Even buying compost can be very tricky. I know I must be considered skeptical but an article in Organic Gardening and their testing of compost showed it isn't always what we'd really want. Too many elements we don't want end up mixed in with it - like battery acid.
Visions of Spring '08!
I am a passive composter, we use to do the three bin, rotation thing. Worked great but was work and it seemed to attract varmints. Now we do a slow compost with zero work. We just spread the clippings, weeds, small prunings, leaves, deadheading debris, vegetable scraps out in a low and spread out pile and let nature do her thing. We have several piles going at once in different stages of break down and as they compost, we start a new pile. It takes a few years but no work, but you need a hidy hole or secret spot to keep the mess from view that gets some sun and rain. We have a couple of those back in the bush so it works without work. I get the same satisfaction when I top dress the beds with that no work black gold. Patti
Perhaps good for my 'electric orange' lilies. Patti
You are not alone. Radio's Ralph Snodsmith also doesn't turn his compost. It truly is a lot of work.
If I do put them in, I will be a lazy composter also. Just makes it take longer. If those big tumbling ones were reasonably priced, I would get one.
Our waste management station offered black ones for $25.00 one year, it has served it's purpose, but not really big enough for me. I will be ordering 2-4 more this year when they offer them again.
I like that big one - I think it's called ComposTumbler or something. Very easy to turn. Gives finished compost very quickly.
Anita - we live on a canal and river in the woods so we have snakes slithering around anyway. When I tried composting before every time I stuck a pitch fork in the pile I would come up with 3 or 4 snakes (just mostly garden snakes). Pirl - what are your bins made of? We had wire fencing before shaped into a circular form and it was easy for them to get into the compost. Maybe something more solid would be better. Eleanor
Ours are made of wood, Eleanor, with mesh sides that I'm sure the snakes could wiggle through without any problem. I'm guessing that it would only be some kind of solid rubber or plastic bin that would prevent the snakes but then I don't know how they work if they have no access to sun and rain.
I had a compost 'area' in my backyard...never had any rodent problems, they always seemed to like my basement...I bought 9, 2'x2' pavers about 4 years ago, and placed them in a square, and just added leaves, hay, kitchen scraps, cuttings, etc...bought the composting fork, and turned, watered, etc...
The reality is: Sounds good on paper...BUT...as Candyce can attest to from our conversation at the RU, I am a no 'frills' kind of guy...no maintenance, I like it easy....
So, now, 4 years later, the pavers are still there, I have a very huge pitchfork...and occasionally will move the 'mound of dirt' during the summer...although, the stuff underneath is really good...
I need a bin, or something else to make it a compost heap...instead of, 'mound o dirt'.
That's what I'm afraid of since I too am not big on maintenance or garden chores. I like the creative part, the planting part and oohhh part.
For folks who want to know more about another method of passive composting, you can read the interesting thread started below by soulgardenlove.
Quoting:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/800670/[/quote]
Because my "visions of Spring '08" necessarily includes my compost piles (shallow back yard) I use three bins called "Biostacks" (available from Smith & Hawkin). They are relatively inconspicuous, in a black plastic sort of way. You can toss a lot, or not, depending on how fast you want your compost to develop. I like the way that you shift the three layers sideways as you toss. Makes it easy to get at the bottom layer of black gold.
Even those Biostacks are not cheap - especially times three.
Interesting articles from Jane Sickon and soulgardenlove. My vegetable garden is now on top of one of our old compost piles, but I don't do the cover crop part which makes great sense. Our veggie bed gets expanded as the the piles breakdown around it, but I do steal lots of the black gold for my flower beds.
I will run these articles by DH and see if he is interested in being more organized and logical and following their good ideas, but I think this may be pushing his limit. He just wants me to leave him space for his beloved pumpkin patch. He got some new pumpkin seed packets from Santa, so he is ready to go. He likes having sex with them. I have pictures. He is out there as soon as they begin to flower to see if he has females. Pumpkin Porn gardening. Who knew. Patti
Thanks pirl! Eleanor
Do the females look different, Patti? I think hubby needs a new hobby.
Yes, very different. I would rather have him in the pumpkin patch then in a cat house. Patti
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7984880@N07/2159359311/
http://pumpkinnook.com/howto/pollen.htm
This message was edited Jan 2, 2008 9:34 PM
Or in the doghouse!
Our house is the dog's house. They rule this house, so I would have to banish him to the tool shed. So I will be happy for him to continue to play in the pumpkin patch. Plus I love having all those sexy pumpkins on the porch in the fall cheering up the place. Victor should I send you some seeds so you can play too? Patti
You're arousing my interest.
OMG! pervy pumpkin people!
I'll use this as a segue. What new veggie ideas do you guys have for the spring / summer? I want to try something new. Fewer tomatoes and add something. Can't be big - must fit in my 4 x 8 boxes.
What's a segue?
