Lazyrus asked:


I’m sure those plastic stickers (with the price codes on them) can’t be good for soil, but how bad do you think they are for plants growing in soil with them?

Thanks!
I just checked an apple and the sticker was plastic.

Maybe some places are smart and ban plastic stickers?

By: Chris Dailey

If you springtime is a fantastic time of the year. It is the time of rebirth of nature and the many plants that you will begin to grow in your garden inside your home or outside. One of the favorite plants to grow at this time of the year all are plants with bulbs. Unfortunately, having a successful encounter with bulbs can sometimes be far and in between because of not knowing how to properly prepare bulbs prior to the planting season. Although the preparation process can be difficult, even more difficult is actually getting the bulbs to begin to grow. Here is a process that I use called the jumpstart process that I use every year with my bulbs and how worm compost can be used as an organic mulch in order to make sure this process is quick and easy.

If you have planted bulbs in the past, you know the process. You wait for your plan to begin to die off. This is shown by the use and flowers falling. You can also determine this by the time of the year depending upon the type of plant you are growing. Nonetheless, once the plant begins to die you begin to help it in its death by cutting back on water and fertilizer to make sure it goes dormant until the next season.

What needs to be done now is a particular planting process that ensures that the is ready to go. Some people will actually take their bulbs and after cutting away the stall, store them in their garage and wait until the following year before they begin planting. Some will also put them in a bag or container and place them in a dark area that is cold. I have a more natural process that I use to ensure that the bulbs are ready to go from day one. Here it is:

The first thing that you do is go out to your garden area and dig a hole in the ground at about 1 foot in diameter and about a foot deep. You will do this for every bulb that you have so make sure that the soil that you are using is either freshly tilled or just simply easy to dig into or you will have a backache by the end of the day. So if you have 10 bulbs, you will need 10 holes. Although you can double up the amount of bulbs that you place in each hole, it is recommended that one is used per hole only. If you live in a warmer climate, you are going to have to dig down another foot or so in order to ensure that the bulb is kept cool over the next several months.

Next your going to need some pots that are going to last a few months underneath the ground. I would recommend clay pots but if you only have plastic and plastic is economical, just make sure that you have enough for each hole. You also need to make sure that each pot has holes at the bottom so that any excess water can drain out if it happens to go in. Place the bulbs in the pots with a very porous mix of potting soil which can simply be soil that you already had in the garden next with worm compost if you have this or potting soil mix that you purchase from the store. Light and fluffy is the goal.

Once you have placed all of your bulbs into the pots, and you have placed in the pots into the holes, you need to cover the outside and top of the pot with soil. Then, and this is where an abundance of worm compost or organic mulch of any kind would come in handy, you pile this on top of each of the holes about a foot or so in height and diameter in order to prevent the soil from freezing where your bulbs are. If you live in a colder climate, you need to add more cover material. Lastly, you need to have a way of finding each of your bulbs as the year progresses. If you live in a very warm climate, this is probably not an issue. However, if you live in an area that has lots of snowfall during the winter season, it is a good idea to use sturdy sticks to mark where your bulbs are so that you can find them in the spring if the snow has not yet melted.

Once several months have passed and it is springtime again, it is time to go out and get your bulbs from the ground. The reason that you place them into pots other than for protection will become self-evident now. Simply dig out the pots, clean the outside off, and bring them into your home. This is the key to jumpstarting your bulbs. Remember that the bulbs have been in the ground and were probably at a temperature of about 40 degrees. Now that it is springtime, and the interior of your home is around 68 to 70 degrees, this instantaneous change in temperature will cause the bulbs began to wake up and start the growing process at an exponential rate because they have been placed into a warmer climate almost immediately which causes a jumpstart to their growth process.

Using these simple steps, you will be able to have reoccurring bulb growth, with very little worries at all. Plus, with the jumpstart procedure, you can fully expect to see blooms in the next few weeks, or at least much faster than you typically see because of this system. If it is already springtime, it is a good time to begin planning where you’ll get your mulch, where you will plant your bulbs, so when time comes again, you will be ready to use this bulb compost jumpstart system.

By: Ellen Bell

One of the biggest complaints people have about composting is that it smells.  And in some cases, this is true.  When organic materials are heaped up in a pile and left to sit, they essentially rot, and we all know that rotting food and plants are going to smell.  But did you know that composting doesn’t have to stink?  It’s true!  In this article we’ll explain the 3 simple steps that anyone can follow to go from smelly to odor free composting.

The first step in odorless composting is to understand the two basic methods of composting: aerobic and anaerobic.  As the name would suggest, aerobic composting requires air, specifically oxygen, to be successful.  Anaerobic composting, on the other hand, is what occurs when the compost isn’t exposed to the air.

