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Lazy Composting Worked
Excited To See My First Pile Of Compost
I was as excited as one can get about compost tonight when I dug to the bottom of an old compost pile and found compost that was ready to use. For a long time, I’ve intended to start a garden, but never got around to it. As far as I’ve ever made it was throwing some old pallets together into a framework, throwing in grass and shrub clippings, grass clippings, and unwanted pears from the pear tree. I have been just throwing all of that in a pile for 10 years and the pile shrinks enough every year to add more.
First pile of compost
Forgive me for posting about something as boring as a bunch of rotting yard waste, but hopefully it will be the start of some successful gardening posts. Sometimes big things happen from little piles of shit.
Why The Excitement?
I’ve spent much of the winter reading about gardening. One of the first things discussed in any gardening book is compost. They tell you if you don’t have any, go buy it. I have no plans for buying anything but seed, maybe a few started plants, so buying rotting organic matter isn’t in my plans. It turns out my laziness produced the product for free.
Short of a few rules, there’s no right way to make compost.
- Don’t put meat products in it. The closest thing to meat products that is allowed is egg shells.
- Throw everything else organic in the pile.
That’s it for the rules. Anybody can make compost. The only way to improve compost is to speed it up with these methods:
- Mild heat
- Keep moist with water
- Chop contents into small pieces before adding to the pile
- Rotate it and flip the pile occasionally
- Add a variety of organic stuff like kitchen scraps, twigs, leaves, egg shells, manure from plant eating animals, etc.
I didn’t do anything to speed up the process and still unwittingly got results. Good compost is supposed to have:
- Dark brown and black colored matter
- Worms. The more the better.
- It will have a strong smell to it.
- Moisture and heat. These keep all sorts of beneficial micro-organisms alive.
My pile had all of these, so according to the books, stuff should grow in it. Without it, not much would likely grow in my dirt but weeds. The same holds true for most lawns.
Why Is Compost Needed?
The average person is sold on the idea that they need a lawn to have an attractive property. Granted, it looks better than 4 foot high weeds, but I have to wonder, why grass? Sure, it’s easier to maintain than other plants and nice to walk on, but how many folks have grass so nice they don’t want people walking on it?
I was surprised to learn that grass started as a status symbol. The idea was that the more land a person could allow a non-edible crop to grow on, the wealthier they must be. In times where food was scarce, every piece of land was used for growing crops or allowing animals to graze. Only the wealthy had a true “lawn”.
In these times, it’s a laughable thought that people are paying a mortgage to have a lawn. They’ll pay with credit to apply chemicals that make it green too. Those who don’t apply chemicals end up with poor soil that can only support a mix of grass and tougher plants like weeds.
A lawn would be referred to as a monoculture. That’s where you only plant one crop year after year. A lawn has the same problems that large-scale monoculture crops like corn, soybean, and other major crops have. Like widespread disease and depleted minerals in the soil. The chemicals that are spread do nothing more than attempt to kill the diseases and replenish lost minerals in the soil.
For most treated lawns, a vegetable crop simply will not grow. The plants cannot survive in the chemicals in the soil. It takes a long time to treat this type of soil to a point where anything but grass will grow in it. Untreated and neglected lawns are actually easier. Compost can be added to enrich the soil and allow for other plants to overtake any weeds that are growing.
After learning about compost, I noticed in my own neighborhood that treated lawns never have the worms on the driveways and walks after a rain, but mine did. Beneficial worms can’t live in treated lawns either. People scoff at the idea that their perfect and expensive lawn isn’t so perfect, but the worms don’t lie.
Where’s The Proof That Composting Works?
I don’t have any proof yet. That’s the fun part. I’m going to try out what I’ve been reading. It’s obvious from the gardening forums that every gardener has their opinions and beliefs. I’m going to try some of these ideas and get some of my own.
Related articles
- Easy Composting Instructions: 10 Steps (growinganything.com)
- The Environmentally-Friendly Yard and Garden (everydayhealth.com)
- Semi-Raised Bed English Cottage Gardening (romancingthebee.com)
- Composting Basics (growinganything.com)
Obamacare Cost Estimates Off by $17 TRILLION!
HR3590-Patient-Protection-and-Affordable-Care-Act_1 (Photo credit: Obama For America - California)
Congressman Jeff Sessions is claiming that the the claimed costs of Obamacare is grossly underestimated.
I’d believe him too! Sessions is still crazy enough to be worried about Social Security and Medicare, 2 other programs that we can’t afford either. I bet his figures are still under too.
