Homemade Compost - The Natural Way To Green GardeningOur neighbors think we are very odd people when we save grass clippings, leaves, discarded fruit and veggie peels, and now shredded newspaper clippings.
Free Houseplant SoilTechnically, this would be a 'medium' rather than soil, but some people haven't caught on to that word, yet. And too, if you have access to enough, it would be great for the garden as well as your houseplants.
Composting Chicken ManureWe have a small poultry pen at the back of the house and get so much chicken droppings every day. They can be a burden to you and your neighbors if you don't clean them up. So, what we do is gather the chicken manure and dump into a compost pit.
Organic Gardening at HomeI have a bucket in my kitchen next to the trash can, I call it my slop bucket. In it we rinse out food containers and cans, put in leftovers we don't end up eating, rinds, peels, sweeping the floor it goes in, vacuum bag, and hair cuttings. This bucket is dumped in the garden and flower beds all year around.
Store Compost in RefrigeratorComposting makes great fertilizer for my garden and reduces waste. I have tried a number of ways to avoid walking to compost pile every time I have compostable kitchen waste, veggies, fruit, paper napkins, plates, etc. Everything I tried, even fancy counter compost containers, left me with fruit flies.
Worm Composting (Vermicomposting)There are many ways to compost. One of the most beneficial is vermicomposting or worm composting with a 'worm farm' composting tower. There are many prefab worm composters on the market.
Save and Compost Fireplace AshesDuring these winter months when fireplaces are in high use, you will generate quite a bit of ash. We clean out our fireplace into a paper grocery bag. The bag is then rolled shut tight down to the level of the ash and placed into a storage tub with a secure lid.
Storing Kitchen Scraps for CompostingI use plastic 4 gallon buckets with lids to store my compost in by my back door. When they are full, I take them to the compost pile and dump them.
Bake Eggshells for CompostI put eggshells in a tray at the bottom of the oven. They get baked and brittle every time you use the oven. Just keep adding to the tray until it is full.
Store Used Grounds for CompostWe use the empty coffee containers, without the lid, to store our used grounds from the coffee maker each morning. When yard clippings and leaves begin to build up, the grounds are mixed in.
Cola as a Compost BoosterAdd flat cola to your compost pile. It seems to "richen" up the compost. I read this on some gardening site.
Trench CompostingNo more compost piles for me! I found the lazy gardener's way to enrich the soil. Buy a used blender at a garage sale. Set it out on the kitchen counter, put all the veggie/fruit scraps in it.
Composting is Easy and InexpensiveI garden on what some people consider to be a large scale (to me it isn't). I also compost, I have been doing it for over 40 years.
Compost Bin from Recycled MaterialsCompost bins are very expensive and do not hold much, so picked up some free pallets and made one myself. I spent less then $10 on materials (3 hinges and a door handle), and I put the sides together with zip ties!
Check Compost for SeedlingsCheck your compost bin for sprouts of "mystery plants". One of the most frequent in my bin, and also popping up in the garden where I have spread compost around my roses, etc. is tomatoes.
Line Compost Bucket with NewspaperI have started a compost pile. Since it is far from the house, I have an ice cream bucket that I use for my daily scraps. To keep it from getting so messy when I empty it, I line it with newspapers or paper ads from the mail.
Use Old Pet Carrier as ComposterI found an abandoned dog carrier measuring about 27 x 19 x 19. It's split on the bottom, but I've turned it into a compost bin.
Enrich Compost with Blended Vegetable PeelsTo enrich my compost, I save my peels as I'm cooking. I blend them till smooth and I stir them into the dirt of my compost pile. It reduces garbage and enriches my compost pile.
Controlling Odor in Compost BucketI save my veggie scraps, coffee grounds, filters, tea bags, etc. in a plastic kitty litter bucket under the kitchen sink. If you add shredded paper or substitute sugar packets in there too, it kills the odor.
Compost Disposable Coffee CupsDo you throw your Tim Hortons' cups in the recycle or garbage? I found out that they can be composted. So I rinse them out and place one at a time, inside my small compost container, and use them for soggy things like tea bags and coffee filters, oatmeal too.
Compost Shredded PaperWhen you empty out your paper shredder, put the shredded paper in the compost pile.
Save Those Used Tea BagsDo not throw out your tea bags with the trash. Save them in a dish and then empty them around your garden plants and shrubs. Makes a good substitute for peat and will add plant goodness and save you cash.
