With the Grain » compost

Using Coffee Grounds for Gardening

Jenn Greenleaf — Sun, 30 May 2010 16:58:08 +0000

Why do people put their used coffee grounds in their garden beds? Good question!

When coffee grounds are added to garden soil right before watering (or prior to rainfall), they slowly release nitrogen into the mix. This fertilization keeps the soil in balance in order for better plant growth. Placing the grounds around plants with crushed eggshells also repel pests.

Use of tea bags and coffee filters (with their grounds) are a good additive for compost heaps, as well, to keep the nitrogen balance in check. Don’t worry about the paper filters or tea bags because they break down fast.

Eggshells in the Garden

Jenn Greenleaf — Sat, 29 May 2010 14:34:53 +0000

Do eggshells really help gardens, and how? That’s a great question and, to be honest, I had no idea eggshells are beneficial to gardens until this planting season. Let’s look at how they help gardens:

They deter slugs and cutworms.
Place them around tomato plants to provide extra calcium, which tomatoes need.
Mix them with coffee grounds for extra nutrients and nitrogen in your garden’s soil.

Be sure to wash the eggshells prior to adding them to your garden. Because eggshells break down very slowly, they should also be crushed prior to adding them to your garden soil or compost.

How to Compost

Jenn Greenleaf — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:29:09 +0000

Self-sufficiency is on the minds of many consumers, particularly those who are already implementing the “reduce, reuse, and recycle” practice into their households. With these principles in mind, it’s a smoother transition into self-sufficiency.

Why? Because these homeowners are looking for ways to reuse household items and, in the case of composting, this is achievable.

Here are some links to lead you:

Composting is just one of the many ways homeowners can work toward self-sufficiency and reusing items. Good luck!

Should You Compost…Or??

Jenn Greenleaf — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Do you think a compost system is (a) something that will devalue your home, or (b) a home improvement that will benefit your home? Let’s pick this topic apart a bit:

Why should homeowners use compost? I found these great reasons from WhatCom:

Because compost:

Improves the soils structure, porosity and density, creating a better plant root environment.

Increases permeability of heavy soils, reducing erosion & runoff.

Improves water holding capacity of sandy soils, reducing water loss & leaching.

Supplies a variety of macro & micronutrients

Can control or suppress certain soil-borne plant pathogens

Supplies significant amount of organic matter

Improves cation exchange capacity of soils, improving their ability to hold nutrients for plant use.

Supplies beneficial microorganisms to soils and growing media.

Improves and stabilizes soil pH

Can bind & degrade specific pollutants.

Although compost is not considered a fertilizer, it does have a positive, cumulative effect on soil nutrient levels. Whatever nutrients are present, are more bioavailable to plants growing in soils with added compost.

Are you still on the fence about compost? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. There are a lot of people who think they’re a messy, stinky hazard that do nothing but make the property resemble a landfill. This isn’t true, but it seems to be a consensus among certain individuals. There’s nothing wrong with having a point of view, but in this day and age of healthier living, reducing, reusing, and recycling the addition of a compost bin is rising in the ranks of popular home improvement projects (or, as some say, life improvement projects).