Turning the Pile Vlog

Jeff opens the gate and empties the bin to help turn it. Then he puts it back in:

Compost Tools

We found that we don't need anything special to tend to the compost pile; standard yard tools work well.


A pitch fork and shovel for turning the pile ~



I'm not exactly sure what this tool is called (a spade?), but Jeff had it on hand in the shop and it works great for chopping up large amounts of food in a 5 gallon bucket ( a food processor would work for smaller amounts of food) ~
(It's not necessary to chop the food up into small pieces, but it does speed up the decomposition process.)


A watering can to keep the pile moist~


I love that we were able to use things we already had on hand!

Our Second Compost Bin

It took about two months for us to outgrow our first compost bin. We weren't anticipating the phenomenal number of apples our tree produced! This was the first time in three years that it gave good apples, so needless to say, we have a compost pile full of rotting apples.

When we saw that the first bin was filled to the rim, we decided to try the popular pallet idea. We loaded up the kids and drove around town to the garbage areas of local grocery and home improvement stores. We saw several stacked, but figured they were being recycled for future use.

There were a few next to a dumpster that looked like they were in good condition, so Jeff hopped out with Nathan and asked if we could take them. Turns out that the store earns $5 per pallet, so no, we couldn't have them. Bummer.

Then we traveled to the back of our mall and found 4 next to a dumpster. Jeff went in and they said we could have them! Woo Hoo! Free compost bin here we come!

Jeff's really handy and had this put together in what seemed like no time at all:


Three sides are fixed and the fourth is like a door that he keeps tied with the rope.

We have had some smelly days and the flies do like the pile, so Jeff put out a fly trap using my shepherd's hook!



And some fly paper right down to the center of the pile:



Now, the compost is supposed to stay damp like a sponge, but if it doesn't you'll probably end up with some mushrooms like we did! No biggie, though, just turn the pile and add some water.

Our First Compost Bin

Our first compost bin turned into a family project. Here's the original post (June 2008) from Becky's personal blog Boys Rule My Life:


This week's Unplugged Project is "Plastic". I really didn't think we were going to get a chance to work it in this week, until I walked outside and saw this:



We are turning this 45 gallon plastic garbage bin into a composting bin. I got the bin idea from here and learned more about composting here.

For more Unplugged Projects, head on over to Unplug Your Kids.

Growing Green Thumbs

Jeff and I have decided to plant a garden in the spring of 2009. Join us on our journey as we learn about composting, planting, vegetables, bugs, and whatever else comes our way!

Here is some background information on our gardening skills:

BECKY
I grew up in the suburbs living in 8 different states. The earliest gardening experience I remember was pulling weeds in our flower gardens in Texas around the age of 8. Other than that, I don't remember dealing with any type of seed, flower, or dirt. Our vegetables came from a can or the grocery store (not that that is bad, that's just the way it was). We ate well and we ate *mostly* healthily.

It wasn't until Jeff and I married that I really found a love for planting flowers. I had a small flower garden in middle Georgia where I planted seeds, bulbs, grown plants, annuals, perennials, anything I found to be pretty. However, we had many water restrictions given by the city during this time and with my concern for conserving water, many of my plants died. I love to plant them, but am not so great at taking care of them. :( Same goes for indoor plants... I am currently down to two but have killed at least 10.

Hopefully we'll have better luck with vegetables! My oldest son, Will (5), and I successfully grew about a dozen small carrots this year. We grew them more as an experiment in container gardening and for something fun to do, but they grew and we ate 'em! :)

To wrap up my gardening experience: I'm a work in progress starting at square 1. :)


JEFF

(I'll let Jeff update later, but here's what I know...)

Jeff grew up on a farm. They raised chickens and cows. They have land for growing hay. His grandparents have a nice sized vegetable garden that produces corn, peas, watermelon, squash, okra, tomatoes, and others each year (and still). I'm sure most of the vegetables they ate were home grown and home canned. However, I don't think Jeff did much of the planting, harvesting, or canning. I believe most of his efforts on the farm was more along the lines of tending to the cows, fixing fences, and other "manly" things. :)

In the end, I think we're both starting at square 1 with no green in our thumbs.

What shade of green are yours?