Consider that Obamacare would completely destroy a Treasury Bond. Nobody, nobody is going to invest in this country when they know that the Obamacare obligations are going to clean us out.
After seeing this and so many other claims about the true costs, it would be my assumption that Obamacare was actually designed to destroy our economy. It’s almost inconceivable that so many would support legislation that is certain to crush us. All they needed was a false promise of freebies.
Face of a Serial Killer
This guys’ mugshot should be a lesson for everyone. DON’T get in the truck with a guy that looks like this.
Serial killer truck driver who had a torture chamber in his cab.
An Entire Weekend Working on the Lawn
Up until this year, I haven’t taken much interest in my yard and the a garden was out of the question. In the past, all that I’ve done on my 3/4 acre is clear large amounts of brush every spring, run a weedwhacker, and mow and I never enjoyed any of it. My thoughts have always been that I’ll do the lawn/garden thing when I get older. Older must be here because this year I finally feel like it.
This may be my next purchase. I hate weed whackers
I’ll admit, this is some boring stuff to read about, but it’s all I got right now. Oddly enough, the work was more enjoyable than usual this year. I had to spend a little money on equipment that I needed, but garden tools last a long time. Compared to what I spend on motorcycles, gardening is cheap. The biggest mistake was purchasing a Chinese made hoe that I’ll has no edge at all on the blade.
My Homelite electric mower is dead this year. Considering that new batteries are hard to find and the owner’s manual gives no guidance in the matter, I think I’m going to cut my losses on this mower. For a little more money, I could have bought a good Honda mower that would still be running strong. Lesson learned.
The weeds in my yard last year were over 15 feet at some points. Sad, but true. My weed whacker broke and weeds just did not hit the top of my priority list. This year, I needed a solution. I asked an old-timer what they did before weed whackers and the answer was simply, “A shovel.”. So a shovel it was. The weather broke early and I took these bamboo looking giant weeds down by digging them up at the roots. I removed sod with weeds all over the yard. Now, there are giant piles that I’m not really sure what to do with. I’m not hauling them out, so I’ll try to compost them. If anything, they’ll decompose into something useful or they’ll be hauled away easier. I’m done trucking brush out, so I hope this idea works.
I did get another Black And Decker cordless weed whacker
The next step is to get a small garden started. I don’t know what I’m doing and have no high hopes. I found Sprout Robot, a free website that tells you when the best planting time is for different vegetables. I’m aching all over, so there must be some exercise benefit to this. It’s enough to make one consider just dumping a bunch of expensive potentially harmful chemicals all over the yard to make it perfect and green and forget about. Nah! I’ll keep doing it the hard way.
Related articles
- A Natural Weed Preventer (philadelphia.cbslocal.com)
- Rent-a-Goat weed control: coming to a verge near you… (milkwood.net)
The Worker’s Song – Dropkick Murphy’s Tell the Age Old Story.
“For the worker is working when the fat cat’s about”. A big problem considering America’s elite and recipient class alike have nothing else to do but the skim the cream while the rest work.
Worker’s Song by the Dropkick Murphys
Yeh, this one’s for the workers who toil night and day
By hand and by brain to earn your pay
Who for centuries long past for no more than your bread
Have bled for your countries and counted your dead
In the factories and mills, in the shipyards and mines
We’ve often been told to keep up with the times
For our skills are not needed, they’ve streamlined the job
And with sliderule and stopwatch our pride they have robbed
We’re the first ones to starve, we’re the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we’re always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat’s about
And when the sky darkens and the prospect is war
Who’s given a gun and then pushed to the fore
And expected to die for the land of our birth
Though we’ve never owned one lousy handful of earth?
We’re the first ones to starve, we’re the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we’re always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat’s about
We’re the first ones to starve, we’re the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we’re always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat’s about
We’re the first ones to starve, we’re the first ones to die
The first ones in line for that pie-in-the-sky
And we’re always the last when the cream is shared out
For the worker is working when the fat cat’s about
All of these things the worker has done
From tilling the fields to carrying the gun
We’ve been yoked to the plough since time first began
And always expected to carry the can
Root Cause of Our Economic Probems Not Economic at All?
Here’s a good article found at Cultural Offering about the problem with today’s economics that is widely overlooked. It has to do with good men being shunned in a country that is sure it doesn’t need them anymore.
Obama’s NDER. Read It.
Here’s the new National Defense Resource Preparedness executive order.
You should read it. No need for my interpretation, it’s easy to understand.
Still think we have a Constitution?
