Compost Tumbler From A Garbage Can
4/04/2008
If you're like me and save every leaf that falls in the entire neighborhood, you may be looking for a way to speed up your composting. And the best way to do that is with a compost tumbler.
A compost tumbler is just a compost bin that is designed for easy turning. Remember that turning your compost is the best way to let the pile breathe. Don't forget there's billions of microbes in that pile and they're working hard to give you the best garden in town, so pay them back with some air.
Most compost tumblers are a variation of a big drum on rollers with a crank that you can turn. Put your greens and browns in the drum and give it a turn every once in a while. Much easier than climbing into your compost bin with a pitch fork.
My parents own the Urban Compost Tumbler
And so I decided to build one out of a garbage can. Where's the crank or the easy turning mechanism you may ask? I'm the crank. You may have seen my compost tumbler video where I just roll this thing around my yard. That's all it needs. And a bungy cord keeps the lid in place.
So take a garbage can and drill holes in it. If you're worried about little creatures climbing into your bin, then screen over the holes. It's actually a pretty easy garden project.
I've promised a few people, detailed instructions on how I built this homemade compost tumbler and they're coming in a future post. But in the meantime, I've got to go and roll my garbage can around my yard.
Posted by Anthony 6:57 AM 15 comments
Labels: compost, garden projects
Compost Tumbler
3/28/2008
Who needs an expensive compost tumbler when you can build one yourself? All you need to do is drill some big holes into a garbage can and cover them with some fiberglass screen. The actual tumbling part may be a little "low tech" but it'll get the job done.
Posted by Anthony 7:14 AM 8 comments
Labels: compost, garden projects
Fish Tank Water Is Great For Plants
1/29/2008
You know what's just as good as compost tea for your plants? Need a hint? Well there's a big hint in the title of this post. Give up? Yes, it's fish tank water.
Fish tank water is a great natural fertilizer. It's loaded with fish poop and it's a scientific fact that plants love poop. Well that's what I heard anyway.
Once every month or so our aquarium needs a water change. About 40 percent of the water is removed along with a lot of the sediment thats sitting there in the gravel. This is done with a tool called a gravel siphon which is just a big plastic tube that you jab in and out of the gravel. This jabbing stirs up the muck that's in the gravel while it siphons out the water. A typical water change for our tank will fill a 5 gallon bucket. I used to pour this water down the drain but now I know better.
In the summertime, this water will go directly into my garden beds or the compost bin. Winter water goes right into the house plants.
Since I started using my fish tank water as a fertilizer, my plant look shiny, healthy and I'm no longer wasting this perfectly good water.
Posted by Anthony 11:31 PM 6 comments
Labels: garden projects
Glass Terrariums
1/28/2008
What's a gardener to do in the middle of winter? Well I don't know what you're doing but I'm keeping busy with indoor gardening projects like making a Terrarium. It's pretty easy to make your own Terrarium and I like the way they look. The project will also help take your mind off of the fact that you're stuck in the darkest, coldest days of winter.
First you'll need a glass jar or an old fish tank. I bought this jar a few years back at a kitchen store with hopes of storing flour in it for all the bread I was going to make with my bread machine. Well, the bread machine has been moved to the back of the closet and now I've got a great jar for a terrarium.
The key to terrariums is choosing the right plants. The inside of a glass jar (with a lid) is a pretty humid place. Pick a plant that likes a lot of moisture. If I had somewhere sunny to put this terrarium, I'd grow some Venus Fly Trap. But unfortunately my house has gigantic eaves that block out the sun. There is not one sunny window sill in my house which is great for the air conditioning bill but not too good for plants. 
I get a bag of ground charcoal and put a 1/2" layer at the bottom of the jar to keep it from getting stinky. Next up is gravel for drainage. A half inch to a full inch is plenty in a small jar. Here's a tip, you can buy black fish tank gravel that looks like dirt. Top it off with regular potting soil but remember to leave room for the plants.
Now sit back and enjoy your terrarium. That's what I'll be doing until spring arrives.
Posted by Anthony 9:48 PM 1 comments
Labels: garden projects, plants
Raised Bed Pictures
6/13/2007
Posted by Anthony 12:01 AM 4 comments
Labels: garden projects, raised beds
Pressure Treated Wood And Gardening
5/23/2007
I received a really interesting comment the other day on an old post about building raised garden beds. The commenter works in the pressure treated wood industry and really provided a great explanation of the types of wood that are available and what's in store for pressure treated wood in the future.