Save Used Coffee And Tea For CompostDo not throw away your daily coffee grounds or tea from tea bags. Mulch or compost them.
Keeping Your Compost Pile Trouble-FreeComposting is an easy, inexpensive way to reduce your yard and kitchen waste, while keeping your garden filled with nutrient-rich soil. Keep your compost pile neat and trouble-free, by preventing these common problems before they arise.
Easy Backyard CompostingComposting adds free organic material to your garden which helps the soil retain and drain water and encourages healthier plants. Here is an easy way to compost.
Attractive Container For Your Compost ScrapsComposting is always great. It recycles plant wastes and makes great soil. We have a composting unit in the back yard under a tree. When I worked in the kitchen, it was hard to save things for composting...
Compost Stems From Flower ArrangingI love fresh flowers and buy carnations every two weeks. Since I usually get two large sprays from Costco, there are a lot of stems to cut, and to throw away.
Bury Wet Garbage In Your GardenA good way to enrich your garden soil and help out the earth is to bury your "wet" garbage. I bury my apple, orange, potato peels, etc. in my garden. We can't have a compost heap, but I've found this works just as well.
Using Leaves in the GardenWhen you rake your yard in fall, don't throw the leaves away in trash bags. Spread them over the garden spot and wet it down. When you till the yard in spring, till the leaves in.
Compost Instead of Buying TopsoilIt is spring and I have been busy repotting and potting plants for the front of the house and the patio. I never buy the store-bought, chemically tainted top soil! I compost all year long.
Coffee Can CompostingSave one of the new kinds of large plastic coffee cans to make a quick counter top compost bin! Label clearly so everyone knows what it is.
Blender CompostingA good tip for composting if you have trouble turning the compost pile or you don't have room for one is to put all of your kitchen peelings, left over vegetable leaves, and egg shells in the blender.
Composting GrapesI am only a beginner and know very little about what I am doing. I have some flowers (petunias, verbena, and something else I can't identify) and a cherry tomato plant.
How do I make my own compost?How do I make my own compost? Composting doesn't have to be complicated. There are really no hard and fast rules, but here are some tips for getting started. Find a convenient place near your garden to start a pile.
Building a Compost PileFor maximum efficiency, the compost pile needs to consist of the right carbon/nitrogen (brown to green) ratio (between 25:1 to 30:1). If your bin is not completely enclosed on the bottom, use the following recipe...
What is an Activator?Used in composting to stimulate biological activity. Because they are usually high in nitrogen, activators feed microorganisms; they might also contain other decay organisms that become introduced to the compost via the activator.
Composting With Sawdust and Grass ClippingsA quick and easy compost method if you don't have manure but do have a good supply of grass clippings. Grass is quite high in nitrogen. Mix one part of sawdust with four parts of fresh grass clippings.
Starbucks - Grounds for GrowthIn the spring and summer, Starbuck's has their Grounds for Growth, where they bag and give away free used coffee grounds. Spread these around under roses and any other acid loving plants. Recycling at its best!
Composting TipsComposting is a great way to get amazing soil for your garden and keep some trash out of the landfill.
Save Egg Shells for the GardenDon't throw those egg shells away! Rinse thoroughly, removing membrane inside, air dry thoroughly and put into a zippered plastic bag. Crush with rolling pin. Store in freezer until ready to add to your garden or compost pile.
Composting Pet HairPet hair is compostable! When you brush your cat or dog, save the hair from the brush in a bag, and put it in your compost pile; it's mainly nitrogen. People's hair trimmings can be composted too!
Composting Fall LeavesInstead of putting your raked leaves out to the road for pick up, put them in large trash bags. In spring, you have ready made compost to use in your veggie or flower garden.
Plastic Garbage Can Compost ContainerFor a quick compost container, an old garbage can with the bottom cut out will do the trick. Just toss in fruit peels, vegetable scraps and the like, and pop on the lid.
Compost Those LeavesRaked-up leaves make great compost and are good to dig into your garden now to enrich the soil for next year's crops.
3 Month Plan for Starting a Compost Pile From the Bottom UpA layering method first devised by Sir Albert Howard in 1931 while he was doing studies in India.
Compost Jump StartDuring the winter I set a large trash can outside my kitchen door. I place my food scraps (compostable ones) in this during the winter. There is no smell as it rarely gets above freezing in Vermont during the winter.
