By: Chris Dailey

If you have been gardening for very long, and especially if you are an organic gardener, you know one of the best mulches or soil amendments that you can add to your garden is natural compost. One particularly good kind of compost is created in worm bin where red worms are added to a mixture of bedding and organic waste. One of the best ways to do this is with what is called a composting bin. Here are a few tips on how to use these special bins in order to get top quality compost every time.

Throughout history, it is common knowledge that any gardeners that use dark, earthy soil as a base for their garden is going to create a healthy harvest in just a few months based upon the nutritional content and texture of the soil. If you’re soil is not so lucky as to appear in this way, one of the best ways to improve its quality, soil fertility, and also to stimulate the health of the roots of your plants that you are growing is to add vermicomposting material created in a worm bin.

Although modern technology is a mainstay for most of us including cell phones, places to live that are interconnected with civilization, and of course the Internet, this modernistic focus has led to farming means that are not natural and can damage the soil that we are using. Using commercial fertilizers and adding inorganic salt based nutrients with inorganic forms of potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen, are ways that most commercial farmers ensure that their crops will grow. This practice has been shown to create runoff with excessive salts and nutrient depleted soils.

With this in mind, it is probably time based upon the amazing amount of organic waste that our modern society produces that we find a way to take all of this back to the farms and our own homes and start creating food that is better for us and more nutritious on not only an individual scale but a global scale. One of these ways is educating people on the use of compost bins.

They are actually very easy to acquire and also economical. Within the soil itself, you would add worms but these are not the only organisms that will be in the dirt aiding the composting process. Organisms such as worms are helps by fungi, bacteria, mites, arthropods, and even insects that will love to live in this dark, moist habitat. The breaking down of organic waste will be accentuated and what will be left is a soil that is light, crumbly and moist and ready to interject into the soil that you currently have.

If you live near a large growth of trees, you can use the leaves as long as you shred them to a size that will compost very quickly. These will provide a natural source of carbon that the worms it is need in the bedding of the soil in order to do their job. Make sure that you do not use live oak trees or even magnolia trees because of the acidic value with in this carbon base that can be poisonous to the worms. If the worms die, so does your composting process.

One other thing to consider with composting bins is where you put the organic material for the worms and how far the worms should be beneath the soil compost mixture when you start out. As a rule of thumb, and most average compost containers, you should place a bout a thousand worms or 1 pound of worms about 6-8 inches beneath the soil, place your organic material on top, and then place the lid on top of the container to begin the process. After a period of two to three days depending upon how many worms you started with and also the amount of organic material that they have to process, this should be a fine start toward the creation of your compost as well as a great breeding environment for your worms.

Although this is common sense, but the more worms you have the better and the more compost you will inevitably make. By taking the profits that you will receive from selling excess worms or possibly excess compost, you can then invest into another container and start the whole process over again with no additional out-of-pocket expense.

So go out and do your due diligence and find yourself an affordable compost bin that will allow you to begin the vermicomposting process. We must all do our part in order to protect ourselves from food that is contaminated by modernistic processes and go back to growing some ourselves which will make us healthier and happier.

By: Warren Peters

Compost is basically organic matter. It is garden debris that is allowed to decay with time and is then put back into the soil as it has a lot of nutrient value and helps in the growth of plants. This process may take months to a year.

If you want to be an organic gardener who is successful then you must learn the benefits of compost. Compost is very useful as it helps in improving the texture and fertility of soil and planting beds and it is a very essential constituent of potting soils and greenhouse. It nutritive value is mainly dependent on the nutrient-containing materials and fertilizers that are added to the piles in the process of decomposition.

The value of compost to the average gardener is difficult to ascertain as an amateur gardener too will in some form or another, use compost. Compost helps plants grow better and keeps them healthy and green. Compost that is nutritive is generally used in the form of rotten manure and compost that is not enriched is humus.

One of the best quality soil used by gardeners contains one-third humus. Humus makes the soil light, airy and spongy, retentive of moisture. In sandy soils that do not have humus, the rainfall washes all the nutritive ingredients and clay soil in the absence of humus will become very hard and impervious to water.

Any materials that are organic and left to the elements will decompose. Grass clippings, old hay, straw, leaves, plant tops and sod are materials that could be use for making compost. A lot of gardeners add humus, that is raw organic materials like weeds to the soil around plantings without composting them.

Adding of raw organic material to the soil speeds the activities of the bacteria and this takes away nitrogen from the soil and causes the leaves of the plants to become yellow. Hence it is not advisable to add raw organic materials to the soil directly.

It is better if weeds are added to the compost pile and then put back into the soil when they have decomposed. Without composting, peat moss and leaf mold can be added directly to the soil, as they are composted already.

There are various methods that are used in the building of a compost pile. The size of your pile will depend on the area that is available to you. An ordinary leaf pile or a number of them may be located at different convenient points in your garden and may be covered with show fencing wire made into a circle.

In two years? time, depending on the climatic conditions, the leaves will become compost with not much effort from your side. This is the easiest method to compost leaves. This leaf compost is an excellent source of supplements for the soil and potting humus. But it is not very rich in nutrients. Oak and beech leaves are acid. They are very good humus that can be placed around wide leaved evergreens that love acid.

By: Dennis Copson

“If your garden was there before you were, chances are it grew out of many others’ dreams.” ~ Ferris Cook

It’s spring which means gardening time again! Time to tuck your plants into their outdoor beds. In so doing, many home gardeners make the critical mistake of sticking their bedding plants into the same old worn out soil they’ve used for years. They dig it up a bit, maybe throw on some fertilizer, and expect their plants to do the rest. I know a better way.