Here's his comment in full. I feel that it deserves a new post instead of just remaining buried with that old post.
To add to the pressure treated question.
Pressure treated is my family business, and I would like to offer a fair opinion backed with research and personal experience. I am a fourth generation wood preserver.
For many years, the choice of pressure treated lumber was wood treated with CCA, Chromated Copper Arsenate. However, CCA has become a thing of the past except for in certain specific commercial and industrial markets. Let me assure you, it would not be easy for the average consumer to get their hands on it since the voluntary transition to newer, and safer chemicals.
Which brought us ACQ and Copper Azole. ACQ stands for Alkaline Copper Quaternary. The Alkaline holds the copper in a liquid form, and the quaternary is basically an anti-bacterial soap. Much better in many ways. However, as the author has pointed out, there is a flaw in this chemical. It corrodes aluminum as well as other metals. CCA and the other two choices have always recommended using stainless steel or other approved fasteners, however, the new guys on the block seem to have the predominant problem of corrosion.
Why does it really corrode? Copper doesn't get along with aluminum. Simple chemistry. The nature of this treatment allows a tiny amount of copper to leach out, which causes surface contact with any fastener. If that fastener happens to be aluminum, a chemical reaction occurs, and in a short time, maybe a couple years, no more fastener. But do not become discouraged. There is an even newer kid on the block.
You will see it as a few different names: MCQ, Smart Sense, MicroPro, MicroShades, or Micronized Copper Quaternary. ACQ is held in solution, a liquid. MCQ is chemically different. It is made of tiny (micro) particles of copper. These particles are forced into the wood cells or pores during the pressure cycle. Once in, they stay in, also forming a barrier keeping in the quaternary. The leaching of chemicals out of MCQ is practically non-existent. So much so that aluminum is actually approved for use on this type of treated wood.
It just started going into production the end of 2006, and is becoming available in almost all states. If you can not find it, request it, or shop somewhere they do carry it. Most of the independent lumber yards will carry it, and Home Depot has it available in some stores as well.
To add a side note, I purchase organic and/or natural produce when available. I did not want to use ACQ in my organic raised bed garden, if I had to, I would have use a liner. However, I am building raised beds this year, and dragging my feet paid off this time, because MCQ became available, and I trust the research behind this product. ACQ was the step away from CCA, MCQ is the step up to a new level of safer treated products. I hope this helps answer any questions. Thank you,
John Bumby
The Maine Wood Treaters
Thanks for your insight John.
Posted by Anthony 6:22 AM 4 comments
Labels: garden projects, misc
Building A Garden Trellis
12/18/2006
One good thing about Garden Blogging through the winter is that you have nothing to post about. So you can go back to all those photos that you took over the summer but never had time to blog about and finally catch up. Today I’m going to play catch up and I’m Building a Garden Trellis.
Space is limited in my raised beds, so I have to garden vertically when I can and make use of every square inch. This year, I decided that squash and cucumbers would share a 4x8 bed. The cucumbers needed a trellis. 
If you’re looking for a fancy trellis made by a woodworker or someone who can bend and twist wrought iron to make art, then you’ll have to look elsewhere. This is a quick and easy trellis made from wood and twine.
The posts are 1x2’s. You could use 2x4s but 1x2s are cheaper and they’re strong enough to support the weight of most veggies so why not save a few dollars. You’ll need two 1x2s to use as posts and one as a cross piece that goes across the top. 
I avoid the whole old pressure treated wood (CCA) vs. new pressure treated wood (ACQ) in the garden argument by using regular lumber. It’s going to rot in a few years, but at $1.88 for an 8 foot 1x2, I’d rather replace the wood instead of worrying about chemicals leaching into the soil. Will they or won’t they? That’s a question for someone else. 
Each post should be buried at least 18” deep or if you’re building a trellis that will go inside a raised bed like mine, then you can secure it to the frame with 2 more screws. Remember that you’ll want the two posts to be the same height so that the cross piece is level. A laser level is a great tool to easily accomplish this. If you don’t have a laser level then place the cross piece on top and use a regular bubble level. Use a hammer to slowly tap the posts into the ground. If you keep knocking the cross piece off, then duct tape it. Once you’re level, use two 3 inch galvanized screws to secure each joint. If you’re worried about the wood cracking, then pre-drill your holes. 
