Compost Tea

I’ve had a lot of people asking me lately what the benefit of compost tea is, and how to make it.

So, what’s so great about compost tea, anyway? Well, it’s a very easy way to add nutrients to your garden. It can be used either by spraying it on the leaves of your plants, or watering your plants with it. Personally, I like using it for my houseplants and container garden where I don’t get to use my compost as mulch.

There are a lot of tea brewers out there, and other instruments that claim to help make your tea brewing easier, but you really don’t need these. It’s a very simple process to make effective compost tea.

What you need:

• Burlap bag


• Large Bucket


• 1 part compost


• 5 parts water

Place your compost into the burlap bag, and let it soak in the bucket of water for a few days – I wouldn’t recommend longer than 5 days. By five days, you’ve already got all of the good nutrients into the water. At this point in time, your compost tea is ready to use! Just put your compost tea in a watering can, or a spray bottle, and go at your plants. Keep in mind that compost tea does not keep for a long time – if you don’t use it up almost immediately, it can become anaerobic.

Terra Composter Revealed

GardenSuperMart.com has released images of the Terra composter that they are going to be carrying next year. Compared to other composters, I think it looks like a nice, stylish change from the big black one I’ve currently got in my backyard. That said, I'm going to have to wait to see the price before I decide whether or not to purchase it.


What I really like about this, as I said above, is that it LOOKS nice. A lot nicer than what I currently have hidden in the back corner of my yard. I bought one of the rain barrels that GardenSuperMart.com carries (the smaller one), and this looks like it's made of the same plastic. If it is, then I know that it's not going to be too heavy, and that it will stand up to a lot of abuse that I may put it through.

The back door is apparently designed in a way to make it hard for rodents to get into, which is definitely a plus for it. I've had problems with raccoons in the past, so anything that will detract from the raccoons getting into my composter is appealing to me.

I've never bothered to make compost tea before – I know, it's supposed to be great for container gardening, and for house plants, but it just always seemed like much too much work for me to bother. It looks like this new composter, however, has an area to collect compost tea, and a spout to drain it from the composter. I can definitely see how this would benefit someone who is as lazy as I can get. ;)

The one part I’m not sure whether I like about this composter is that it looks like it would be a little difficult to turn the compost, as it looks a lot thinner than it is tall. It might be hard to get all of the compost mixed together properly.

What do you think about this compost bin? Is there anything in particular that you like or dislike about it?

eLumber?

Lexmark, one of the larger suppliers of printer ink cartridges is doing a good job of taking their used cartridges and recycling them. They've been using their cartridges to create eLumber - a material that can be used in landscaping projects where you would normally use regular lumber. This material is water-resistant, insect-resistant and is very durable. While the product is originally black, it can apparantely be formed and painted to realistically look like rocks or wood.

eLumber should be emerging in the consumer market later in 2008. It will cost more than real wood, but it would probably be worth that extra cost.

Story found via EcoGeek.com.

10 Ways to help the environment with your garden

1. Use Solar Lighting. Solar lights are wonderful because they don’t have any emissions, and so don’t contribute at all to global warming. They also use solar lighting – a renewable resource!



2. Keep all power tools properly maintained in order to keep them running efficiently. Inspecting and cleaning your power tools regularly will help them to run the best that they can for the longest period of time.



3. When planning your garden, be sure to include trees and shrubs. When placed correctly, these can reduce the heating and cooling costs for your house. Plant deciduous trees in areas that will shade your windows in the summer, but will let in sunlight during the winter, and plant trees and shrubs to help block wind.



4. Save Water. I recently posted a list of 15 ways to conserve water in your yard and garden.



5. Compost. You can compost food scraps, and garden waste that would otherwise go to landfills. This not only reduces your garbage, but it also will give you material to help your garden grow healthier.



6. Grow your own vegetables. This will help to reduces carbon from fertilizers, and transportation.



7. Use a push mower. As push mowers are completely manually powered, using one of these will eliminate the gas or electricity you use when mowing your lawn.



8. Think about an alternative lawn. Grass is one of the least water efficient plants you can include in your yard. Lawns have to be watered much more often than other plants, and you have to use a lawn mower frequently to keep up the appearance of a well-kept yard. Think about clover, ornamental grasses, creeping thymes or moss.



9. Prevent Runoff and Erosion. Runoff can carry harmful chemicals, pesticides and excessive amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen into waterways, and erosion removes the top soil and can clog waterways with it. Prevent this from happening by using plants that cover the entire ground surface.



10. Eliminate the harmful chemicals you use in your lawn/garden. Any chemicals you use to get rid of weeds, eliminate pests or help plants grow can have adverse reactions to other plants or animals that come into contact with it. Getting rid of weeds using vinegar, hot water or just pulling up the weeds will work better in the long run than chemicals; There are many organic pesticides that you can either buy or make at home; to help plants grow, try using compost or compost tea.