You can make a planting mix from scratch that your plants will love. It is easy and simple to do, takes little time, and is relatively inexpensive. The end result is worth the small effort and minimal cost.

First, begin with a good bagged soil of some sort. It need not be the expensive name brands for which you pay a premium. Just a reasonable quality soil as a base for the rest of the mix. For our project let’s say you buy a 20 quart bag of this product - a common size in most nurseries.

Next, buy a small bag of pure worm castings. You will need 4 quarts – about 10 lbs – for this mix. Ensure you have real, good quality worm castings and not some dilluted product which is commonly on the market. Nature’s Big Bud Worm Castings makes a premium liquid version which can also be used. Worm castings (worm manure) are nature’s miracle fertilizer and soil enhancer. They are organic, all natural, and contain more than 60 beneficial elements your plants need and use in growing healthy, robust root systems, strong stems and branches and beautiful flowers or fruits. Once moistened, they retain water in your soil thereby providing an additional benefit of saving watering time and money.

Buy a small bag of composted steer manure. This is inexpensive and will add nitrogen to the soil in abundance. The key is to not use too much of this in your mix. I am suggesting only 4 quarts.

Finally, you will need one pound of natural powdered Shidigera yucca (Mohave Yucca) to add to the mix. Yucca is another organic, all natural product; it is a wetting agent (surfactant) which makes water wetter. This will allow water to be retained in the soil and will give your plants a quicker way to absorb nutrients from the soil mix. Yucca also contains natural steroids such as saponin which will assist in insect and disease control once your plants absorb it into their system.

You now have the ingredients for success in making a nutrient rich, water retaining bedding plant soil mix. Putting them together is the next step. Dump the 20 quart bag of soil onto a flat clean dry surface. To it add 4 quarts of the worm castings and the 4 quarts of composted steer manure. Next add the yucca extract powder. With a shovel, turn the pile a few times until all the ingredients are well mixed.

This is your planting mix. Dig holes in your garden, fill them with this mix and plant your bedding plants or seeds in it. (This mixture is also ideal for container gardening - nothing better on the market at half the price you pay for prestige brand name products.) You have made a completely organic, all natural, homemade product which will benefit you, your plants, and the environment without using any toxic chemicals. You will be more than happy with the results. So will your plants.

(More info is available at www.naturesbigbud.com)

“A society is great when old men plant trees in whose shade they know they shall never sit”.

By: Amy Nutt

Organic gardening is a chemical-free and earth-friendly method of gardening. Organic gardening and conventional gardening differ on how they control pests and nourish the soil. Conventional gardening uses chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizers while organic gardens use organic means of enriching the soil and organic weed killers and fertilizers.

Organic gardens follow natural practices that include:

Organic Soil: Quality soil is the main component of creating a successful garden. By providing nourishing natural substances to the soil, you will be well on your way to growing healthy plants and vegetables. For an organic garden, it is essential to add natural additives such as organic compost, manure, chopped leaves, and mulches. Before adding natural compounds, you should do a soil test to determine whether the soil has any mineral deficiencies. To improve the quality of the soil, you can add a number of natural products that are rich in nutrients. Natural additives can include organic compost, fish emulsion, and blood meal. If you do not have the time to make your own natural soil feed, there are many natural products available for purchase. Such products that are rich in nutrients include seaweed meal, straw mulch, and worm casts. Making worm compost is a great way to compost organic waste

Organic Pest Control: Every garden will attract pests that will eat some of the plants and vegetables. Conventional gardens use pesticides to control pests. These pesticides contain chemicals that are harmful to the environment, humans, and animals. Attracting or buying bugs that will eat pests such as aphids will help reduce their numbers. Bugs that kill aphids include damsel bugs, lady bugs, and lacewings, and more. There are also organic pest control products on the market. Homemade tomato leaf and garlic sprays will also repel aphids.

Diversifying your garden will help reduce pests. Planting strong smelling herbs will repel plant eating bugs. Birds and insects that feed on aphids will also be attracted to a diverse garden and will reduce pests that harm your plants. To control weeds, there are number of organic weed control products on the market. Removing weeds daily is the best way to control weed infestation.

Crop Rotation: To maintain rich and healthy soil, it is recommended that you rotate your crops. Crop Rotation involves planting crops so that plants and vegetables are not grown in the same spot each year. This will ensure that the soil does not lose its nutrients. It will also reduce the risk of disease. The nutrients left behind from one set of plants can be used by another type of plant the next year. The best way to rotate your crops is to draw a map of the garden that outlines where each plant is located. You can then refer to it the following year to make sure you do not plant the same type of plant in the same location. Crop rotation and growing diverse plants will help deter pests.

The benefit of organically enriching your soil, using organic pest control, and rotating your crops ensures a healthy garden. This method will also attract bees which will result in pollination of the plants.

The biggest difference between organic gardening and conventional gardening is that organic gardens do not use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Successful organic gardening can be achieved by understanding how to create organically productive soil that is rich and fertile, the type of crops to plant that includes the appropriate plants for the particular climate and season, and implementing organic maintenance practices.

Because of the illnesses and diseases such as cancer that are now being linked to chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, more people are turning to organic gardening. Developing an organic garden may seem like a bit of hard work, but the reward of creating a healthy garden will be very gratifying.