In his frustration with our recent failure of a garden, my husband is trying to figure out how to improve the soil for next year. His current idea, which we haven’t yet tried, is to save up veggie scraps and throw them in the blender with some water to pour into the planters.

I understand why he wants to do it – the nutrients should break down much easier in that form and improve the soil pretty quickly, but yuck! I’m trying not to think about what that could do to the blender, which we regularly use to make smoothies.

It’s a good blender… better be considering the price he paid for it back in college. One of the ones you see at fairs. Yes, good old VitaMix.

This wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that a new carafe would cost at least $100. Yes, I just went and priced them over at Amazon.

I’m thinking that I’m going to have to keep the scraps in the fridge for this one. No way I’m going to let disgusting, moldy scraps go into that blender. But if we keep things fresh it might not be too bad.

My other thought is to buy some cheap blender and let him use that. The current budget really doesn’t have room for unnecessary purchases, but I’d rather buy a cheap blender than effectively destroy the one we’ve got.

However, I do understand this can be quite effective. Takes something like a month for things to be ready for planting, so if we keep this up during the winter we might actually have some good soil by spring. Sounds good to me.

For those of you wondering how to make green soup for your garden, take one part compostable foods to four parts water and blend. Just make sure you think about how you’re cleaning up after.

Technorati Tags: compost, blender, vitamix, green soup

My personal favorite source of fertilizer is the compost heap. Everything that goes into your compost heap is something that could have ended up in the trash. Then you add in the fact that you don’t have to buy the compost and you have a great deal.

However, other fertilizers can be necessary for other reasons. You may not have a compost heap, may have started it too recently or you need something in your soil that compost can’t provide.

Manure makes a great fertilizer when used correctly. It can cause problems when used incorrectly. It can also contain many weed seeds, a major issue for most gardeners… and then there’s the stench and the flies that are attracted if you use raw manure.

To use fresh or raw manure, you need to mix it with soil. By itself it will keep your seeds from germinating well. However it is a relatively cheap option.

Composted manure can be used at any point, and you also have the option of dehydrated manure.

Bone meal is useful when your soil needs more phosphorus. Adding bone meal helps growth and does not burn seeds, so you can add it immediately. It’s great for potted vegetables as well. It is relatively expensive.

On the other hand, if you can wait a long time for the phosphorus to be added to the soil, granite dust is an option. It takes around 4 years to break down, so there is something of a wait for the benefit, but if you’re looking at the long term this can be a good thing. When buying granite dust make sure it is for the garden, as some kinds can contain aluminum, which is bad for your soil. Phosphate rock is another good option.

If you have acid soil or need both phosphorus and potassium, wood ashes are a great option. Ashes are alkaline, so they help to neutralize acid soil. They contain very little nitrogen, however.

Finally, consider a green manure. Plant alfalfa, clover, buckwheat or fenugreek, depending on your needs. Their roots help to fix the nitrogen in the soil. The timing for planting these depends on which variety you are using. Some can be planted in the fall and cut down in the spring, while others have a shorter growing period. Plow them under three weeks before you would like to plant your regular garden.

A good fertilizer works wonders for your garden. You don’t have to spend a fortune to make your garden grow beautifully.

Technorati Tags: garden, compost, fertilizer

Have you ever considered farming your own worms? It’s actually not that hard.

You can buy a worm farm that will help you to grow your own worms. Alternatively, you can use a concrete laundry tub. You will need to remove the plug and cover the hole with a screen to allow for drainage, but otherwise it will not need much adaptation.

To get started, mix compost with some dolomite or agricultural lime, and add to about a half bucket of soil. Add water until water starts to drip from the bottom of the tub. Add your worms. Cover with wet cardboard, as worms love to be wet, dark and moist. You can purchase your starter worms if necessary from a worm breeder or your local garden supply.

Keep the farm moist, but not so wet that your worms drown. Add compost regularly, along with a spoonful of the dolomite or agricultural lime. To make the compost easy for the worms to eat, you may need to use a blender. Worms love household scraps, with the exception of meat, onion and citrus. A coffee can with a good, tight sealing lid, can be a good place to keep the scraps for a short time… but if you have a compost pile you may be more comfortable just taking the scraps out of the house immediately.

Softer food, such as old potatoes and fruit, can just be placed on the top for the worms to eat. Worms also enjoy old, shredded and soaked cardboard. Make sure you avoid anything in the onion family, as the worms really cannot stand the oils from them, and will try to get out of the farm.

You can set up a second farm much as you did the first. Then plug the drain and fill the first about halfway with water to encourage the worms to move to the top. Take the ones you need for your garden, moving the rest to the second tub. The first tub now has excellent fertilizer for your garden.

Repeat this process monthly, and you will have marvelous organic fertilizer for your garden, saving the trouble of using chemicals. It’s better for your garden, better for you and better for the planet.

All kinds of things can go in your compost heap – grass clippings, fruit and vegetable peels from your kitchen, leaves and so forth.

After some time in your compost heap, all these things make a marvelous fertilizer for your garden. You can save money on fertilizer by taking a little time to compost things you would otherwise be throwing away.

The basic compost heap is just a pile of things somewhere unobtrusive in the back yard. This works well enough, but there are ways to speed up the process. You’ll also keep it from stinking, which is one of the factors that keeps many people from doing their own composting. No one wants their back yard to stink.

You can stack up the materials you use to make your compost heap, so long as you don’t overdo it. Oxygen is required for proper composting, so if you make your pile too deep some of the materials won’t decompose. Also moisten the pile regularly, as this helps to move things along. If you really want to go at it, get a pitchfork or even a shovel and flip things over, so that everything has it’s best chance to decompose.

Compost heaps don’t have to be just a heap on the ground. You can buy equipment to help your compost heap decompose properly. These also make it easier to work with your pile.

Composting isn’t for everyone. You need a place to put it and you have to work it right to keep the smell down. But once you’re good at it, you’ll love what you’re doing for your garden and the planet, simply by not throwing away things you can compost.