You can use many materials for mulching, but you have to buy most. Over time, this can be a costly endeavor, especially if you have a large piece of land. Fortunately, there is always an abundance of pine cones year-round, regardless of whether you have pine trees on your property or not. The question is, …
Successful vermicomposting requires you to keep your worms healthy. Besides maintaining the right temperature in your bin, you also need to feed them the right foods. Paper, vegetables, and fruits are what most worm farmers recommend, but there seems to be a debate whether pineapples are good or bad for the wriggly creatures. So, can …
Did you know that we would be living miles deep in decaying vegetation without worms? Yes, worms eat the dead plants and leaves that fall from trees to create the soil plants grow in today. Naturally, this soil is healthy, filled with nutrients and other micro life that make plants flourish. For this reason, farmers …
Nourishing your plants is an essential part of gardening and plant care. Properly nourished plants grow faster, greener, and provide a more optimal yield than those lacking essential nutrients. For this reason gardeners, farmers, and all types of plant lovers use compost or fertilizers to keep their plants healthy. But what exactly is the difference …
Is composting hard? Yes, if you want it to be. Getting started with composting was a major leap for me. For some reason, I had built it up in my head to the point that I didn’t make the jump…for years. I always thought that I needed a tumbler, a three-bin pile, an aerating system, …
When I first got a compost tumbler I checked on it every single day. Sometimes multiple times per day. It didn’t take long until I came to the conclusion that composting is just like baking cookies: nothing happens while you’re watching. However, if your compost isn’t breaking down (or isn’t breaking down as fast as …
As a gardener and sustainability-minded individual, it brings me grief to receive garbage in the form of junk mail. For many, figuring out the most environmentally-friendly manner to dispose of it can be a headache. While certain junk mail is doomed for the landfill, others can save the trip and be composted right at home. …
Everything breaks down eventually. Whether it’s a pile of dead leaves that is gone in a year or two or a plastic water bottle that takes 450 years, eventually it will all return to the soil. Composting attempts to do two things: make things return to the soil as fast as possible and make sure …
Ever wondered what the secret is behind successfully growing Ericaceae plants? Well, if you’ve tried and failed, you’ll be happy to hear that it probably isn’t your fault. In fact, the likelihood of you having soil suitable for Ericaceae plants is highly improbable. This is because most of the world’s distribution of soil isn’t acidic. …
When I first got into composting I was a simple fellow. I guess I still am. But at least I know a lot more about composting now. Back then, my idea was simply that I should pile up a bunch of garbage and wait for it to turn into dirt. Which works, if you have …