By: Vicki Duong

Summer’s just around the corner and you know what that means – barbeques, family gatherings, picnics, beach parties, and even more barbeques! This is the time of year that all your good dishware and silverware stay in their cupboards and drawers and you utilize nothing but disposable plates and cutlery. But did you ever consider how much waste that adds up at all the landfills? So many plastic utensils end up piling up landfills and aren’t being recycled, because who would even think to recycle that? A better alternative that does the job and is good for the environment that’s now catching on in the market is biodegradable cutlery.

Made from corn starch and other biodegradable “plastic” fillers, eco-friendly utensils are on the rise in popularity. Contrary to belief, they will not fall apart on you if you use them in hot items like soups, and they will not break if you use them in cold foods or desserts like ice cream. Biodegradable utensils work like their normal plastic counterparts; the only difference is that they won’t pile up in landfills and can even be used in your compost bins.

For the avid gardener who likes to compost, these eco-friendly utensils can be highly beneficial to your garden. After you’re done using these utensils, toss them into your compost bin or heap instead of the trash can. In most cases, the packaging that the utensils come in is also biodegradable, which means you can add that into your compost bin, too.

Since they’re made out of corn starch and other eco-friendly materials, these biodegradable utensils will not harm your compost heap, adding to your nutrient-rich compost. Do keep in mind that if you plan to toss these utensils into your compost bin that it can take anywhere from six to 18 months for them to fully decompose.

So the next time you’re planning your big summer barbeque or food outing, consider using the eco-friendly alternative versus the regular plastic ware. Not only would you be reducing waste at landfills and giving back to the earth’s soil, you’ll feel good knowing that you’re doing your part to protect the earth while enjoying the barbeque.

By: Vicki Duong

Composting for your backyard garden or for your indoor plants is a healthy and beneficial process for your plants and the environment. For those who want to start the fun and fruitful process of composting, you have to be sure to keep in mind the good stuff you want to put into your compost. If you’ve read my earlier article Blacklisted Items to Keep Out of Your Compost, then you should already be well aware that things like bones, meat, wood ash and pet waste can be very harmful to your compost and garden. This article will explain to you what you should include in your composting and how it’s beneficial to the overall process.

When you’re ready to begin composting, whether it’s in a compost bin, tumbler or even out in the open, be sure to include these excellent ingredients to make your ideal batch of compost. Food scraps are a great and easily accessible source of waste for composting mainly because every single household produces it almost daily. Scraps like fruit rinds, old vegetable leaves and stalks, and even coffee grounds make for excellent composting. Coffee grounds are especially rich in nitrogen and work as activators, generating heat and exciting microbes to keep the decomposing process moving. But remember, and I can’t emphasize this enough, never ever throw in any meat, dairy products, grease, oils and/or bones; these items will not compose properly or take too long to do so. They also smell bad and will attract rodents and other wildlife.

Animal manure is a great source rich in nitrogen that also works as an activator, which is always a bonus for your compost. The best stuff comes from grass eating animals like llamas, cows, chickens, sheep and rabbits. Never ever throw in any cat, dog or human waste into your compost because for one thing, that’s just disgusting! More importantly, pet and human manure carry all sorts of diseases, parasites and who knows what else, and you wouldn’t want that in your garden.

Leaves, grass clippings, dead plants and seedless weeds make for great composting ingredients. Leaves are especially great for composting because of their versatility; if they’re dry then they’ll release carbon and if they’re fresh they’ll release nitrogen in your compost. The same can be said about grass clippings. Weeds can be kind of tricky but as long as you carefully inspect that none of the weeds are ready to seed and are free of any pesticides or poison, you should be set. Other items like straw, hay, hair and even lint also make for good composting ingredients; talk about recycling!

Always keep in mind that as long as long as you include the aforementioned items and avoid the bad stuff, you’ll achieve the ideal black gold soil for your garden through this fun and organic process.