The primary differences between aerobic and anaerobic composting are speed of decomposition and odor created.  Aerobic bacteria work very quickly and efficiently.  Compost that’s properly aerated can decompose to a finished product within a month or two, under the right conditions.  Anaerobic bacteria, on the other hand are very inefficient, sometimes taking as long as a couple years to produce finished compost.  Anaerobic bacteria also product methane and sulfate gasses as a byproduct of the composting process.  These gasses are bad for the environment; they are greenhouse gasses that deplete our ozone.  Furthermore, these are the gasses that smell offensive to humans.  When we think of a smelly compost heap, what we’re really thinking of is anaerobic composting.  Aerobic bacteria, on the other hand, do not produce these gasses, thus the reason that aerobic composting results in little to no odor.

One of the best ways to ensure that your compost is aerobic is to use a compost tumbler.  These drum-shaped devices are usually mounted on an axel so they can spin or rotate freely.  The action of the compost turning and tumbling inside the bin aerates the material, providing the necessary oxygen for the aerobic bacteria to do their job.

If you don’t have a compost tumbler, or simply don’t want to invest in one, you can encourage the growth of aerobic bacteria in a regular compost heap by simply turning the material on a regular basis.  You may want to invest in a long handled tool such as a large shovel or pitchfork to make the turning process easier.  Regardless of whether you have a compost tumbler or a basic compost heap, you should aim for turning the material every 2 to 3 days for best results.

The second step in odorless composting is to maintain the appropriate ratio of browns and greens in the bin.  Examples of browns, or carbon rich materials, include dried leaves, shredded paper, sawdust, and dryer lint.  Examples of greens, or nitrogen rich materials, include green grass clippings, vegetable or fruit peelings, cooked rice and pasta, and seaweed or other aquarium plants.  If you get compost bin with too many greens, the material will begin to smell.  This is easy to adjust by simply adding more browns.  In addition to the items listed above, other browns might include peat moss, pencil shavings, shredded paper napkins, coffee grounds, chopped hay or straw, potting soil, nut shells, and tea bags.  Finished compost will also act as a brown material.

The third and last step in avoiding a smelly compost bin is to keep out all meats, eggs, and dairy products.  When the proteins in these items break down, they create an unpleasant odor.  Also to be avoided are any fatty wastes including butter, shortening, cooking oils, lard, and other animal fats.

And that’s all there is to it!  With 3 simple steps, you can change your smelly and slow compost heap into a lean, mean, and odorless composting system that will turn out finished compost in a matter of weeks.  So what are you waiting for?  Begin your odorless composting system today!

By: Daniel Millions

Gardening is an engaging, fun activity that anyone can take up at any point in their life. The benefits to starting a garden are numerous, and after realizing these benefits, one might wonder why they did not start pursuing this hobby earlier. You do not need to have a large backyard or living area to tend to a garden, although having space certainly helps. Gardens can be started in the smallest of areas. The benefits one yields from gardening activities are more or less the same regardless of the size of the garden.

Most people get so lost in the fun of gardening that they forget that it is an inherent form of exercise. The tasks involved in gardening, such as composting, digging, and shoveling, are quite physically involved, and are great ways of losing weight and improving your general health. Since gardening is a near daily activity, the consistent exercise can be nearly as good as going to a gym (and a lot cheaper, too).

The garden is the perfect place for one to fully utilize their creativity. Deciding what things to plant, in what way to arrange them, and how to structure your garden all require creativity and innovation. The time spent researching different plants and learning about them in depth adds another layer of interactivity. Gardening is mentally stimulating and keeps your mind sharp, and similar to the exercise component of gardening, you hardly even realize these benefits. Today’s fast paced world rarely allows for one to openly express themselves, but a garden gives you this much needed opportunity. After a few months of active gardening, you may find yourself at a higher intelligence level than you were prior to starting a garden.

With little exception, most people’s lives nowadays are filled with constant stress and headache. Gardening is a perfectly natural stress reliever that works all the time and makes you feel rejuvenated and overall happy. Even if at the moment you are not participating in a gardening task, just sitting and relaxing out in your garden is enough to relieve you of your worries and make you feel serene. The wide array of colors and structures within a garden calm one’s mind and open it up to the things that are really important in life.

For those that live in an urban setting or sprawling city, a garden may be the only way to connect with nature. Being in a garden requires you to slow down, which is something that few of us get to do very often. Immersing yourself in a garden environment has also been shown to improve your health, both physically and psychologically. In fact, not only does engaging in gardening have beneficial effects, but just looking at a garden is positive as well.

With all of these other amazing properties, it is easy to forget the original purpose of a garden, which is to grow food. Fruits and vegetables grown in a garden are completely organic. Organic food is healthier than alternatives manufactured with chemicals, pesticides, and other unnatural techniques. In addition to the therapeutic benefits of growing food, you will receive additional bonuses from consuming your creations. If your garden is large enough, you may be able to grow enough food to offset the expenses of buying groceries, making gardening an excellent way to save money.

frith25 asked:


What I mean is, it won’t matter since its decomposing right? Would it won’t harm my plants in the spring?