I’m Going to Try Vegetable Gardening
I don’t know exactly what sparked my interest in gardening lately, but this year I’m going to try it. I don’t know what I’m doing, but I’ve spent the winter reading websites and books to get a clue. Sadly, just reading about it doesn’t do much good. There seem to be no hard rules for the exception of common sense like, “Plants need water and sun.”. How much water, how much sun, when to plant, how much to plant, etc., that’s all debatable. Ask a gardener and you might get some good advice, but there’s always variables to the general rules.
I bought The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (10th Anniversary Edition)
I’m going to start small. I’ve got a large yard, but 2 large dogs that are sure to tear any unprotected area to shreds. This year will be an experiment at best. I know I’ll try strawberries since wild ones grow all over the yard anyhow. Zucchini and summer squash are supposed to be be fool-proof, so we’ll see. I can’t imagine a garden without carrots, onions, corn, and tomatoes, so I’ll try some of those too.
First Motorcycle Ride of 2012
Today was the first day of weather that was good enough for a real long ride in Central Ohio. The weather was about 65 degrees, but the ground’s still cold, so still a little bit of a chill.
Ohio (Photo credit: DBduo Photography)
Great to get back out on the bike, even though it may have been the easiest Ohio winter that I remember. Sorry, no photos. No time for that on the first day back out. Motorcycles were everywhere and cars were doing their usual stunt driving. 2 turned left in front of me on State Route 13. Both were just leaving bars. Hopefully, they’ll crash and put themselves out of commission before they get someone else.
The weather is calling for an unseasonably warm week. If you ride get out and enjoy, if you don’t watch out for motorcycles. With the price of gas starting to rise, you may find yourself on 2 wheels soon enough.
Related articles
- More Motorcycle Museums (motorcycleinsurance.com)
- Bike Ride January 7, 2012 (mostlyaboutnothing.wordpress.com)
- What a pro-motorcycle law looks like (hellforleathermagazine.com)
Facebook Account Deleted
I decided to delete my Facebook account tonight. After some consideration, I found Facebook to have more negative about it than positive, so I’m done with it. It’s been great, for the most part, to reconnect with some old friends and I’ve had some good times with it, but there is just more garbage than good showing up on my screen.
I realize most people won’t understand this, but I make websites, I’ve worked for many companies that deal with data, and I understand how data and content(the stuff you post) is used and what it’s worth. Believe it or not, your data and content is damned valuable in more ways than you know. Facebook only makes some of it’s revenue from ads, the rest comes from selling data. I don’t care what Facebook claims, they’re collecting massive amounts of content and data. That costs a massive amount of money. They’re recouping their investment somewhere and it’s not just in those little ads on the side. I’m tired of giving those efforts to them for free.
You may enjoy Facebook so much that it’s hard to believe. You may think that I’ve been spooked by a conspiracy theory. Nothing of the sort. You see, Facebook is only one data set that you provide. Other data sets include your credit report, your resume, etc. All of these are out there for sale. When these data sets are cross-referenced, it’s a gold mine of information that can be used for all sorts of purposes. Now, take those cross referenced data sets AND cross reference them with everyone linked to you on Facebook. The amount of information collected is astounding.
So do I think some shadowy figure is going to use them for nefarious purposes? I hope not! Much more likely, this data will be used to sell you shit you don’t need. I think I could all use less shit I don’t need. I think I could use less coercing to buy shit I don’t need. This is just one easy step I’m taking to further that agenda.
There’s some other odd things about Facebook that I’ve noticed too. I’ve noticed that people’s idea of a “friend” has changed. That’s being redefined. A real friend may use Google to find my website and send an e-mail to see how things are going. That’s a lot different than a Facebook friend who had my face pop up on their friend suggestions and clicked out of curiousity. I got into the social networking to have a good time sharing ideas, experiences, etc. That just doesn’t happen very often with these types of “friends”. More often than not, they just want me to repost a cancer story, play a child’s game, etc. It’s a waste of time that I could be doing something much more productive with.
I know it’s time to leave Facebook when real friends try to communicate with me on Facebook, but I don’t even see it because it either wasn’t promoted to where I could see it at all or it was buried in a bunch of bullshit I didn’t care anything about. If I’m just not on it, they’ll contact me with another method.
So that’s about it. I didn’t leave Facebook because I didn’t like the people or completely out of fear of how the data is used. I don’t like how some people use Facebook, I don’t like how the collected data is being used, but the biggest part is making more time to create content that I own, not Facebook.
