Every fall trees such as Oak, Maple, Sycamores, and many others drop their leaves in preparation for the winter season. In nature, leaves provide important ecological services by protecting and nourishing the soils in which trees live. In urban settings they often cause a nuisance, covering lawns, patios, driveways, and any surface you can think …
When my wife and I moved into our current house we were super excited to plant a garden. That is until we saw the soil. Sandy soil with nothing at all to offer vegetable plants. We knew that it would need some serious amending to start producing well for us and composting would be the …
Let’s be serious for a second, soil pH isn’t that important for the average gardener. Unless you have something very wrong with your soil pH and you’re trying to diagnose an issue, you probably don’t need to test it. But you probably already know that. You want to test your soil’s pH because you’re an …
When my wife and I moved into the house we live in now, we had grand hopes of growing a garden. One look at our “soil” set us straight. It wasn’t even fertile enough to grow weeds. It was so sandy and dusty that I needed a drink just looking at it. That little dusty …
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, …
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 …
There are several things we all want to do when we move into our first apartment. The problem is, you can’t do most of them. Paint the walls? Nope. Get a dog? Nope. Take out a wall? Nope. Composting? Heck yes! Whether you have a community garden, window boxes, or a small plot in your …