When I first started my garden, I had no other option but to place it in the vicinity of a walnut tree. I’d heard they may be toxic to vegetables, but the tree is far enough not to significantly shade or drop leaf litter on my plants. At the end of the season, I have…
Every year, home gardeners toss away tons of old spent compost because, well, they just don’t know what to do with it. Did it go bad after just one year? Can it be saved and refreshed? Buying fresh compost or potting soil is always more satisfying, but not necessary, and definitely not cheap. If you’re…
We’ve all read conflicting advice on what we can and can’t throw in the compost bin. Some people are more cautious than others and avoid composting any diseased plants, seeds, weeds, lemon rinds, and all kinds of materials. Today, we’ll be focusing on tomato plants – are they compostable, and if so, what are some…
You’ve happily built your compost over time and you’re now anxiously waiting to use it in your garden. But right as you’re about to use it, you notice tons of green sprouts popping out of your compost pile, or worse yet, from the garden beds you’ve spread it on. If this happened to you, you’re…
Can you compost diseased plants, namely, powdery mildew leaves? There are a lot of conflicting answers to this question, but maybe this article can help to clarify some of them using a bit of research and, of course, personal experience. First, let’s look at the compost bin and how it works. Personally, I don’t think…
You might be facing this situation: you’ve assembled your first compost heap ever, waited for a few months, and now you’re wondering whether to turn it. Aside from the burning curiousity of looking inside, do you really need to turn compost? Most information out there says you do, but is turning compost the main factor for success?