*Referenced from Home Composting Made Easy by C. Forrest McDowell, PhD and Tricia Clark-McDowell, 2002.

By: Vicki Duong

As a butt kicker of all things that stand in his way, Chuck Norris needs a bit of rest and relaxation time every now and then. How does he relax, you ask? He composts – bad guys? No, he composts for his garden. Though it’s not uncommon to find a villainous evil doer in his compost heap or spinning around in his compost tumbler!

Back when Chuck was enjoying his temporary hiatus from Walker, Texas Ranger (it’ll be back, just you wait and see!), Chukie decided to spend some quality time getting back with his green self. He achieved this by tending to his mother’s rose and pansy gardens. Well, the Season 6 villains from Walker caught wind of his environmentally friendly activities and decided it was time to end it with him by feeding him into a chipper shredder. Since nothing gets past Chuck Norris, he was well aware of the Season 6 villains’ plans.

The morning that they arrived, they found Chuckie laboriously watering his mother’s flowers with his back turned to them. As they crept in for the kill, Chuckie was able to swiftly roundhouse kick two of them and send them sailing into a rain barrel! The remaining four stood stunned in disbelief until they were knocked to the ground by Chuckie’s iron fist and knee. One managed to back flip back onto his feet, but not for long for Chuckie wouldn’t allow it. In a graceful, Matrix-like fashion, Chuckie dropkicked him – right into an Expandable Worm Tower where he was overcome by voraciously hungry night crawlers.

Three down and three more still standing – Chuckie wasted no time. Using his wit and no-holds bar technique, he grabbed two of the Season 6 villains by their ankles and swung them into his poison ivy patch (poison ivy is irritating to us mere humans, but Chuck Norris uses it as a skin inhibitor for shaving). The last one refused to go down easy and came after him with a lawn sweeper. How foolish of you, thought Chuckie; you come to fight Walker, Texas Ranger and all you brought was a lawn sweeper?! Saving the best roundhouse kick for last, Chuckie sent him straight into an open compost bin; of course, Chuckie had to dispose of him in the garbage afterward because he was starting to make the compost smell like rotten eggs (an example of what happens when you have too much moisture in your compost).

With all six of the Season 6 villains properly disposed of, Chuckie was able to continue watering his roses and pansies in peace – until the hiatus is lifted, of course.

By: Vicki Duong

I’ve been composting for quite some time now, and I can honestly say that for the first few trials I was having difficulty keeping the area around my compost wildlife and insect-free. Composting is both a science and an art form, and I was foolish to think at the beginning that I could get it down on the first try. I followed all the directions, read all the web forums and even carried the 1 over to the other side, yet I was coming across the same problem: insects and animals were invading my compost! But now that I know better, let me share my experiences with you so that you don’t have to waste as much time as I did on fixing the problem.

First of all, don’t ever place any meat products, fatty foods, oils and bones in your compost bins, compost tumblers, or piles. This is a recipe for disaster since animals are generally attracted to these products and will be more than likely to dig around in your compost. Dairy products like cheese are also considered a no-no in terms of adding it to your compost. Not only do these products get smelly after a few hours, they also do not decompose well so it’s best to just avoid these items all together.

To avoid this situation, be sure to use a tight fitting lid atop your compost bin, better yet, make sure it’s rodent proof. As long as the lid is tight rodents like raccoons won’t be able to jimmy the bin open and feast upon the cut-up fruit rinds and veggie leaves. In addition, remember to turn your compost pile a couple times a week to turn up the heat in your bin so that the organic matter can decompose properly; this will also help in turning off animals from you compost.

Since you’ll be using fruit rinds, vegetable stalks and leaves along with other acceptable food wastes such as coffee grinds, you’re bound to come across the problem of flies and gnats hanging around your compost (this also applies for kitchen composting). Work around this problem by covering up your compost and by adding brown matter (no, not that) to your compost. Yard waste such as dried up leaves, hay, cut-up wood chippings and even sawdust mixed into your compost will balance the nitrogen levels and mask the fruity odors. Using some already made compost or soil will also do the trick.

