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Garden Gate:  New Compost Bins -- from free old stuff  |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 4:40:08 PM
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Dreams do come true. For years, I have wanted compost bins. I enjoy dirt, mixing up garden soil, planting in it, and I thought making it would be just great fun. Today, my wonderful husband built me a three compartment, compost bin from free wooden pallets from the local hardware store, hog wire we had around our property, some screws, wood scraps, and lots of love. It's just perfect for us.
We put in our sawdust, grass clippings, green food scraps, egg shells, and coffee grinds. We also threw in stuff from my very heap of garden waste. We were amazed that at the bottom of the pile was new dirt. We live in the semi-arid desert of the Montana mountains, and it's a miracle to us that we made dirt. And now we can make more.
Keep dreaming.......Suzanne |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 7:46:37 PM
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suzanne, that is so great. we live in the desert. sand every where. i love making compost. i love dirt too. good for you guys. fun making mud pies. happy days sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farm girl #1014
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
Posted - Jun 19 2010 : 8:57:11 PM
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Hi Suzanne! I live in Laurel! Maybe someday we will get to meet!
It is awesome that your husband built you a compost bin! Making good productive soil is such a huge part of gardening and I always feel good when my garden scraps go back to the earth! Here's hoping your new compost bin will help speed the process for you and that you will have even more new dirt soon!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 04:53:26 AM
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| Hi, just another report on the compost pile. One day after building the compost bin and layering our compost, I stuck my hand in the pile to check the heat. My dear husband was skeptical that I would find heat -- but I did. How amazing nature is. Suzanne |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 05:35:29 AM
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Who would think that decaying plant matter could be so fun, but we are giddy over our composting. When I was a little girl in Maine, I had my own dirt pile to play in. Not a sand box, but a dirt pile. I think this was the beginning of my love for dirt and making soil.
Here in Montana, we garden on what is essentially an undug gravel pit (there are several pits in the valley). So dirt is precious and beautiful and alive. And all of that and more is captured in the compost pile. |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 06:03:40 AM
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Suzanne- do you do lasagna gardening too? Basically making layers of easily compostable things for your plants to live in. It keeps weeds down and helps build the soil. I am going to do this this winter when I put my garden to bed. I am going to layer newspapers, grass clippings, horse manure, and dried leaves to about a 6 inch depth and then am going to just let it sit all winter. In the spring I will dig little holes out for the plants and put just a bit of store bought potting soil in each hole, however from past experiments with it, the bottom layer should already be composting. This also really attracts the worm (or you can "seed" your garden with worms from the bait shop) between composting and worm activity, you should have super rich garden soil in a just a season or two. Plus what you are composting! I find it extremely exciting!
I too used to have dirt pile, but our soil had just enough clay in it that what I usually did was try to lift up "plates" of dirt with out breaking them. After a rainstorm where I got to play always looked liked the top of brownies- flat but with cracks in it.
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 06:29:06 AM
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I like the lasagna gardening idea. I've read of similiar processes, but yours sounds very easy. We have several farms nearby that offer manure. And each visit to them is an experience in living life to the fullest. We are newspaper readers and have a large lawn -- so those parts sound easy.
But how does one keep the newspaper from flying away? Suzanne |
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TJinMT
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
TJ
Billings
MT
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 06:57:01 AM
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I second Alee's recommendation of lasagna gardening! I did that when I put new gardens in my backyard - right over the lawn! although I'd rather I at least scalped the top bit off if I did it again. It was SO easy and there are about a trillion earthworms per square foot in my garden... you can even add big chunky compost-stuff straight into the soil that way, if your composter gets full (covering them with the other stuff right in your garden - of course you can dig down to do that stuff too, called "trench composting"). I put fresh yard clippings and fallen leaves in layers on my lasagna garden (also to mulch existing gardens), which keeps the newspapers from flying away.
How exciting about your compost bins - sounds much better than my rabbit-wire circle!! Yay for you and Kudos to your hubby, too!! ~TJ
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -CS Lewis |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 07:24:29 AM
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It helps that my husband and I had the tools to work with when building the pallet bins, and that my husband is a master carpenter -- he can envision how things like pallets can work together. Often I provide the dream/goal and he provides the know-how and then we both learn and dream some more.
I'm going to print out the lasagna gardening ideas. I bet my herbs would love it -- I could then grow more Italian herbs -- basil, oregano, thyme -- and add flavor to the lasagna. Suzanne |
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TJinMT
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
TJ
Billings
MT
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 07:33:25 AM
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My hubby isn't a master carpenter but he's a danged good one, and has alot of tools etc... but I'm saving up my Wifey-Credit Points for a roof over our back deck. I'd love a covered place to keep snow off etc, and let the kids get some more Outside Time even during the winter!! I don't know if your husband works like mine, but it takes about 2 dozen times of "mentioning" something before we have discussed it enough to have him take action... which is a thin line to not step over into nagging, for me! (grin)
I actually don't have room in my little garden for a pallet-sized compost bin; one of those round black plastic ones would probably be perfect but alas, aren't free!! I had one (which I left behind - why?!) back in Texas but always had fireants take up residence in it. Gotta love no fireants in Montana!!!!