Now measure and make pencil marks one foot apart going down from the top and then along the cross piece. Partially drill a short screw with a large head (or add a washer) into each mark. These screws are for attaching your twine. Tie a knot around the first screw and then screw it in the rest of the way so that the twine is secure. Fasten the string going horizontally across the trellis and then going vertically, screwing the screws in as you go. When going from top to bottom, tie a knot in the twine every place that it crosses the horizontals. 
As I said before, my trellis may not look good enough for a gardening magazine but it sure did the job. 
Posted by Anthony 11:27 PM 12 comments
Labels: garden projects, trellis
Cleaning Your Gutters
12/10/2006
A good source of muck (that's a technical term) for the compost pile is sitting in your gutters. When I clean out those left over leaves and pine needles and tiny little meteorites I don't put them out to the curb because that would be a waste. I head right over to my compost bin.
Have you ever been really busy during fall and didn't get around to cleaning your gutters? Well, I have and when that happens to me, I usually see little trees sprouting right in the rain gutters. Seems like some composting is already going up there.
Posted by Anthony 2:43 PM 0 comments
Labels: compost, garden projects
The Kid's Bird Feeder
11/16/2006
My kids, ages 4 and 2, believe that multi-colored bird houses attract the most birds, so they decided to use all the colors that they had to paint this bird feeder. This chickadee doesn't seem to mind.
Posted by Anthony 12:12 AM 0 comments
Labels: Birds, garden projects
Outdoor Fireplace
6/01/2006
This is my BBQ. It don't use it because there's a huge gas leak in one of the burners that shoots a flame out of the side of the BBQ. So instead of BBQing with fireproof pants on, I stoppped grilling. And it really wasn't a good grill when it was working either. Very uneven heating and there's no lid. There's a metal cover on it now but it actually sits on the grill so you couldn't cook with it on.
After debating whether or not it should be demolished, my wife and I decided that the best thing to do (and the cheapest) would be to turn it into an outdoor fireplace. It probably was used as a fireplace at one point early in it's life.
The first step for this project is going to be to repair some of the cracking stucco. Then I'll pick a nice color paint and see where we go from there. 
I'll stay away from the terra cotta look that's popular places like New Mexico, Arizona, etc. This is New Jersey so a greyish/slate/blue will be more appropriate. Something that compliments the new retaining walls that we had built around the pool.
Right now I'm installing 150 feet of vinyl fencing (not a fun project to do by yourself) so I won't get to revive the fireplace for a while. But when I do, I'll be sure to have my camera ready to record my progress.
Posted by Anthony 10:28 PM 4 comments
Labels: garden projects
How To Make Dandelion Wine
5/09/2006
After mentioning Dandelion Wine in a recent post I received a few comments wanting to know more about it. So I asked my Dad to explain how he makes it and give a little background into how he came up with his recipe. This is what he sent me:
A while ago I went to a High School class reunion and a class mate had made some dandelion wine. He brought it in a few sauce bottles and poured a little into everyone’s glass for a taste. This was my first experience with any home made wine other than grape wine. It was delicious. I remarked so much about it he gave what was left in the bottle to take home. When I asked for the recipe, to my surprise, he said “NO”. Well being the kind of person I am I took it upon myself to produce an even better dandelion wine.
After some trial and error, and quite a of bit of reading I have come up with my own recipe and it goes like this.
Dandelion Wine Recipe
11 ounces Dandelion Flower (Petals Only)
1 Gallon and 2 cups of water
1 lb Golden Raisins
3 lbs Granulated Sugar
2 Lemons
2 Oranges
1 Banana
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
Champagne Wine Yeast
I have found that the best way to pick dandelion flowers is with my wife or with many friends. What you can do is pick as many flowers as you can and freeze them. When you are ready to start your brew take them out of the freezer and pluck the yellow petals from the green stalk. Be sure not to use any of the green. Put the petals in either a nylon bag or a hops sack which you can get at a wine and beer making supply store. While you’re there pick up the yeast nutrient, the Champagne yeast, a one gallon jug, a fermentation trap and a food grade plastic pail. I have used both nylon bag and hops sack and they both work well. Tie the bags closed. Chop the raisins and place them in a bag or a sack also. The lemons and oranges must be peeled well with no pith (the white part) remaining on the fruit or the peel. Put all the fruit in the bags or sacks. Put the peels in a different sack. Chop the banana and guess what…put it in a sack. Just incase you’re wondering the raisins add body to the wine and the banana is for smoothness.