Transition.
thank-you :-)
Aside from the tomatoes and the herbs, kale, pumpkins, & gourds. I planted eggplants with great success. I am looking to get some smaller varieties this year, perhaps these http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=5223&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=eggplant&OfferCode=V1H
Also looking for some good small cukes maybe Cucumber, Bush Pickle Hybrid Pickling http://henryfields.com/search.asp?t=c&pc=1&c=110
And I will do some peppers( more this year) , carrots, beets, and some fennel bulbs http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=0455&cid=pport0010&CAWELAID=63703679
I should plant some squash. But like you I want to have things in a small space as the pumpkins take up most of the garden. Patti
Not to let this totally die as I think Victor is interested, so here is the result of Pumpkin porn on Nantucket in the old compost heap in front of the veggie garden part. I let him have the best part so I have little room for any sprawling vines, thus I too am looking for compact, bushy vegetable plants. Ideas, please. Patti
I love the little pattypan squash that grows on a small bush. They are so good when really tiny. Cold or cooked. They don't take up much room.
Polly, I will look pattypan up. I love those, but have never grown one. Thanks, Patti
I used to have a cold compost pile. It does take a long time. The hard part is that I don't have many spots that get full sun.
The landscaper finally came and took the leaves away last week. Wow, that's expensive. I want to have mulch put down now. I might have to have him do that too as I don't have time on the weekends. I must admit that it's alot easier with the garden asleep.
Amen to that, Anita.
Anita - when you spoke about sun were you thinking the compost bins would have to be in full sun, all day? They don't. Any exposure but north would do just fine.
Victor - how about growing some Sugar Snap Peas - the sweetest!
http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=5231&PrevMainPage=textsearchresults&scChannel=Text%20Search&SearchText=peas&OfferCode=V1H
Growing them on a trellis won't take up much space and the peas are wonderful raw, quickly steamed, in salads, etc. I'll add a photo of the trellis as we grow them.
Patti - I really enjoy your posts! Hysterical sex with pumpkins!
Might give it a try, Pirl. Thanks.
Cukes can be grown the same way but they have a bad habit of sprawling unless you check them daily and that becomes a chore when they're growing with the summer heat.
Pirl, is that just copper pipe (with rebar) for your trellis on the sugar snaps? Looks like a winner for me too.
Polly, I found this pattypan which seems like it would be ideal for a small space from parks too.
http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10101&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=5677&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=Vegetables%20AS&SearchText=p16.v231;s1.Squash&OfferCode=V1H
Please be very aware it is not me that is out there being kinky in the pumpkin patch, but my DH. He grows snake gourds too. Patti
Yes, Patti. We also use the copper to make a mesh covered tomato "room" within the tomato garden to keep the crows frustrated since the scarecrow is only for show and doesn't scare any birds.
You can be kinky, Patti, we won't tell a soul.
That looks really good, Patti. I've only ever had the yellow and green. I might have to try that one, too.
OK Victor has opened up a can of worms, a good thing, with this vision thing. And Pirl's picture whetted my appetite.
We use to have in the late 80's a very productive vegetable garden with raised beds and lots of big trellis which we abandoned as there is a great farm stand just down the road owned by friends and I was then working in Vt a great deal of the time during the summer so it was not practical.
I could with a great amount of work haul all those timbers and the great soil in those beds up to the site that we are now using. The old veggie bed is not in the part of our property that we have now put a deer fence around, so it is plagued with deer as the fence we used in the old days was mostly useless. So I need to revisit my options as you all have my veggie juices flowing.
1. Move the timbers, dirt and trellis with DH help to new spot and expand and improve it.
2. Put a new fence around old bed and do a lot of brush and tree clearing to create better light for the old bed.
3. Do a combination of the two and have two improved beds
I will have to go out a take a hard look at the old bed, but not today. Cold outside and I am still working on my seed orders. I am thinking I may do #3 and plant things like potatoes, leeks, and fall crops in the old beds and use the other for things that need more constant attention and harvesting.
Regardless, I think my visions for 08 have now taken total shape.
I will do the major pruning around the edges of the property and the woods.
I will do some minor enlarging of a couple of beds. My beds don't really need to be larger, but the shape of a couple are unpleasant when viewed in the winter from the second floor. I never noticed this until this Nov when I was trying to envision where to plant my zillion bulbs. Some have innies where they should have outies.
I also will finish clearing a new spot to move our boat storage to, which is the most major annoying thing to me about our property. And most importantly, I will get DH to move his boats to the new spot.
I will do the veggie garden change/improvement.
I also want to add better fence post to part of the deer fence. Boring and expensive and my back already hurt thinking about digging those post holes.
Last thing is to rent a big chipper and clean up all the storm damage piles from this fall and the new piles I will make while doing the March brush clearing and pruning.
The end. Thanks, Victor. Now that my vision is posted it shall be done. I hope. Patti
Geez - your vision made me tired!
Victor, I just read the "Vision 08" list of things I want to do to DH. His eyes rolled, but there was not a "NO WAY" emitted. He is concerned that we have a nice cedar coming up smack dab in the old veggie bed. And he scoffed at the idea of moving the raised bed timbers. They may be too gone to reuse. So I think we will come up with something that works. He actually likes projects once I have started them, maybe just to get them done. Perhaps I can move his porn pumpkin patch to the old bed and that would give me lots of room for more veggies. Yummy. Truly thanks for starting this Vision Thing. Helpful. Plus it so much fun to see what everyone is wanting to do. Patti