What?!?
Let me assist you...
Today's blog is brought to you by the letter C for compost, sometimes referred to as 'black gold' for gardens; and the number 3, as in how many Tylenol with codeine it takes to 'knock out'* the pain of a killer migraine.
*And by knock out, I mean ease enough to get up and walk around, despite being a total space cadet. Sadly, as I write this, I can feel the pain creeping back.
*And by knock out, I mean ease enough to get up and walk around, despite being a total space cadet. Sadly, as I write this, I can feel the pain creeping back.
Better? :)
Killer Migraine--we meet again
Today I had a killer migraine. Damn I feel like I say that a lot. It began Friday [yes, as in last Friday May 27th], had its ups and downs, and hit peaks Friday, Wednesday and today. I told John [my husband in case I have not mentioned that before...whoopsie] that I was at the point where I was going to bash the left side of my head into the wall. No lie. And it's been three months of that. I'm beginning [slow child here] to realize what a physical and mental tole it's taking on me.
My doctor finally gave me something to ease the intense pain. T#3, we meet again. My first encounter with this narcotic pain "hider" was during my second pregnancy. Yes, you heard me correctly. I was prescribed it because...get ready...I separated my pelvis. Oooooohh!!!! Yes, it was as horrible as it sounds. More so, the pain was increasing my blood pressure, a dangerous thing for a woman eight months pregnant. So they gave me T#3 and told me to take it. Chyeah, I said...OK...they then yelled at me because of the BP again, so I took it as sparingly as possible, resting as much as one could with an 18-month old little girl :)
Today it took 3 T#3 [haha] in the course of the afternoon/evening to rid me of the pain of my migraine just enough to go to the one place I know always makes me feel better--my garden <3
**happy sigh**
Black Gold--they love that shit
As mentioned in previous blogs, this season I took a great interest in reading garden-related materials [mainly due to pain/boredom] and learned a great deal. This includes things like how to properly trim back my plants to optimize growth, laying burlap down to protect from cold and coffee grounds to protect from slugs, and the value and environmental importance of compost.
I've read a lot about compost and the practice before. I just never got around to really trying it. This year, I had everything I needed and was determined that it was worth the initial and continual [although minimal] time investment. I'll take you step by step in terms of what I did, what you can add, and what you can use it for!
I am apologizing, but not really, in advance for the setup of the information...I'm a biology major, teacher, and general wanna-be-scientist. The scientific method, for me, seems the most natural and logical way to organize the information I want to share.
Nerd alert!!
How to Compost at Home!
Purpose
Compost, sometimes called 'black gold' for the garden, allows you to place and return crucial nutrients and organic matter into your soil for your plants. Plants thrive on nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, and other macro and micronutrients. As they grow, they leach them from the soil and use them to grow into cripsy beans, juicy tomatoes, and 110 pound pumpkins. Creating compost allows you to have a source of nutrient-rich food on hand to supplement the soil. Composting at home allows you to take advantage of the sacred three-R's: reduce, reuse, recycle. Reduce a portion of your waste by composting. Reuse old containers for composting. Recycle waste and nutrients with composting.
Materials
Storage: I used an empty 5-gallon container [from salt for winter]. It's perfect for small batches and gardens like mine. In theory, as long as you have access to it and can dig around to aerate, you'll be fine. Many people with space have a designated area that is fenced/marked off. The benefit of a closed container for small homes/properties is that it reduces insects, smell, and general messiness.
Starter: If you are beginning from scratch, it can be helpful to have a base or starter to aid the volume of and shorten the time to usable compost. If you have access to organic compost, full or half-rotted, or can borrow from a fellow organic gardener, you are already ahead of the ball game! If not [that was me], there are still things you can do to help yourself. I began with some organic potting soil; it tends to be full of perlite as well as fast and slow-degrading organic matter. To that, I added some hummus and manure [PS--I know this is nasty, but I seriously enjoy the smell of it. It's so earthy and pungent {stings the nostrils} and reminds me of gardening. Love it! Hubby hates it]. Please note I did not just follow the neighborhood dog around and scoop his poop. Eww. First off, any manure you add has to be from an herbivore. You know, primary consumers...leaf eating animals...moo, cluck cluck, neigh, that shit--literally. And what I added was a mix that was already fully 'cooked', so the smell is not insane and it is all ready to add nutrients to the compost.