Outside Water Conservation

With more emphasis being put on becoming more environmentally friendly these days, water conservation is a subject on everyone’s mind. It doesn’t have to be difficult – in fact there are many simple things you can do around your home to help with saving water, especially outside in the summer. We’ve put together a list of the top 15 things that you can do outside to save water this year.

1. Get a rain barrel. Saving rain water reduces the amount of water you would otherwise get from your hose. This is especially beneficial during those dry drought periods you may get during the summer.

2. Water your garden either first thing in the morning, or during the evening. Watering your garden or lawn during the hottest part of the day will only result in most of the water evaporating, and won’t do your lawn and garden any good.

3. Get your car washed at a car wash that uses recycled water, or use a product like the California Car Duster. The Car Duster removes dust from your car, helping it maintain a clear appearance without the necessity of rinsing it with water!

4. Don’t spray your driveway, sidewalk, deck or porch with either your sprinkler or hose. If your driveway is dirty, or covered in leaves, sweep the mess up with a broom or blow it off with a leaf blower. If you are watering your lawn or garden, position your sprinkler so it doesn’t water your driveway, street or sidewalk.

5. Most neighbourhoods have watering schedules, where you can only use water outside on certain days during the summer. Find out what these days are, and observe them.

6. When mowing your lawn, set the blade to the highest possible height. Longer grass will grow deeper roots, and will help shade the soil enough to prevent water evaporation. Keep the blades on your mower sharp to prevent tearing of grass, which has a tendency to look unhealthy. Lastly, don’t use a bag on your lawn mower to collect grass clippings – let the clippings fall onto your lawn. These clippings will help fertilize your lawn and keep moisture in the soil.

7. Use a water-efficient sprinkler. Some sprinklers, such as the Rainforest brand of sprinklers, will save up to 30% less water when using them compared to a typical sprinkler, but splitting the water drops into a mist that helps to improve the quality of watering you give your lawn or garden.

8. Make your garden larger. Grass needs more water than most other plants. Why not try adding a paved area to your yard, or a mulch bed around your trees to help reduce grassed areas?

9. Check for leaks on a regular basis – this includes around all faucets, connectors, hoses, sprinkling systems, and around your swimming pool.

10. Plan your garden properly – group plants that have similar watering needs together. Also, try to do your planting in either the spring or the fall, when these plants are going to need the least amount of water.

11. Weed your garden regularly. By weeding regularly, you will remove other plants that are competing with your own plants for water, which will in turn mean that you need to water your garden less.

12. Choose any water features that you install in your garden carefully. While everyone loves the sound of trickling water, if the water is running too fast, there is the chance that you will lose a lot of it while it bounces out of the water feature or evaporates.

13. Don’t over-water your lawn. Usually lawns only need to be watered once every 3-5 days. When you are using a sprinkler, don’t forget that it’s on. Use a timer to remind you to shut if off, if you need to.

14. Use mulch in your garden instead of soil. Much helps with the absorption of water, and prevents it from evaporating as quickly as may otherwise happen.

15. When watering plants, make sure you are watering the base of the plant, where the water can quickly get to your roots. By watering the leaves of the plant, your plant is less likely to get the water that it needs, and it will more easily evaporate.

Great new pictures of my rain barrel!

Pictures of my Cascata Rain Water Collection and Storage System

Here's what the Cascata rain barrel looks like in my backyard! Who says rain barrels have to look ugly???

Stylish rain barrels that help save the environment

We all know that you should save water. And having a rain barrel in your backyard is a great way to save water. However, have you noticed that all the rain barrels that you get from the city are eyesores? City-issued rain barrels can cause irreparable damage to your property value!

What you’re looking for is a well-designed and nicely colored rain barrel that will enhance your backyard, instead of diminishing it. One rain barrel which I love is the Cascata rain barrel. Its smooth contours make for a stylish choice, and its earth-tone complexion renders it color-neutral; it’s able to blend into any backyard landscape. This rain barrel goes great with both brick and stucco, offering both style and elegance.

The Cascata holds 60 gallons of water- enough to water your garden and your lawn! It comes with a tap at its base, which allows you to fill watering buckets. And it also comes with fittings that allow you to hook several together in series, for those extra-large lawns. The Cascata also has a sister, the Agua, which is more compact, and holds 50 gallons of water. Both the Cascata and the Aqua are Made in Canada.

This spring, invest in rain barrels: invest in the environment, while increasing your property value!

Finally there is a general book on water storage. It is estimated that on the average water system, Oasis Design's book will pay for itself a hundred times over in errors avoided and maintenance savings.

My Ideal Garden: Landscape Design and Home Garden Ideas - Created by professional designers, My Ideal Garden is your online guide to pictures and advice that will help turn your landscape design idea or flower garden plan into reality.