Composting Info Updates

flowers

Check out this new composting journal and vermiculture guide. It’s the Beta version without a design and a few spelling errors, but it’s still a great resource for those interested in composting with red wiggler worms. The website has a journal which is regularly updated, so check it out.
Even Martha Stewart is working with worms these […]

The Onion has a few tips for getting this year’s gardening season started off right. Here’s a sample to give you an idea what kind of advice you’re in for:
Gardening experts agree that talking to your plants is a great way to exhale carbon dioxide onto them.
They also have some tips for making fool-proof Faustian […]

Plant Thieves will be Composted!

Compost is people! It’s people!

coffee for compost

Spotted this photo on Flickr.
Looks pretty gross on your desk, but your plants will sure like it when it turns into finished compost!

If you had a live Christmas tree this year, you know very well that throwing that tree out in the garbage is not the best way to dispose of it. Thankfully, there are a number of eco-friendly Christmas tree disposal methods to choose from. If you have a chipper shredder, you can use the leftovers […]

Feeling lazy about going out to the compost bin in the winter? Not to worry, this kitchen compost unit is an excellent gardening tool that allows you to compost (smell-free) from the comfort of your own kitchen! It uses a unique fermenting process to decompose organic material. The kitchen composter is also a great gift for […]

By now your Halloween pumpkin has got to be looking pretty pathetic. But not to worry, you can indeed compost your pumpkin! You can also eat it! While most pumpkins sold for ornamental purposes don’t have the rich flavor of cooking pumpkins, ornamental pumpkins can make a pretty decent pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie. Also, […]

Check out this interesting article about NPK labels on fertilizers. You may be surprised at what they really mean! In fact, you may be surprised to know that compost can greatly reduce the amount of fertilizer your plants actually need! With good gardening practices, you may not need to fertilize your garden at all! Here’s […]

Compost made from recycled paper apparently has the extraordinary ability to help your plants fight off diseases. Or so says new research by the University of Warwick. A team of researchers working under Professor Ralph Noble has done some interesting experiments recently that give organic gardeners and those who compost a big boost. Ok, my […]

With these handy leaf scoops, you’ll save hours of labor picking up those fall leaves. These ingenious gardening gadgets fit right on your hands, making them powerful cleanup tools. They measure 14 inches across, giving you plenty of leaf grabbing power. This garden tool is also appropriate for a number of garden cleanup chores, making […]

With fall just around the corner, it’s not too late to start thinking about how you’re going to collect all those leaves that are about to pile up in your yard. It’s also a good idea to think about what you’re going to do with them! We recommend this handy leaf scoop to pick […]

Envirolet.com offers waterless composting toilets for the home, plus some other cool products. These composting toilets are great for cabins, beach homes, or even your very own urban household. Save water and help the environment with a composting toilet! Here’s some more info about their products from their website:
Envirolet® Composting Toilets have been sold worldwide […]

If you’re looking for a basic compost bin made from natural materials, this double cedar composting bin is for you. It has a beautiful and basic design that will hold lots of compost. It has the option of adding screen covers to protect your compost as well. The cedar compost bin is available from Clean […]

Compost before you fertilize is the recommendation of the Kansas City Star, which published an interesting article (although very short) on the virtues of compost. They also have a link to a great government website with more information on how to compost effectively.

We’ve recently received comments from readers describing the challenges of composting in tropical areas. Gardeners in the tropics deal with extreme levels of heat and humidity, not to mention lots and lots of bugs that can be attracted to the compost. Thus, I did some research to try and find sources of information on composting […]

We’ve told you dozens of times about how composting conserves landfill space by recycling organic materials into rich, fertile earth instead of just throwing it away.
But water conservation is important too. If you are using an old showerhead that is from before 1990, I highly recommend that you purchase a new showerhead.
A new showerhead can […]

The Bolton Common recently published an interesting article about compost titled Community solutions: Ideas for sustainable living. The article focuses on composting and has some great tips. The column also includes other articles on how energy improvements and lifestyle changes can pay off for you and your family.