Abiotic factors: Oh yeah, busting out the biology terminology. In essence abiotic factors are non-living factors that affect/surround us; examples include wind, water, sunlight, and temperature. Your compost pile needs some of these: mainly air and water. Air is important to aid in decomposition of the matter. Water is important to help the living creatures as well as aiding in making a rich compost. Too much water is not good; the benefit of a container is that you can regulate that. I usually crack the lid on my container every so often [like, when I remember]. I also mix it up manually with a hoe and trowel. And, to destress, I tip it on its side and roll it around. I love composting!
Meat & Potatoes [figuratively, see note below]: There are two basic components to add to your compost-green and brown. Each color adds specific nutrients and properties to give you a bangin' special treat for your loves.
Green: these should be soft and moist, they add nitrogen to the compost, includes:
- NO MEAT, DAIRY, OR GRAIN [promote rot, disease, and evil bacteria]
- Veggie scraps cut up [to aid in speed]
- Perennial/annual scraps from your garden [nothing diseased/rotted]
- Fruit peelings chopped into bits and hidden in deeper, dry compost [inhibits insects]
- Grass clippings [free of chemical treatment]
- Coffee grounds/tea bags
- Cow poop, 'old' [fresh manure inhibits earthworms/good bacteria]
Brown: think dry, woody materials, they add carbon to the compost, includes:
- Hedge trimmings, shredded [slooooow decomposers]
- Leaves, with 'greens' and/or separately [sloooooow decomposers]
- Straw or saw-dust
- Egg shells, crushed [slooooow decomposers]
- Paper, sans color/gloss, shredded aerates and the earthworms love it]
Procedure
Try to add an equal amount of greens and browns to get a nice mix of nutrients. Notice that a lot of the browns are slow to rot. This is because as carbon-adders, they must get down to very basic molecules in order to add the carbon; that takes time. Be patient. I tell my daughter that she must be patient with her sunflower plant when she asks why it's been 5 years [more like days] since she planted it and it's not ready yet.
"Gardening takes and develops patience"-Sara Borders
I have a small, plastic container [again, recycled--former life as a sherbert container] that we keep on the kitchen counter. John dumps our coffee grounds in there every morning [and evening if/when we make decaf]. I add fruit scraps from the day with the kids. When the container is full, we take it out in the morning or evening [less heat and insect activity] and add it to the container. The kids love to add the stuff in and mix it up. They even help kick it around. It brings the kids outside for fresh air and a fun experience in the garden. It also shows them how we can reduce our waste, how natural materials decompose, and the importance of nutrients to plants.
Data/Results
OK...so below are some links you may find helpful!
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| My compost. And yes, that is a child's Dora shovel. It's wonderfully small, which allows me to creep in between twining, poky pumpkin plants and lustrously leafy bean/potato plants. |
So remember to water minimally; you want to keep it moist, but not wet. Aid on the dryer side of caution if you feel uncomfortable. You'll get the feel for it. Aerate through mixing or allowing air to flow over the compost. Add kitchen and garden scraps, balancing between green and brown. Above all, be patient and make it a positive experience for yourself and your family!
Conclusion
Composting is awesome!!!
Peace out, gardening scouts--my medicine is severely kicking in...
OH!! Wait!! The coolest thing so far about my compost pile?? When I dug out scoops of it for the plants, I noticed at least a 10-degree difference between the cool, breezy outside air and the warm, rotting material air in the container. Decompositon is pretty cool, folks. Don't believe me?!? If you can stomach it, check out this insanely awesome place called The Body Farm [oddly, I'm listening to Paul Simon's Body Gaurd right now...You can be my body farm...]. By the way, this link has noooooooothing to do with gardening and everything to do with dead, rotting bodies in all different environments--neat!!!
Nerd alert!!
Nerd alert!!
Your vocabulary terms for today:
Compost
Perlite
Herbivore
Abiotic
Um...yeah...let me get back to you one those...
One love,
Sara :)
Compost
Perlite
Herbivore
Abiotic
Um...yeah...let me get back to you one those...
One love,
Sara :)
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