~TJ
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -CS Lewis |
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graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 11:59:20 AM
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TJ I have the exact same problem with my husband who is also a master carpenter, for some reason when it comes to projects at home he drags his feet..... a lot!! I found a pot rack on clearance last October, had wanted one forever, anyway we bought all the stuff to hang it etc, in October and it is still in the basement...sigh....
I would love a roof/trellis roof over my back porch and our front deck too. I may have to learn how to do this myself.
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
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TJinMT
True Blue Farmgirl
211 Posts
TJ
Billings
MT
USA
211 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 12:36:48 PM
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I read a book one time about this gal who made playhouses for children, all these amazing different designs from castles to kid-sized dollhouses, etc. All the scrollwork and trim and everything... and she did it. No master carpenter (or otherwise) husband! I'm totally envious of this (fictional) character to this day! It can't be THAT hard... I've built a ton of fence and corrals and all that sort of thing, but my problem is that power saws make me nervous! How goofy.
I've often thought it would be very cool to do a Habitat for Humanity job or two or three, one of the benefits being to watch something go up from scratch!! Anyway it's definitely a good farmgirl skill to have - basic carpentry!!!
~TJ
"You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me." -CS Lewis |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 2:14:12 PM
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You all gotta learn to jump in feet first and try doing it all by yourselves, the amazing feeling that you get when you are done, and it is exactly what you wanted, is beyond words, and also for the few that can't do it or need a second pair of hands, start anyway, and most husbands will jump in and say, thats not right, let me do it for you, heheheh, then its done...
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 2:35:01 PM
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| For me it's a joy when a dream comes true, no matter who has had a hand in it. Today the compost looks as beautiful to me as it did yesterday. The hail and wind we had didn't damage it, although it is now full of petunia flowers that took a lot of hail hits. My husband and I had such fun making the compost bins. We teach each other and share what we know. |
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cheneygal
True Blue Farmgirl
503 Posts
Suzie
Cheney
Wa.
USA
503 Posts |
Posted - Jun 21 2010 : 7:39:51 PM
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Suzanne, I can certainly share your excitement with your compost bins. Last summer I decided I was tired of buying dirt, altho we can buy Cheney dirt, from the city, which is where everyone takes their yard waste, grass clippings, etc., they cook it over the winter, etc. great dirt but you have to buy and haul it. Anyway, I took 3 pallets we had around and nailed them all together, back, and two sides, rigged up kind of a half front for it and put everything in it except for grass clippings (we have NO grass), during the late winter I put quite a bit of ash in it from the burn barrel, kept turning it and kept it covered. I looked at it a month or so ago and lo and behold there was dirt in the bottom half of it, lovely, black smell good dirt!! It was more than enough for what I needed at the time, that was the best part!!! Happy composting!
live, laugh, love |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 08:52:06 AM
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| Suzie, It's so very exciting to read about composting successes. Thanks for writing. Suzanne |
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KathyC
True Blue Farmgirl
583 Posts
Kathy
Gastonia
NC
USA
583 Posts |
Posted - Jun 22 2010 : 5:19:30 PM
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I started my first compost pile this year also. My daughter and I collected stuff-chicken poop, horse poop, pine sawdust and pine shavings, leaves, coffee grounds and finely shredded paper. Put a small amount of each in a pile and mixed it up and misted it lightly and threw it in the bin and then mixed up some more until all was used up. Covered it lightly with cardboard. It heated up really nicely. Stirred it up after 2 weeks and it heated again to about 145 degrees. I could not believe the difference in just 2 weeks. I'm going to stir again as soon as I have time, can't wait to see what it looks like now. I'm starting another pile but going to let it go slowly and build it as i have stuff.
Kathy |
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shunger
True Blue Farmgirl
224 Posts
Suzanne
Helena
MT
USA
224 Posts |
Posted - Jun 23 2010 : 06:14:34 AM
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| How fun to include your daughter in the composting. Isn't it amazing how hot the stuff gets? What kind of a thermometer did you use to read the temperature? Suzanne |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22944 Posts
22944 Posts |
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KathyC
True Blue Farmgirl
583 Posts
Kathy
Gastonia
NC
USA
583 Posts |
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Garden Gate: New Compost Bins -- from free old stuff |
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New Compost Bins -- from free old stuff