The Blossom Swap has a unique collection of gardening t-shirts and apparel to help show off your love of gardening. As a fan of compost, I especially liked this “got worms” t-shirt. This is a great way to promote the culture of composting, which is really the best thing you can do for your garden. […]

Community composting is a hit in Montreal, where multiple community bins have been set up recently. Montreal’s “The Chronicle” reports:
Two new community composting bins were installed this spring in CDN-NDG. The bins, one each on Connaught and Madison Avenues, bring the borough’s total to 14. “We believe that composting is something everyone should be doing,” […]

Here’s another story of a happy healthy yard using worms and compost. This time the news comes from the Sun News in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The article discusses worms, worm castings, “black gold” and includes some basic tips for worm composting.
Question | What materials are needed for worm composting?
Answers | Lilley’s worms labor under […]

The Urban Farmer is a great website to check out for information on gardening and farming in an urban setting.  Urban farming and gardening can be a challenge, especially with the soils that we have to work with.  (Compost is key, I proclaim!) This site is full of great tips to help you overcome the […]

This long-handled garden tool set will give you a little extra leverage with your gardening chores. They are ideal for mixing compost, spreading it out, and mixing the compost into your garden soil.  I like the idea of buying garden tools in sets, and this English tool set has great tools that you’ll actually use! The […]

The Edie New Center has a great article about how compost can help protect your plants against soil-borne diseases. This means that you’ll spend less time applying chemicals to keep your plants happy. The article actually refers to university studies that prove that plants are healthier and fight off diseases when the soil contains compost. […]

Let It Rot! The Gardener’s Guide to Composting, is a wonderful and humorous guide to composting offered by Stu Campbell.  The book came out in 1975, making waves and introducing (reintroducing?) a generation of gardeners to the joys of compost.  This book makes a great gift for friends, relatives, and loved ones. 

While pulling out weeds and playing in the dirt, gardeners sometimes have to look on the bright side of life to keep things in perspective.  Today, we offer a bit of compost-themed gardening humor in the form of quotes by celebrities. Who knew that Hamlet was a gardener?
Ani DiFranco: I’m queen of my own compost heap […]

Looking for some great eco-friendly gardening tips?  Check out the Earth Friendly Gardening Website.  They have some excellent information on organic mulching, which, in addition to composting, is one the best things you can do for your garden beds. 

This blog post from Real Food and Scandalous Gardening Secrets has some excellent information on using worms in your garden.  Most gardeners know that the presence of earth worms is a real blessing for your soil.  However, getting the most out of your worms can take some special tricks of the gardening trade.  The blog post has some great […]

Check out this interesting article about growing multiple sequences of vegetable crops in your garden.  That is, growing a batch of early maturing veggies, then planting another batch of veggies that will mature later in the season.  The key, they say, is adding compost to the soil before you plant the second round.  Of course, […]

Hi there Compost Guide Blog readers! If you’ve visited this site over the last few days, you may have noticed something weird going on with the formatting and the posts. We have been experiencing some technical problems with the blog, but it looks like things have been resolved. So, we’re back in action. Thanks for […]

The San Francisco Chronicle recently published an article about gardening on a budget. Not surprisingly, they praise composting as a way to grow healthier plants:
For your soil, the best thing you can do is add organic material such as compost, manure or a cover crop. The cost to compost? Nothing.
Read the full article about composting […]

Check out this great article by Star Lawrence about how gardening can contribute to your health by allowing you to get exercise and loose a few pounds here and there.  Gardeners know that spending a few hours in your garden every week can really do wonders for your mental health, in addition to your physical […]

The BBC reports that a recent compost bin giveaway in Scotland caused major traffic jams, as people waited in line in their cars for up to 3 hours to receive a free bin.  The giveaway was part of a government program to increase home composting on the island nation. 

