Go Greener Tips

div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=stainless steel compost pail height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_cheapskate/daily_green_cheapskate-36121220-1242838337.jpg?ymBlcSBDWGiQ3zbp width=300/br /em(Photo: Clean Air Gardening)/embr /br //divpI fell in love with composting and my bride-to-be at the exact same moment. /ppWhen I met Denise 26 years ago, her amazing smile immediately captured my heart, as did her T-shirt. On the front it read A Rind Is a Terrible Thing to Waste. And on the back, I [heart] Composting./ppComposting is the ultimate act of frugality. Making valuable use of organic material that would otherwise be entombed for eternity in a bio-indestructible plastic garbage bag buried in a landfill, composting is recycling redux, times two. Plus you’ll pay through the nose for compost if you buy it at the local nursery. /ppCompost is super-rich decomposed material, full of humus, carbon, and nitrogen — what ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Organic-Gardening-for-Dummies/Ann-Whitman/e/9780764553202 target=_newOrganic Gardening for Dummies/a/em calls the prince of organic matter. Everyone can join rot-fest, even urban pioneers; if done properly, compost is odorless. Here’s how: /pullistrongBuild or buy a compost bin:/strong Square or round, roughly equal height, width, and depth (typically three or four feet). Make one using wire fencing formed into a cylinder, or use pressure-treated lumber for a sturdier bin. Urban gardeners might consider buying a compact, plastic a href=http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2p=47098cat=2,33140 target=_newRolling Composter/a. If possible, place your bin in a shady location. /libr /listrongAdd brown and green:/strong Rotate layers of brown material, like dried leaves, twigs, straw, pine needles, and wood chips with thinner layers of green organic materials like grass clippings and leaves, fruit and vegetable trimmings, weeds, and manure. Never compost animal or dairy products, pet/human waste, diseased plant materials, or material treated with herbicides or that has already gone to seed. Water each layer thoroughly as you go. Think of it as making lasagna, or not. /libr /listrongStir, cover, and let cook:/strong After a week or two, mix together the layers using a pitchfork or other tool. Then cover with a tarp to retain moisture and heat, and it’ll really start to cook, fast-tracking the decomposition process. Let time and nature do the work. Your compost should be handsomely decayed and ready to use in just two or three months, depending on conditions. /li/ulpSome evenings, as I pad out to my compost pile with the plastic kitchen pail chuck-full of potato peels, apple cores, and coffee grounds, I think about that pretty co-ed with the clever T-shirt that I met 26 years ago. It’s true; some things do get even better with age./ppstrongResources to add to your pile:/strong/ppa href=http://www.howtocompost.org/ target=_new www.howtocompost.org/abr /a href=http://www.compostguide.com/ target=_newwww.compostguide.com/abr /a href=http://www.compost.org/ target=_newwww.compost.org/abr /ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Rodale-Book-of-Composting/Grace-Gershuny/e/9780878579914 target=_newThe Rodale Book of Composting/a/em (Rodale Press) br /ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Let-It-Rot/Stu-Campbell/e/9781580170239 target=_newLet It Rot!/a/em(Storey Publishing)br /ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Compost-by-Gosh/Michelle-Eva-Portman/e/9780942256161 target=_newCompost, by Gosh!/a/em(Flower Press) – for young composters/pp /ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/pullia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/organic-gardening-tips-460309?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgHow to Start an Organic Garden in Nine Easy Steps/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/save-money-megaflip?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg30+ Ways to Save Money by Going Green/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg23 Breathtaking Natural Swimming Pools/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Surprising Uses for Vodka/a/lilia href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic/a/li/ulpemReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/em/p

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