{"id":41,"date":"2010-09-29T00:10:37","date_gmt":"2010-09-29T04:10:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/uncityslicker.com\/?p=41"},"modified":"2010-10-17T23:02:18","modified_gmt":"2010-10-18T03:02:18","slug":"boost-the-output-of-your-garden-year-after-year-for-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/uncityslicker.com\/?p=41","title":{"rendered":"Boost the output of your garden year after year for $25"},"content":{"rendered":"

Composting is a simple element of gardening that many homeowners either misunderstand or skip completely:<\/h2>\n
\"That<\/a>

It's a heap... of fun! (boo)<\/p><\/div>\n

If you don’t know what compost is, I’m sure you have at least some idea. \u00c2\u00a0You know it’s good for your garden, you know you should be using it, but how do you go from garbage to greenage?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There are 3 requirements to start making your own compost:<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. A container (or box, barrel, a pile, whatever.)<\/li>\n
  2. Stuff to put in your container.<\/li>\n
  3. Periodically moving the stuff in your container around.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Container:<\/h3>\n

    This can be any number of things. \u00c2\u00a0There are\u00c2\u00a0commercially\u00c2\u00a0available units from about $60 upwards of $300. \u00c2\u00a0Even though they work pretty well, they can get expensive. Also, the size is fixed so if you find yourself needing more compost, you have to buy additional units.<\/p>\n

    I’ve always seen people build their own bin. \u00c2\u00a0On the expensive side, you can use landscape timber or black locust lumber. \u00c2\u00a0Stay away from pressure treated wood. \u00c2\u00a0 I try to stay towards the cheaper end of things. \u00c2\u00a0You can use steel fenceposts and chicken wire, reclaimed pallets or other scrap wood to make your bin. \u00c2\u00a0I chose to get a little creative with my construction, and got the whole thing done for less than $25.<\/p>\n

    Stuff:<\/h3>\n

    There’s 2 main ingredients in compost. \u00c2\u00a0Carbon is provided from “brown” materials added to the heap, and Nitrogen comes from the “green” materials. \u00c2\u00a0Ideally, you want a 30:1 ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen. \u00c2\u00a0You might be saying: “But lawn waste and table scraps don’t have their molecular structure listed on the side!” \u00c2\u00a0Settle down, people way more into this than I made a handy calculator<\/a>. \u00c2\u00a0Remember to keep your pile damp, but not wet. \u00c2\u00a0If you can squeeze water out of a handful like a sponge, it’s too wet.<\/p>\n

    The microorganisms living in the pile will feast on the combination of organic material and water. \u00c2\u00a0This will create a good bit of heat. \u00c2\u00a0A healthy compost heap can reach up to 120\u00c2\u00b0F due to all the little bastards pigging out in there!<\/p>\n

    Green stuff:<\/p>\n