This great compost thermometer, available from the Compost Guide Store, will take the guess work out of making your own compost. Knowing the temperature of your compost is an important part of making high quality compost that will benefit your plants. Don’t take chances, make sure you measure your compost’s temperature before you apply it […]

This article from North Carolina’s Channel 14 recommends vines as a way to hide a compost pile.  The article has an interesting video of author Anne Clapp planting the vines.  Also, consider an attractive compost tumbler as an alernative to the typical compost pile.  With a compost tumbler, there’s really no reason to hide you […]

Bat Guano is a 100% natural fertilizer that will make the plants of your garden very happy. Bat guano has a high humus content, which makes it an excellent soil builder. Before the advent of artificial fertilizers, bat guano was the fertilizer of choice for many gardeners. Bat guano is also 100% safe for the […]

Umbra Fisk is the Grist Mill’s garden advice guru.  Check out this interesting letter from Umbra about compost from the Grist Mill environmental website.  It deals specifically with what weeds can and can’t go into the compost pile.  Definitely some good tips about composting here. 

Seeds of Change is an organization that works to promote organic gardening. In addition to having a great selection of hard to find garden seeds, they also carry some tools like this super-sturdy trowel. You can feel good about purchasing your garden tools from this great eco-friendly company.

Ok, so this is a little late, but I just became aware that there is a compost awareness week in the UK, which is celebrated from May 7th through the 13th.  Cool!  This article from Let’s Recycle has all the info about this great event.  I don’t think we have anything like this in the […]

So I imagine by now you’ve busted out your lawn mower and have started the yearly ritual of blasting down that patch of green in your front yard. You know, standing behind a raging motor, breathing in the delicious fumes, bagging up the grass clippings, etc., etc. Well, ladies and gents, I’m here to tell […]

Ok, so I do a little gardening now and again, but I would never say that I’m a serious gardener or that I know lots of tips to keep my plants alive. That became painfully obvious when I read this article about the inner workings of an organic farm. In the article, they talk about […]

Check out this article about decorative ceramic compost pots. These are beautiful, functional pieces of art that will allow you to create high quality compost for you garden.

The Radio Flyer Classic Red Wagon is not only a great toy for kids, it’s also a tough work horse in the garden. This classic design hasn’t changed in 85 years! It’s safe for kids, and it’s built to last! Get your kids to help out in the garden.  With this little red wagon, you […]

MasterGardener.com offers Wet Stop gardening gloves. Wet Stop gloves are ideal for protecting your hands and keeping them dry while gardening. You can perform a huge variety of garden tasks with these durable, well built gloves.

This article from the Denver Post talks about how compost can help your xeriscape. If you’re unfamiliar with xeriscaping, it is the concept of gardening with low water use plants. Xeriscapes are popular in the desert Southwest of the U.S., but the principles apply to any garden. The article points out that compost can retain […]

Need to buy a set of basic garden tools but pressed for time? You should check out this website for a series of excellent ideas for every budget. From tool sets to compost bins, you’ll find something for every interest.

Heirloom Tomatoes is the definitive on-line resource for a huge variety of heirloom tomato seeds. Now is the time to invest in your seeds and get your garden set up to plant. Here’s a sample from their website:
Tomatoes like Green Grape, Stupice, Green Zebra tomato, Brandywine tomatoes, Mortgage Lifter tomato, and Cherokee Purple are some […]

I just had to giggle (titter? chuckle?) when I read this article from the UK’s Guardian newspaper about peeing on your compost pile.  Here’s what it has to say:
The Conservative Party chairman is urging the nation to pee on its compost heaps to help the environment. Francis Maude, who admitted he and his family were […]

This beautiful Arboria Victoria Arbor has a classic design that will enhance any yard or garden. It’s just one of many high quality arbors you’ll find from the Garden Arbor Store.  This particular model is one of the highest quality garden arbors around in my opinion. Beautiful, durable, and easy to install. This arbor would […]

I just heard a review of William Alexander’s The $64 Tomato : How One Man Nearly Lost his Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden and had to recommend it for this blog. This book is a humorous look at gardening trials and tribulations. It’s full […]