What To Do Wednesday - Compost Compost Compost

With the summer heat lingering on and on and on (yep, about 2 more weeks so suck it up), planting isn't the best thing to be doing in the garden right now.  So what, then?

(sifted compost - from chunky to fine)

Compost!  If you haven't started composting already, summer time is the best to try it.  Composting is an organic chemical process where nitrogen and carbon react and generate heat. This is bazillions of tiny micro-organisms at work.

(compost pile - lawn clippings, kitchen scraps, shredded papers)

Composting is a great way to go green and manage waste around the house.  Lawn clippings, shrub trimmings, and tree leaves are the basis of a great compost pile.  But did you know there are loads of other things you put into your compost instead of into the garbage can?  Kitchen scraps, paper towels, shredded documents, dryer lint, pet hair, old flower bouquets, even old cotton clothing.
(click here to see the super-duper list of things you can compost)

 (compost storage - ready to use)

When my compost is 'good enough', I store it in old nursery cans.  This way I always have it at the ready to go into the garden.

(compost used in edible garden beds)

Whether I need to add more mulch around plants or amend planting beds, compost is the perfect blend of soil nutrients without having to measure or worry about over-fertilizing.  With my finely sifted compost, I can even use it as a potting soil.  

(fine compost used as potting soil for starting new tomato seedlings)

So do something nice for your garden, your plants, and your earth, and compost.

It's Earth Day - Reduce, Reuse, Return

Today is Earth Day. Lots of events and activities will involve being green and recycling and carbon footprints and saving the environment, yadda yadda. But let's focus to the real star - Earth.

Look down. (Well, go outside and look down.) Look at the earth, the ground, the dirt, the soil. What can you really do for the earth TODAY.


Real simple - give back. It's a good time to simply start a compost pile. Even better (and simpler), leave your garden alone and let nature compost. Allow your garden - the earth - the feed and replenish itself. Composting (decomposition) is a natural process that is always happening underfoot. Where the mulch meets the soil, in-between, the bugs and microorganisms are hard at work composting.


When we contribute to the process by adding more layers of mulch - or leaving the leaves where they lay - the earth is enriched with nutrient life. In the end, the earth will return the favor and give to us.


For more cool inspiration about good ol' terra firma, check out what's airing on PBS. Now go let your toes hug some dirt.

Home Grown Good Stuff...

Make your own compost!
It's fun! It's Easy! It's free!

Make a pile out of lawn clippings, tree litter, leaves, old dead plants. No need to be too scientific about the mix of brown (carbon) and green (nitrogen) materials. The best thing for compost is kitchen scraps. Make a hole, dump them in and cover them up (helps keep the flies and gnats away).


Turn the pile with a shovel or pitch fork and water it to keep the micro-bugs active. Do this weekly or so.
(I turned this pile every other day when I took out kitchen scraps.)


About eight weeks later I had brown gold - nature's alchemy! Use it as a planting soil, fertilizer amendment, or top mulch. Anywhere in the garden, it's good stuff!
Check out my compost workshop coming up at the Phoenix Downtown Farmer's Market.