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)
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)
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.
Spring Loaded Nail Set – Cool Woodworking Tool
No need to hammer finish nails with a spring loaded nail set.a visual invasion via Flickr
Check out this spring loaded nail set. It’s a genius idea. Maybe professional carpenters and painters already know about this, but I was impressed when I discovered it. My guess is that knowing how to hammer a nail in a tight spot without ruining the finish on a piece is common knowledged in the woodworking and painting trades, but I would have never figured it out. It’s a handy and inexpensive tool to have on your woodworking bench.
Now I have to wonder if there is a way to remove the nail without tearing things up.
Table Saw That Will Not Cut Your Finger. Amazing Safety Advance.
Shop teachers everywhere will love this idea! This saw can detect when a finger touches it and stop before the blade can cut the finger. Parts of the saw will need replaced after an incident, but your finger will be fine.
Free Stuff
I don’t get free stuff often, but when I do, I get a bunch of it. This was free dirt from my brother-in-law. Free dirt also means dirt that you have to shovel. Tami helped. It was just enough to fill all of the holes they dogs have dug in the yard. There are better ways to spend a Sunday, but it was free dirt.
- How Much Dirt Can You Put In An Old Chevy?
Never put this much dirt in a Ford either. It was almost to much for a Chevy.
I bet there are people wondering why anyone would post about a load of dirt. I do it because I can and it’s almost free.
I seen a show on TV where people in far flung deserts are getting online now. They’re hauling dirt with donkeys and camels. Maybe they’ll be inspired. Rich people could land here and be thankful they didn’t have to spend their Sunday shoveling dirt. It’s an inspirational post. 
When you spend your day this way and you’re trying to come up with something to post, this is what you end up with.
Fence Tutorial Completed
After many weekends of working on my backyard fence it’s finally done! I had very little information available on the Internet about vinyl coated welded wire fencing, so I took some photos while I was doing the job and posted a tutorial for fence installation.
If you need an affordable solution to contain your dog and you willing to do the work, welded fence has turned out to be a good solution. It looks good, easy to install with standard tools, and a strong barrier for a dog. Here is a link to How to Build A Welded Wire Fence.
How to Build a Welded Wire Fence – Easy
Introduction
Vinyl coated welded wire fencing is a good alternative to chain link fencing. I discovered the vinyl coated wire fence when searching for a solution to enclose my backyard for my dog. The quotes I recieved for chain link were outrageous, do-it-yourself chain link requires more labor and special tools, and I really do not like the aesthetic appearance of chain link.
A welded wire fence can be constructed with simple tools and it is easily stretched and cut to fit. If you’re attempting to make a fence for your dog on a limited budget, with limited tools, and even a limited skillset, vinyl coated welded wire fence could be your answer.
I found it difficult to get wire fence installation information, even from the companies producing the fencing or the stores selling the material. I used instructions from the construction of other types of fences for the frame and then trial and error to install the wire fabric. Considering I had a hard time finding examples and directions, I thought that an article about how I did it could help others. If you disagree with how I did the fence, all constructive comments are welcome.
Keep in mind that welded wire mesh can be used with many different types of fencing, not just the post and rail style fence that I did. Some ideas are
- Split Rail Fencing – this looks really good when combined with coated wire weld fence
- Cedar fencing
- Metal posts – doesn’t look good, but very inexpensive
Tools Required
- Post Hole Diggers
- Long heavy steel bar – sometimes referred to as a potato bar. A good one costs around $80.
- Staple gun and a LARGE box of staples
- Level
- Tape Measure
- Post Level – special L-shaped level that’s banded to a 4×4
- Drill with screw driver end attachments
- Adjustable Wrench – also named a Crescent wrench
- Circular Saw
- Saw Horses
- Extension Cords
- Long string
- Optional
- Power auger
- Reciprocating Saw – sometimes referred to as a Sawsall
Materials Required
- 4X4 treated posts
- 2X4 treated lumber
- 3 inch deck screws
- 1 80 pound bag of concrete for every 3 foot hole
- Vinyl Coated Welded Wire Fence Fabric
- Staples
- 1X4 treated boards (the same number as the number of rails).
- Gate hinges and latches
- L-brackets for 2X4′s (used to make the gate frames)
Electric Lawnmowers
The old gas mower we use for trim work broke. It got old and the deck rusted to the point that it flexed enough for the blade to hit it.
This is boring stuff unless you’ve been curious about these rechargeable mowers, so feel free to pass this over if you start to feel sleepy.
I found a Homelite rechargeable electric mower for about $350 at Home Depot. It has a metal deck where the other brands have a plastic deck. It lasted long enough to do quite a bit of work in tall grass on my 1/2 acre lot. It took 15 hours for the initial charge, so if you let the charge deplete, it’s going to be a while to get going again. The Homelite weights 87 pounds, so it’s not lighter than a gas mower. I am looking forwared to no gas, oil, filters, spark plugs, etc.
My Dad bought the Remington rechargeable electric mower and he’s happy with it. It’s advantages are that it’s lighter and can run on the cord or the battery. However, it only has a 17 inch cut where the Homelite has a 20 inch cut.
The real test for these mowers will be the test of time. Considering there is no cost for gas or maintenance I’ll be happy to get 3 years out of mine.
