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Compost at the Ready?

All the spring garden questions are coming into Ask Gardenerd this week. Here’s one now:

“Hello! I’m about to start spring planting so I need to amend my soil a
bit. I have a barrel of compost that has been doing its thing for about
10 months. It’s mostly done, but there are still some chunks of leaves. Should I use this compost now or do I need to wait? thanks!“

I’m guessing that your compost set up has been one where you add material to it and let it sit, correct? This would be considered cold composting (which is a misnomer …

Saving Money through Gardening

This morning an article appeared in my inbox from Kitchen Gardeners International that I thought I would share. It felt appropriate to post it because the main question that was asked of those of us who participated in the recent Nightline interview was, “Does this save you money?” While I couldn’t really summarize the ways in which home growing saves me money, this article really nails down an concrete answer. Enjoy!

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Rat-Proof Compost Bin

A new gardenerd wrote in recently:

“Any suggestions [for a rat-proof compost bin]? We do trap and try to control the rats but they just exist and like to
come around compost in our neighborhood.”

There must be a global increase in rats this year. We’ve been seeing an increase in these critters around our community garden as well. I had them nibbling away at my tomatoes all summer. Here are a couple suggestions I can across in my research:

First of all, you will want to make sure that you aren’t composting any animal fats, bones or flesh. Rats are …

Peach Tree Blues – EM Answers

We got a question in this week from a gardener:

“I have a 2 year old white peach tree, and it has peach leaf curl. Is there any natural way to control this? I’ve looked in books and on line and I’ve not found any other way to control it than the chemicals…”

It just so happens that I recently met someone who had a similar problem here in Venice, CA. What they used to improve the tree’s situation without chemicals is something you may have not heard of before. I’m just starting to really learn more about it, so …

Building a Compost Sifter

Back in the middle of winter, we purchased a subsidized compost bin from the City of Los Angeles. Our Bio Stack has been hard at work in the back yard, thanks to my husband’s new fascination with composting. When I say fascination, I mean obsession. He’s become obsessed with adding kitchen waste and yard trimmings to the compost bin at any opportunity. Forget about waiting until there’s enough for a layer of green or brown. Anytime the kitchen waste bucket is half-full, it’s “time to feed the compost bin”. It’s cute actually. My husband has never really been …

First Organic Gardening Class a Success!

Last Saturday, February 23rd, a group of new and veteran gardeners gathered in Mar Vista to discuss one thing – soil. We talked
dirty. Um – I mean, we talked about dirt. I’m talking about the Gardenerd Organic Gardening Series.

In the first class, The Basics 1, we covered all the glorious components of what makes up good soil. We played in the garden, got dirt under our nails, and learned a little about
composting to boot. Everyone took home a 1 gallon plastic bag full of spent coffee ground for their own gardens. Mary walked away with something else …

A New Member of the Family

Yesterday we went and picked up a new member of the family. No, we didn’t adopt a child. We went to the City of Los Angeles’ Compost Workshop and Bin Sale. It was
a very exciting day for us. We’ve been waiting for this moment for many months.

We drove to Burbank, exiting the 134 Freeway at Griffith Park Drive. We found ourselves trailing behind a tanker truck going about 5 miles an hour, so there was plenty to time to take in the
scenic beauty of this expansive park. People were out jogging or walking their dogs, while other folks were riding …