Archive for Composting
What You Need To Know About Rubber Mulches
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Rubber mulches are advertised as economical, effective, and environmentally safe materials for use in landscapes and gardens.
At first glance, it may seem that rubber mulches are an environmentally friendly way of recycling used tires, but further research indicates they are neither effective nor safe.
The chemicals used to produce tires are zinc, cadmium, sulfur, chromium, selenium, aluminum, molybdenum, copper, manganese and iron. Recycled rubber lawn edging and mulch contain extremely high levels of zinc.
It’s toxic: Plants grown in rubber mulch have been shown to accumulate enough zinc in their systems to kill them. And, Read More→
Let Nature Care For Your Garden With Pine Needles
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It is wise to let Nature care for your garden with pine needles. They appear to grace the garden with very little effort on your part.
Pine needles make up some of the most effective organic mulch you can use in your garden. Ever notice how damp the area under a pine tree is, where the needles have landed?
That is because the pine needles are a naturally occurring barrier of water preservation. The waxy coating on pine needles allows water to bead and slide of the needle into the soil.
But, that same waxy coating also prevents rapid evaporation and keeps water beneath the needle layer and in the soil. And, Read More→
Autumn Leaves Make An Excellent Organic Fertilizer & Great Garden Mulch
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Every fall, Mother Nature delivers her bounty of autumn leaves that make an excellent organic fertilizer & great mulch in our gardens.
Fallen leaves contain up to 80 percent of the nutrients that a tree absorbs during the growing season. When allowed to decay on the ground, leaves return their store of nutrients to the soil. In the soil, they’re reabsorbed by the roots and channeled back to a new season of growth.
If you don’t use the annual bounty of leaves, you miss the opportunity to add a rich, natural source of organic fertilizer to your garden. And,
Let Worms Do The Work
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The red wiggler worms are wiggly-knights in shining armor when it comes to their work of creating compost. They work tirelessly to turn all food scraps into rich, black humus for your garden.
Several years ago, when my dad told me that he had taken up worm composting, I was horrified. I didn’t want to look at the worms or take care of them when he was out of town.
Despite their unsavory image, I eventually became fond of worms. I turned to worm composting – or vermicomposting – several years ago. Though I had been an avid gardener for years, hauling garden waste and turning compost piles suddenly became very hard for me.
Compost: Food For The Soil
Posted by: | CommentsCompost is the best food you can give to the soil in your organic garden!
Imagine a diet of just plain water. Or, how about a diet of water and tasteless nutritional powder?
Yuck! It would not leave you satisfied, healthy, or full.
A diet like that doesn’t work for soil, either.
The only thing that truly feeds and satisfies the soil is more soil – in the form of compost. Compost is recreating what nature does when people aren’t around to harvest and clean up.
When leaves fall in the forest or grasses die back in the prairie, they act as mulch; then, as they decompose, they become rich, dark, fluffy soil. Rich, dark, fluffy soil is every gardener’s dream. It is easy to plant in and plants thrive in it.
Compost is Worth Making
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