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Containing your compost pile to a fenced area isn't a requirement; you can simply pile the organic material in a large pile in your yard, if you choose. However, the pile tends to look messy and doesn't mature at the same rate because the outer edges slope unevenly. Fencing for your compost pile doesn't have to be complicated; making a simple cylinder out of wire fencing might be sufficient.
Autumn leaves are an excellent source of free material for compost or mulch. Leaves are used as part of a compost pile recipe or alone as mulch material. Compost is a mixture of materials -- including leaves -- that have decomposed into fertilizer. Mulch is material spread as a layer around plants to enrich or insulate the soil.
Mulching shrubs is something that you can do either on their own or while mulching the rest of your landscaping setup. Mulch shrubs with help from a home design professional in this free video clip.
Your morning newspaper and cup of coffee can do more than prep you for the day ahead: They can also help out in the yard. Instead of throwing out old newspapers and coffee grounds, recycle them as compost for the garden. And because coffee grounds and newspaper are very different kinds of compost, you can use them together to create a healthy compost mix.
Mulching vegetables will help make sure that your veggies get the water and nutrients that they need. Mulch vegetables with help from a classically-trained chef with experience in both World class restaurants and private dining companies in this free video clip.
Composting -- it's that mysterious garden activity that you've probably heard about but may have been afraid to try based on a dash of misinformation mixed in with truths about the practice. Understanding the ins and outs of composting, including how to create an optimal compost pile and what add-ins to avoid, will help you make an educated decision about whether you'd like to try composting while putting to bed those myths about the process.
With the increased public interest and participation in recycling, sustainability and going green, many home gardeners are planning their first compost piles. Food scraps, certain paper products, leaves, grass and shrub clippings are all recyclable; when composted, they enrich the soil in a flower or vegetable garden. Using a composting container or following the "old school" method of starting and maintaining a pile in the corner of the yard are matters of preference and convenience.
Mulch provides several benefits for a yard, such as regulating the soil temperature, keeping soil moist for your plants and preventing weeds from staging a takeover of your garden. The two main types of mulch are organic and inorganic. The type that's best for your yard depends on what you want the mulch to accomplish.
Composting food scraps is a healthy way to keep that organic matter out of trash while turning it into a substance beneficial for soil. Several kinds of composting units that contain and process materials are available, and the options depend on the amount of food to be composted and whether or not "brown" matter, such as yard waste, will be included. The units' methods of composting primarily food scraps vary slightly from traditional composting, which layers "green matter" -- plant-based food scraps -- and yard waste. Whichever kind of unit you choose, it is possible to use it in a…
Composting with worms is a great way to give your garden a boost. Not only does the vermicompost produced by worms eating through fruit and vegetable scraps from the kitchen make a wonderful soil addition for your garden or houseplants, but vermicomposting is easy and inexpensive. With some diligence, worm bins can even be used in an apartment without producing an offensive smell.
Worms used for composting, or vermicompost as it is sometimes called, can tolerate a range of temperatures -- after all, the worms' natural habitat is outdoors. Whether you keep the worm bins outdoors during winter or move them to a warmer spot, such as a garage or basement, depends upon the likelihood of freezing temperatures. If freezing or near-freezing temperatures are common, the worms will be better off in a warmer area unless you insulate the bins for overwintering.
Compost is almost magical in the way it improves the structure, fertility and water-holding capacity of any soil. This end product of decomposed organic material can be made in several ways. A carefully constructed compost pile will heat up quickly and complete the composting process in as little as three weeks. A pile of randomly stacked material can take as long as two years to decompose but will still form compost.
Rather than raking up leaves and placing them in the compost bin for someone else to use, you can save the leaves for your own yard. Leaf composting is an easy, eco-friendly method of reusing your leaves and improving your lawn in the process. Preparing the leaf compost as lawn mulch helps the leaves decompose into your lawn more efficiently than just letting the leaves rest where they fall.
Worm compost, also known as vermicompost, results from using worms to break down food scraps and other organic matter. Brandling worms (Eisenia fetida), European nightcrawlers (Eisenia hortensis) or red worms (Lumbricus rubellus) are added to compost, where they consume organic waste and then excrete it in the form of nutrient-rich castings. In addition to its soil enrichment value, worm compost offers other environmental and agricultural benefits.
Plants grow best in moist, fertile, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. Soil conditioners are mixed with the soil to hold water in sandy soils, loosen clay soil and increase nutrient availability and organic matter. Mulch is put on top of the soil to retain moisture, reduce weeds and help moderate soil temperature. If the mulch is organic, it can also improve the soil over time.
