Out in the Garden

Blessed with Compost!

I don't actually have finished compost (yet), but I have been blessed with the ability to make great compost in the form of a new Tumbleweed Compost Maker!

I have always wanted a compost tumbler, and this a great one. It was given to us by one of our church's new pastors and his wife. They are both wonderful people and great Christian mentors. They didn't have room for it at their new house, so they graciously gave it to us. We got it just before our trip to my brother's but we didn't have time to put it to use until this weekend.

It was another beautiful Saturday, and we did some yard work and general garden cleaning. We put some fresh grass clippings and fallen leaves in the tumbler and mixed in some half finished compost, some tomato plants, spent peppers cucumbers and onions, some old straw and even a little garden soil.

The girls helped gather the "ingredients" and layered it up in the tumbler alternating the "greens" and "browns". If you are not familiar with composting, mixing green and brown material helps to speed up the aerobic decomposition. The other things that help to make compost quickly are water (which I will be adding) and good air circulation. The tumbler style composting makes it so much easier to get air and water in! When composting, you also need to mix up a compost pile from time to time to keep the microbs active and keep the air in. (without proper air, the compost can begin anaeorobic decomposition, which can stink!) With a conventional pile or compost bin, you have to do this with a pitchfork. With our new Tumbleweed, you just have to tumble it a few times. I don't think I will have any problems getting volunteers to perform this task! The girls really liked that part.

With our new tumbler, we don't have to walk to the back of the garden to add to the compost pile any more. I think composting will now be more of a family event. The girls saved their eggshells from breakfast Sunday morning to add to the tumbler.

I will post later to show the finished compost from this first batch. I will then take some of it to our friends at church who so generously gave this wonderful composter to us!

Untitled Comment

05:52, Monday, October 23, 2006 .. Posted by Kitty

What a great gift and blessing that is. I would love to have one like that. I have the one where I have to turn it with my shovel. LOL. Have fun.
Kitty

Time to Blog Again

12:15, Friday, December 8, 2006 .. Posted by HSBFrontPorch

Your brother is starting to show you up, being Featured Blogger and all. :o)
~Nancy
Senior Editor