the city compost center.

Doug Green has some good information on cold composting. If you want to take it a step further, Doug’s hot composting explains how to heat up the pile for quicker compost.

Virginia Cooperative Extension and Purdue University Extension have more in-depth instructions.

Compost is great for the garden and improving the soil. It keeps yard waste out of the land fill. I also use it to make compost tea.

Is it worth the effort? I can only comment on my garden. Over the years my garden soil has become dark and loamy. Plants thrive. And, the price is right -- free.

It’s a deal that’s too good for me to pass up.

.

Compost

A blizzard of leaves covered the yard like golden snow.

Our maple trees hold on to their leaves longer than any tree in our neighborhood. We had a cold night last Friday (27 degrees) and all the leaves seemed to drop at once. Well, most of them.

We ran over the leaves with the lawn mower. Then we raked and carried the chopped leaves to the compost bin. When the bin was full, we made a pile under an evergreen tree. The balance made a pile in the gutter to be picked up by the city to add to the community compost pile. I love recycling.

I can almost hear those leaves turning into black gold. And the price is right (if you don’t mind a little work).