Earthly Garden

Composting is the best way to make your own top soil and to add fertilizer to your own garden or flowerbed as well. You can make compost in as little as ten minutes a week.

With The Earth Machine the idea of composting is as easy as it could possibly get. Your scraps are added to the top, while the black color of the composter heats the container up and allows for the production of soil to be available to you at the bottom through a hatch.

Composting is nothing new to anyone who gardens on a regular basis. Composted soil allows for plants to gain the nutrients and minerals they need to grow strong and supply us with the beauty or food we seek from them.

The Earth Machine offers a ten year warranty along with locking lid and harvest door that helps to keep pests out. It easily mounts to the ground so the unit won’t tip or turn over and defeat the purpose of soil harvesting later.

The Earth Machine offers side vent holes to allow for air circulation and help speed the process of break down on the additions through the weeks.

If composting is something you have put off because you thought it was troublesome or you are skeptical, give The Earth Machine a chance. You can pick up one of these awesome composters through you local municipality through the following link here.

The Earth Machine well help you gain a new look approach to composting and it’s in a sleek container that won’t be an eye-sore near your garden or home.

When we compost we create a great soil product that cant be used for plants and flowerbeds and even on the garden as well. Keeping the compost soil is rather easy, even if you don’t have the space. Here are some tips to keeping your own worm bin.

1. Container: Almost any container can be used as long as it is size appropriate for the amount of food you plan on placing in the container. Make sure it has proper air holes too. Aeration is important for the break down of the compost and for the worms as well. Contact a local nursery to find out what will work best with what you are wanting.

2. Bedding: The bedding should be kept to fresh items such as vegetable scraps, fruit peels and pulp, coffee and tea grounds and filters and even bread. Make sure that they are all clean and free of spreads and such. Do not add meat, fish or daily products. Eggs are okay but never add pet waste from dogs or cats. If you cut the parts up into smaller pieces it will help speed the process of break down up.

3. Location: During the winter, you can keep the bin inside under your kitchen sink or in your garage, but during the summer you can keep it outdoors, just make sure it is in a shaded location so the bin contents don’t get too hot.

4. Harvesting: Dumping all the contents out on a tarp and sorting through what is good and what needs to continue to be broken down is the best way.

We have all heard of compost and all-naturally created compost is best for planets, but have you heard of compost tea?

Compost tea is made up of simple compost soil and water and allowing it to sit for long periods to gain beneficial bacteria that plants simply love.

The purpose of compost tea is to help rebuild soils structure and improve drainage within the plant, help to stimulate root growth, reduce shock on the plants, stimulate flowering which in turn will produce more fruits, and it can help ease the stress on plants as well.

The most beneficial aspect of compost tea is the fact that it can protect a plant or flower from insect damage and disease.

You can make your own compost tea at home and use on your plants everyday. Here’s how.

What you will need to make your own compost tea:

5-gallon bucket with lid
A small aquarium pump with small hose
Water
Compost (make sure it is compost with kitchen scrapes and cuttings)
Drill

Fill the bucket with the compost half full then add the water till it reaches the top if the bucket and stir to mix together. Stir the contents for about 3-5 minutes ensuring complete combining.

With the drill, punch a hole into the middle of the lid, large enough for the hose to fit through but not so big that air will escape rapidly. Fit the hose through the hole and place the lid on top of the bucket. Plug in the pump and allow to sit for a 24 hours in the sun.

Remove the lid and dip out the tea. Most of what is made is a tea from the compost, but it also contains good bacteria. Pour your liquid into a spray bottle or watering can and pour away.

With some time, kitchen scraps and earth worms you can have your own eco-system right under your kitchen sink. The soil that comes from this eco-system is better then any on the market or that your money could buy you.

Here is the process you need to follow to get your under-the-sink composting started.

The first thing you need is a container; here I have used a circular container that has a removable lid. I had my husband drill holes all around the container. You need air to circulate throughout the container and your definitely need air to circulate through whatever you add to the container as well.

Next you need to use newspaper and shred the paper lengthwise to create strips and place them in the bottom of the container. This will help the breakdown of whatever you end up adding to the container from your kitchen. Stay away from newsprint with thick coloring and also stay away from flyer ads. They tend to be thicker in paper and don’ break down as quickly.

Next you are going to want to add kitchen scraps and soil. You need to make this soil free of everything. Don’t take soil from your yard or garden, go out and buy a small bag of organic and quality soil. Ask a local nursery or gardening center which is the best. You may end up spending a bit on the soil, but it’s worth it in the long run.

Now add your worms. You can purchase these through a local mail order or just dig them up right in your own flower bed or garden. Don’t put a lot in at first. Allow the first batch to get accustomed to the new living conditions.

Place the finished container under your sink and add your kitchen scraps to it instead of throwing them in the trash. Turn the compost contents every week to help things break down faster. By keeping this composting container under your sink you will have quality soil come spring.

Trouble getting your compost to break down quickly? Try heating it up! Hot compost breaks down faster and kills wed seeds and many disease pathogens, as well. You will get results in weeks, rather than months or even years. Here are some easy ways you can help heat your compost pile:

1. Laying an old vinyl-coated pool cover or black plastic tarp over the top of her compost pile keeps in heat and moisture. This will help it heat up faster, especially when the sun hit’s the pile during the day.

2. By adding a layer of small tree branches-1/2-inch in diameter or less-to the middle of the pile provides oxygen, an important ingredient for quick cooking compost. If you don’t have tree branches, try 2 x4 or any type if wood to raise the pile and provide air to flow through the pile.

3. Cut up large pieces before adding them to the pile-small stuff breaks down more quickly. Adding leaves is a great way to get the process going and helps speed up the break down.

4. Large piles hold more heat, so make yours at least 3 feet tall, wide and deep. Be sure and throw in random kitchen scraps from time to time as well.

Mulch is a great way to conserve water and keep weeds down without chemicals. But it’s expensive if you have a big garden. You won’t have to spread s such a thick layer of mulch if you put down a two-to-four-sheet layer of newspapers. These days most or printed with ecologically friendly soy ink. However, it’s still a good idea to stick with the black and white pages. Colored ink sometimes contains heavy metals, so you can’t trust those color ads that come along with your morning paper. Not sure what king of ink your local paper uses? Call the newspaper office and simply ask.