Your lawn may appear to be an impenetrable barrier to adding more nutrients to your soil, but it is possible to enhance your lawn with a layer of compost. Compost derived from yard clippings, such as cut grass and leaves, adds nutrients to the soil. Proper composting techniques and application make this soil amendment highly effective for good grass growth.
Composting provides a number of benefits, reducing the amount of landfill waste your family produces while creating nutrient-rich organic material that helps flowers and other plants grow. A number of common foods and organic materials make good compost, including fruit peels. If your compost consists of fruit peels only, however, you may have to deal with fruit flies around your compost bin.
Worms are helpful little creatures. They improve the texture and fertility of soil and can also be used as bait for fishing. Vermicomposting uses worms to turn vegetable scraps into worm castings, which are a real treat for any garden. Worm boxes are easy to set up and maintain, and are an asset to any composting system. But you have other options for compost systems.
Compost leaves and organic matter are a very important part of any vegetable garden for a couple of interesting reasons. Find out how to compost leaves and organic matter with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Rubber mulch needs to be put down in a very particular way if it's going to have any kind of positive affect on your garden. Put down rubber mulch with help from an experienced nursing professional in this free video clip.
Clearing mulch isn't difficult, but it can be time consuming. Find out how to clear mulch with help from an experienced nursing professional in this free video clip.
Cocoa bean mulch can be used in a number of different great ways depending on your preferences. Get ideas for cocoa bean mulch with help from an experienced nursing professional in this free video clip.
One way to reduce a muddy yard is by using your mulch in a few key ways. Find out how to reduce a muddy yard using mulch with help from an experienced nursing professional in this free video clip.
Saving compost in the kitchen can be a great benefit to your yard in the long run. Find out how to save compost in the kitchen with help from an award-winning designer in this free video clip.
Composting a garden with worms is also known as "Vermicomposting." Find out how to compost a garden with worms with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Composting skins and rinds has a number of different benefits that can't be denied. Find out more about composting skins and rinds with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Eggshells are a wonderful source of calcium for your soil. Find out how to properly compost eggs with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Composting with seaweed and leaves requires you to make a few key adjustments to your typical composting process. Learn more about composting with seaweed and leaves with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Vermiform is an effective way of turning your kitchen scraps into wonderful important soil food. Find out how to compost Vermiform with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
When grinding compost, you always need to follow a few basic steps to make sure the process goes off without a hitch. Find out how to properly grind compost with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Garden gourmet composters are a great opportunity to make your soil richer for more nutritious fruits and vegetables. Get garden gourmet composter instructions with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
You can make a compost bin using regular barrels, so long as you have the right tools. Find out how to make compost bins from barrels with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Worm composters need to be made in a very particular way for the best possible results. Make worm composters the right way with help from the owner of Healing Grounds Nursery in this free video clip.
Hay mulching for potatoes always requires you to keep a few specific things in mind. Learn about hay mulching for potatoes with help from the operator of a nursery in this free video clip.
Mulch serves a couple of different purposes, especially when it comes to cucumbers. Find out how to mulch cucumbers with help from a board member of the Ocean View Farms Organic Community Garden in this free video clip.
Brassica rapa -- commonly called turnip greens or field mustard -- grows energetically in a sunny garden. Brassica rapa varieties include roots in purple, white, yellow or green. Plant Brassica rapa in the spring after the soil warms slightly, and they will grow quickly to produce tall greens and tasty taproots. Both the greens and the roots provide tasty food suitable for harvest during the growing season.
In the United States, waste disposal and recycling education are largely left to the consumer. A lack of education and regulation, coupled with hectic lifestyles, mean many biodegradable containers end up in landfills and recycling centers where they cannot break down in the environmentally friendly manner in which they were intended. Biodegradable containers, of organic plant or animal materials, are meant to break down naturally in the proper environment over time. Some man-made biodegradable containers are designed to break down in the same way. Educating yourself on proper disposal of biodegradable containers is one step toward a greener lifestyle.
A compost aerator isn't nearly as difficult to use as it may seem at first glance. Find out how to use a compost aerator with help from an expert with over two decades of experience working in Garden Centers in this free video clip.
The relatively new mulching products that are biodegradable make it unnecessary to pull plastic up from the soil after the growing season ends because they dissolve into the soil. Clear plastic mulch sheets can raise the soil temperature effectively in a growing area, making it possible to plant seeds and seedlings earlier in the spring. Clear mulch can also help suppress weeds without the use of chemical herbicides.