Learn from my mistakes and take these tips to heart. After all, there’s nothing worse than looking our in your backyard and fining a zoo of animals nosing around in your compost bin like they’ve found the jackpot!

By: Robert

u found my last article on composting informative but there were a few things I didn’t go through last time that I would like to touch base on now. You found out last time that there are basic needs that you need to give for a compost to be productive. Those basic needs are air, food, and water. Now that we have the basics down, and we know how to properly deliver these basics I will now get a little more in depth into what you should and shouldn’t put into your compost. Let’s start off with what you shouldn’t put in your compost bin. This is an area I really could have used some more knowledge in my first time using a fresh batch of compost in my garden. 1) Any wood product that has been chemically treated (pressure treated lumber) should be left out of your compost. When the wood or sawdust from these types of wood get broken down the chemicals that were used to treat the wood leach into the compost and will ruin the garden or plants that you use the compost in. 2) Diseased plants may infect your garden if the compost was not hot enough to kill off all of the disease. So unless you want to play Russian roulette with next year’s garden I would stay away from composting diseased plants. 3) Human and pet waste should never be used in a compost by a back yard gardener. Although possible to effectively compost these materials you take the risk of your pile not being hot enough to kill off all of the diseases that are carried in the waste. There are people who do this type of composting but they are well trained in hot composts and know the temperature and time it takes to safely decompose this type of matter. For the back yard enthusiast I would recommend staying away. 4) Fatty foods and meat waste (including bones) should be left out as well. They will take forever to break down and the local rats and mice may make your compost their new watering hole. If you want to still use these materials you can bury them in your 8″ deep in your garden. This will make sure the little vermin can’t smell and then get at your leftovers. 5) Pernicious weeds can be a particular pest to compost because even if you chop them up really well these types of weeds will still be able to sprout new roots while in the compost. But there is a way. After weeding leave the uprooted weeds in a pile in the direct sunlight for a couple weeks until they are nice and brown. Then they are safe. Remember How I said I could have used some of this info in my first compost bin. I found out #5 the hard way. I chopped up a few morning glories into my first compost and the next season I was pulling dozens of them out of my garden where there was none before. The next thing to learn is what you should put in your compost. 1) Grass is a good material to put in your compost but I have always found it easier to leave it on the ground to help the lawn. But if you decide to use them in your compost make sure to add your grass in thin layers, and mix thoroughly to avoid a slimy layer that will not want to break down. 2) If you want a great material to put in your compost bin, kitchen waste is the way to go. Form fruits and vegetable leftovers, to tea and coffee grounds, this stuff is great to compost. One thing to consider is to make sure your compost bin is secure so this type of waste does not attract the local vermin population like meat products would. Although this type of kitchen waste will break down a lot faster than the meat products will it may still be tempting for a mouse or rat so you may want to think about a bin with a secure top. Avoid milk products as well since this also is a big lure for rats and mice. 3) Leaves can be a great source of material for your compost. Just to think people just rake up and throw away this stuff. If you are feeling energetic why not rake up the neighbour’s lawn too. Think of all the point around the block you could earn with your neighbours. Like grass leaves should be mixed in well to avoid clumping up and turning into a big mat in the middle of your bin. 4) Hay and Straw will make an ideal “Brown” ingredient to your mix. Not only will they supply a good nitrogen source for all the little microbes to feast on but they also help your pile from packing down and not allowing enough air to the center of the pile. Remember when you have a “Brown” ingredient in your pile you will also need “green” ingredients (grass, fruits and vegetables) to make the decomposition go quickly. Thank you for taking the time to read my article on the materials best suited for your compost bin. I will be writing one more article on composting to go along with this and my last one so I hope you will come back soon to check it out.