My Weekend Gardening - Composting

As I mentioned in last Friday's Lola's Victory Garden - My Weekend Garden Anastasia is all gung ho about gardening. In addition to the SUV load full of garden goodies, she has also bought some gardening books. The book she currently drags everywhere is a little pocket size gem called "The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book" By Barbara W. Ellis.

Compost - "Decomposed remains of organic matter - such as leaves, kitchen scrapes, and other garden remains. Compost is a valuable soil amendment that will improve soil structure and provide nutrition for plants."

Many townships and villages have Composters available for sale. Many offer the smaller version of the Earth Machine for around $50.

You can make your own Compost Bin for a fraction of that with scrap wood or Wire Mesh Fencing, Fencing Stakes and Cable Ties. Last year we got a large roll of Wire Mesh Fencing for $0.25 at a garage sale. Our Fencing Stakes cost $2.17 each at Lowe's. We already had Cable Ties. Anastasia and our son put ours together in a matter of minutes. Cable Ties secure the Fencing Stakes to the Wire Mesh Fencing. A rubber mallet is used to pound the Fencing Stakes into the ground.

Select a level spot for you Compost Bin. A Compost Bin should be about 3-4 feet in diameter.
What can go in a Compost Bin:

Trimmings & clippings from the garden (including disease free weeds and grass clippings), leaves, kitchen scraps, wood shavings, shredded newspaper, coffee grounds, egg shells.

What cannot go in a Compost Bin:

Dog and cat poo, diseased plant materials, weeds gone to seed, meat, bones, cooking fat.

Happy Composting!

Lola's Victory Garden
©2009