Gardeners living in USDA hardiness zones 9 or 10 can grow papyrus grass in the soil as a perennial plant. If you live in a colder region, you can also grow papyrus as long as the plant grows in a container that you can transfer indoors over the winter. Prune papyrus lightly to keep the plant healthy and thriving in its growing location. With minimal care, papyrus should thrive and grow into a large and showy plant.
A mulching mower may create less work for you and add nutrients to your lawn at the same time. Conventional lawn mowers cut grass blades off at a certain height and expel them through a chute and must be raked up or collected in a bag. A mulching mower chops the grass blades more finely and deposits them back onto the lawn, eliminating raking or collecting. Mulching kits are made for most brands of lawnmowers so that your conventional mower can be transformed into a mulching mower. All you have to do is install the kit.
Composting, a common practice among gardeners and farmers, recycles organic materials to produce highly fertilized soil. As compost matures, it heats to temperatures upward of 140 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat is a byproduct of the bacteria that breaks down the organic matter; this process requires ample moisture and oxygen. When the temperature of your compost pile begins to drop, you must reheat it so the bacteria can continue their work. Reheating a compost pile requires minimal effort and a bit of patience.
Mushrooms are not actually complete plants but the flowering part of a mycelium, a type of fungus that forms colonies and feeds on decaying matter. The reliable way to move these primitive plants is to spawn and infuse them, using a process that corresponds to some extent to vegetative reproduction. Bill Blakaitis, founder of the Mid-Hudson Mycological Society, offers a less complex process for transplanting compost-loving mushrooms that depends in large part on luck for success.
Composting is an effective way to recycle waste, turning yard materials and kitchen debris into beneficial mulch. In turn, mulch improves the quality of soil and supplies nutrients required for plant growth. Mulch also modifies soil temperature, retains moisture, controls erosion and helps keep weeds in check. Start a batch of compost in spring and you'll have mulch ready to use by autumn. A second batch started in autumn is ready for use in spring.
Mulch plays an important role in the health and survival of viburnums. Sweet viburnum is a dark green tree that produces fragrant white flowers in the spring, from which its name is derived. It grows 25 to 30 feet tall and develops a multi-branched canopy. It is used for privacy, by blocking outsiders from seeing into the yard. Full sun, well-drained soil and proper mulching contribute to the health and longevity of viburnum, with certain types of mulch working the best. The better the mulch, the less work needed to keep viburnums healthy.
A living mulch serves multiple purposes in the home garden. When planted over an empty bed, the mulch prevents weeds from invading and replenishes necessary soil nutrients when you finally till it into the soil. Using a living mulch in a planted bed suppresses any weed growth between the desired plants while providing a carpet of green over empty garden soil. Nutrient-rich comfrey leaves improve garden soil as they decompose, making them a suitable choice for dormant bed mulching. The plants are large, so they only make a suitable mulch in planted beds when grown around trees and other large…
The mulch plug, when inserted on the side of the John Deere JS63 mower, recirculates grass clippings back on the lawn to act as fertilizer. When the plug is removed, the mower fills the collection basket with grass more quickly. Inserting the mulch plug is very simple -- you can do it at the start of mowing or midway through cutting, depending on what your lawn needs. Mulching improves the quality of soil and, in turn, the quality of the grass.
Making compost in your own backyard is one way to enrich your garden soil, fertilize your plants and add to potted plants’ soil without going to a garden center. Luckily, compost can be made even in the most urban of settings and is simplified by making a compost tumbler with wheels. Unlike other composters, which require digging to turn the material inside, a tumbler is straightforward to spin, requires little effort and can produce usable compost in as little as three to four weeks.
Mulch is a gardening material that helps discourage weeds from growing between plants and keeps the soil moist during hot, dry weather. If your property has lots of trees and shrubs, you have a good source of free mulch in the form of leaves and other debris. Excluding synthetic mulches, such as black plastic or landscape fabric, any organic mulching material, including wood chips, leaves, grass clippings or sawdust, can be incorporated into the mix. Digging a mulch pit is similar to digging a compost pit, except that you should line the pit to prevent roots from taking hold and…
Mulching mowers allow you to leave clippings in place on your lawn to decay and return nutrients to the turf. These mowers use high lift blades and expanded cutting edges to mulch grass as they cut. The cut grass pieces fall down into the lawn rather than sit on top of it. “Proper mowing practices are essential if a high quality lawn is to develop," according to the Ohio State University Extension. Snapper recommends you cut only one-third of the grass height, use a fast blade speed combined with slow movement, and work when the grass is dry to produce…
