soil

Spin Bin compost tumbler

June 29, 2010 by Vegetable7 1 Comment

If you’ve been a vegetable gardener for very long, you’ve probably discovered the importance of compost for gardening. Compost improves any type of soil, whether it is clay or sandy. The rich organic materials from compost help increase soil fertility, and also give the soil a more sponge-like consistency that soaks up water, and releases it as plants need it.

What’s not to like about composting, right?

The Spin Bin is a compost tumbler that was introduced for the 2010 season.

Tumblers have both advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages:

Materials are off the ground and sealed away, keeping pests and rodents out.
Easy to keep your materials aerated and mixed — a key to successful composting
Don’t need tools for mixing.
Can be faster at composting, when used correctly.

Disadvantages:

Tumblers sometimes have a smaller capacity than regular compost bins, or piles.
Tumblers don’t always generate as much heat when composting, if the user isn’t skilled.

So although you’ll often see ads for “compost in 14 days!” with various tumblers, it’s unlikely that a regular person will get results like that. Typical results will be several months.

With that being said, I still like the convenience of using a tumbler — especially the pest proof part. I live in an urban area where rats and squirrels are both a reality, and I had trouble with them getting into my regular compost bin. There’s nothing creepier than running into a rat!

And FYI, the best way to avoid rodents if you are composting in a pile or unsealed bin is to make sure any kitchen scraps are buried way down in the pile. If you just throw them on top, it’s like sending a written invitation to every pest in the neighborhood for free dinner.

Vegetable Gardening: What You Need to Get Started

April 30, 2009 by Vegetable7 Leave a Comment

Stan DeFreitas, Mr. Greenthumb, explains some of the items that you might need to get started with your first vegetable garden.

Stan says that you might want to start out with a few garden tools, and a good watering can.

Improving the soil is one of the most important things that you can do if you want to have a successful garden. Mr. Greenthumb recommends adding compost, peat, and perlite (or vermiculite!) to make the soil nice and loose and fertile. You can substitute coco husks, also called coir, for peat moss.

A raised bed garden is a good way to build up your own high quality soil on top of the native soil.

Starter plants are often easier to work with than seeds for beginning gardeners. But seeds are very cheap!

How to Plan and Start Your Vegetable Garden

April 28, 2009 by Vegetable7 Leave a Comment

This terrific Dummies.com video takes you through all the steps you need to plan and plant your a vegetable garden.

You’ll need to find a sunny space, with at least six hours of direct sunlight per day. And you also want a spot that drains and isn’t always soggy. Soggy spots can cause plant diseases and can make your roots rot.

You want soil that isn’t too sandy, or isn’t too clay like. Good quality soil will crumble in your hand. Adding compost is a great way to improve any kind of soil, whether it has too much sand, or clay.

Plant your rows from north to south, so that they get the most sun during the day. Put taller plants against fences or at the north end, so that they don’t shade the smaller plants.

Start your garden small and expand gradually, so that you don’t get overwhelmed and quit.

At your local nursery, they will be familiar with the type of soil in your area, if you don’t know what kind you have.

You can start plants from seeds, or from starter plants. Follow the instructions on the seed packets or the plant label for the time of year to plant for your gardening zone.

Testing your soil, a key to vegetable gardening success

April 26, 2009 by Vegetable7 Leave a Comment

P Allen Smith explains that winter is often a good time to test your soil, since not too much goes on in the garden during the cold weather.

Healthy soil is the key to any kind of successful gardening, so it’s good test yours and make sure it’s healthy and balanced. You’ll learn if the soil is acidic or alkaline, and the NPK levels.

You can take samples of your soil and send it to your local county extension agent to get it tested, but they are often busiest in the spring. So doing it in the winter gives you time to correct any issues, and also beats the crowd.

You can also purchase electronic soil testers that can measure your soil to check the pH, the NPK levels, and even measure how much sunlight you’re getting in a certain spot.