Place the dandelion petals the banana and the peels from the lemons and oranges into the food grade plastic pail. Boil the water and dissolve the sugar in the water. Pour the boiling water into the pail and stir. Hold aside a half cup of the liquid. Cover the pail with plastic wrap and let sit until the temperature is 70 degrees. Add the lemons and oranges squeezing them and dropping them into the must. When the half cup of liquid is also cool add to it the yeast nutrient and the yeast according to the directions on the package. When this starts bubbling add it to the pail, recover and place in a warm place for four days.
After four days rack into the one gallon jug and fit with the fermentation trap. You noticed that all the liquid did not fit. Hold this aside in a similar jug or jar. When the wine clears, in approximately 40 to 60 days, rack it to another jug leaving the lees at the bottom of the first jug. You should never rack the wine that is not clear. Use the liquid that was left over to top off the jug. Try to keep the wine full to about an inch and a half from the top of the jug. You should rack two more times before putting the wine into bottles and capping. Be sure that fermentation has completely stopped before bottling.
You should let the wine age about five to six months before tasting. In a year it will taste even better if you can wait that long.
I can not emphasize enough that all the components used in this procedure must be sterilized. The food grade plastic pail, the one gallon jug and any other containers you use.
Good Luck and enjoy.
Posted by Anthony 12:52 PM 10 comments
Labels: garden projects
Gardening With Children
4/04/2006
Gardening with Children can be a challenge. You want to make it fun but you also want to get some of your garden chores done. This year I can forget about planting the Sunflowers or Pumpkins that all the books about Gardening With Children recommend. They're recommended because they have large, easy to handle seeds and they grow pretty big. But at ages, 3 and 1, my children just don't have the attention span yet. I’ll still grow them but the kids really aren’t too interested. I got to plant about 5 seeds with my son last year before he asked me if I wanted to have a race and then he took off across the yard. And that was the end of my gardening with children.
This year my wife came up with a much better idea. The stick garden. 
Posted by Anthony 10:29 AM 0 comments
Labels: garden projects
Raised Garden Beds
3/14/2006
Every year I expand my vegetable garden and build more raised beds. You can never grow enough tomatoes! Five years ago I had started with two 4’ x 8’ raised beds that I made from cedar 2x6s and 4x4s. Last season I added three 3’ x 10’ beds and that brought me up to over 230 square feet of planting area.
Making a raised bed is a simple bit of carpentry that anyone should be able to do. The easiest way to buy some 2x12 lumber and screw them together in the shape of a rectangle. You can make them as long as you like but you should limit the width to 3 or 4 feet so you can easily reach in the bed to plant seeds, pull weeds or to harvest crops.
The next question you’re probably asking is what kind of wood do I use to build raised beds. The whole pressure treated vs. non issue is a complicated one. Does pressure treated wood leach chemicals into the soil? Well the answers are yes and maybe.
The old pressure treated lumber (CCA) is preserved with a process that uses arsenic. Obviously you don’t want arsenic anywhere near something you’re going to eat even in the small amounts that might be present in a raised bed vegetable garden. CCA wood isn’t too readily available anymore so you probably don’t have to worry about coming across it. The new improved pressure treated wood (ACQ) replace CCA pressure treated wood a few years ago. The lumber industry says it safer to handle and use but guess what? It eats through normal galvanized screws and fasteners. You have to use stainless steel screws with CCA wood. Hmmm, I’m not an expert with lumber or chemicals but that sounds fishy to me. I think I’ll avoid it until some long term studies are done.
The first four raised beds I built were from cedar. But cedar is really expensive and my wife wanted to kill me for spending $300 on wood that I was going to leave in the yard. My latest raised beds are built from regular non-pressure treated lumber that is rotting away in my garden as we speak. If I get about 5 years of use from it, that’s good enough for me and my veggies.
Posted by Anthony 10:12 AM 8 comments
Labels: garden projects, raised beds, vegetable garden
