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…
Mycorrhizae (plural for mycorrhizal fungi) are ubiquitous in garden soils. People often see the long thread-like filaments entangling flowers and vegetable roots and mistake them for plant roots. Let’s take a more detailed examination of the use and benefits of these good fungi. Adding granular or water-soluble mycorrhizae inoculant to the soil immediately after transplanting…
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?
As organic gardeners, we have a duty to protect our health, our plants’ health, and the environment – but this is no easy task. Plenty of unwanted bugs and microorganisms come to feast on our vegetables. While a few of them are acceptable, we need to take serious measures when we’re dealing with infestations. Organic…