When I first decided to start composting I had a lot of problems to solve…or at least I thought I did. One of the major ones that had kept me from starting before was a location for my pile. Deciding where to start your compost pile is no small task. In fact, for many people, …
Maggots are disgusting. They exist in the filthiest places, feast on dead and rotting flesh (mostly corpses of course), and carry disease and death everywhere they go. At least that’s the view that every city-dwelling American seems to have. In many cultures maggots are far from something to be disgusted by. In fact, many places …
I’ve seen so many people arguing about which is better for their garden: topsoil or compost. The level of misunderstanding in this “fake argument” has gotten old. It makes me want to take my compost bin, upend it over the heads of the people arguing, and yell, “does that small like topsoil to you!?” Except …
When I first got into composting I wanted to throw everything I could find into our tumbler…and I did. I kept our “compost” moist, turned it regularly, and even added a compost accelerator. It was about that time that I learned that just because something is “food-waste” and came out of my kitchen doesn’t mean …
Did you know that grass clippings make up nearly 20% of the solid waste that collected in communities? And that’s a year round average, not just the summer months. In fact, during summer months the grass clippings of some communities can make up a staggering 50% of collected waste! Now, grass is obviously far more …
You have the compost bins ready, there’s every type of dirt you need to get the layers perfect, you have enough plant waste to last several months, and you have paper layers ready; all you need are the worms. It should come as no surprise that several different types of worms are out there to …
I don’t admit this at parties, but since you’re here, I can tell you, and maybe it won’t seem weird. I’m really into worms. Or at least, worm composting and using them to improve my soil. So when a new worm species comes on my radar, I’m all about it. I usually have to add …
When you get down to it, composting is simply a controlled method of leaving food in/on the ground until it returns to earth. Mother nature has been doing it for millions of years and the new-fangled methods people use are just an effort to speed things up. This has led many people to think they …
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. …
There are several things we all want to do when we start living in an 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 …