Something very exciting happened here in July.
Well, it was exciting to me at least.
Over a year after I started composting, my first bin was finally ready to use! I haven't been adding any new compost to that bin for a couple of months, and while there were still some egg shells that hadn't decomposed (I didn't learn until more recently that it's good to crush them!), I decided it was close enough to dirt to be useable.
I remembered hearing that straight compost is too dense to use with plants, so I mixed it with some dirt and use it to repot some plants. And my goodness, the compost certainly does wonders!
Here's my basil plant that's just been in potting soil.
And here's the one that's been in regular backyard dirt + compost. It has lovely, large, dark green droopy leaves after just a few weeks in the compost/dirt mixture.
For a better comparison, here they are side by side.
Incidentally, do you not just adore my beautiful pot? 😉 I was out of real pots and didn't want to fork over $20 for a large plastic pot. Since we've done so much remodeling we have spackle buckets aplenty, and though it's ugly as sin, it was free and it works just fine.
When I put these tomato plants and the basil plant into the bucket, they were so small that their tops could barely peek over the edge of the pot, and now look at them just a few weeks later! Compost is amazing.
This poor little neglected hosta, which was in some really bad dirt in my yard, is now living in this pot with a compost/dirt mixture. Hopefully it will recuperate.
Last Saturday, I used the rest of the compost to make a mini garden in my backyard. Grass really wasn't growing well behind this concrete pad so I loosened the soil with a shovel and mixed in the rest of my compost. I have basil, peppers, green onions, and several tomato plants growing there. I'm anxious to see how much these plants will grow now that their soil is enriched with compost.
I'm especially interested to see how much this little baby basil plant will perk up.
I'll do another post in a few weeks with some comparison photos, just because I love that sort of thing dearly.
If seeing my happy plants has inspired you to begin composting, check out my post on super easy, super cheap composting. and next year you too can grow luscious basil leaves like these.
While it might not be thrillsville for other people, I'm tickled to death that our food scraps, which would have gone into the landfill otherwise, have been turned into something that's nourishing the soil, soil which is growing food for us. Happy sigh.
If you already compost, what do you do with yours once it's ready to use?
On my square foot garden plots I try to put a 2-inch layer of compost on top. I don't mix it in, just lay it on top. For pots I use a mix of 3/4 compost and 1/4 perlite mixed very well with a 1-2 inch layer of large chunk wood chips on the bottom.
If I notice my potted house plants lagging in growth I'll add an inch of compost to the top of the pot, removing some soil if necessary.
FYI - I also make 'instant' compost by blending all kitchen scraps with enough water to make a thick smoothie consistancy. Then I make a shallow furrow close to a row of plants or a circle around a plant, pour the compost in, lightly cover with dirt and in 24 hours its been completely incorporated. My earthworm population has multiplied greatly using this method.
We mix our compost with a combination of potting soil and mulch and add it to our veggie garden.
Just a little aside, planting herbs near the foundation of our home an excellent location (providing they get enough light and water). I received this tip from a botonist at our local flower and herb farm. Boy was she right!
Wow, I wish my thumb wasn't brown. When I buy a home, I'd love to be able to grow some veggies!
Love your compost usage! A tip I found this summer (somewhere on the net) is to save egg shells and then soak them 24 hrs. in a large bucket of water and then use that water on flowering plants and the results are amazing....who would have thunk that !!! I wonder if it is calcium?
I love gardening, but my plants always die.:( I think I might be over watering or under watering or something!
Sadly, I can't garden to save my life---well, I've never tried veggies, I've just ruined several beautiful flower gardens that pre-existed in homes we bought. I just can't handle labor-intensive plants etc. However, I am a devoted composter in that we are able to put all our food scraps and even pizza boxes, used napkins and paper plates (although we almost never have those 2 items at home but I am crazy enough to bring them back from a picnic or restaurant sometimes!!) in our yard waste recycling container. It's then taken away and composted with everyone else's stuff. I was so excited when they started this service about 2 years ago, the lady at the garbage/recycling company thought I was a little cuckoo when I signed up for the service and I couldn't stop rhapsodizing about it.
Oh I love this post. There is something SO satisfying about creating your own compost and then growing your own food in it.
I'm right with you on the excitement factor - thanks for sharing!
I will be leaving a notebook with detailed directions when we move from our home. It is not that anything I do is that complicated, but if you don't know what to do when (or what not to do) the plants can die. I don't want the next family to go through the disappointment of watching their landscaping die.@Julia
I did it wrong, but my last post was supposed to be a reply to Julia. Oops.
I have used the compost in my gardens (and the results are amazing) and mixed with dirt to plant grass in our yard. I also put a thin layer on the lawn in the spring instead of fertilizer and it greens the lawn up fast.
Squee, OMG, that's so very cool. Go, you! Congrats on your flourishing plants! That basil plant is a thing of beauty and wonder. ^_^ (I couldn't get basil to grow for me at all. *sads* I think there's not enough sun for it: I live in Pacifica, Calif., AKA Fogtown.)
And I wish we had space to compost, but our balcony has gotten pretty crowded as it is.
Completely off subject, but I made the Cheap French Bread today and WOW! My kids think an alien ship has taken their mother and put me in her place because I cannot cook. I guess baking (with yeast, at that!) is a different story. Thank you, Frugal Girl.
Oh yeah, we compost too. It hasn't matured yet. I get composted horse manure from a farm 30 min away. He loads it for free, and it is pure black gold!
I have used compost for years. I'm glad you found it! It's wonderful.Also thanks for the cinnamon bun recipe. Love it!
Have you thought about chemicals in your spackle bucket? I would worry about what's leaching into the food. We've been getting leftover icing buckets from the bakery dept @ the grocery store (they give them away!) to grow our stuff in - they're big, free and food safe too 🙂
Oh man! A whole year, I don't want to have to wait that long for my compost. I've got these great little plants just sitting there waiting for some good stuff!
@Steven Mandzik There are plenty of ways to get compost faster. The trade-off is labor vs. time. Also, my experience is that lazy compost takes about 6 months. But what would you use it for in Feb?
Kristen, you may already know this but in case you don't: compost is best for leafy things, like your basil. It's the nitrogen. Phosphorus and potassium are best for fruit and roots, but I don't remember which is for which.
Our compost pile is in the way back of our yard...just like that, in a pile. We regularly add kitchen waste and yard waste to it. I keep a mini bin with a lid next to my kitchen sink. I must admit I have not been so religious about getting that waste out to the heap lately what with all of the snow to trudge through in order to get there. I use the compost when planting new plants/seeds, and add a ring of it around other plants in the yard. Really love your blog, by the way.
I am so excited to start my own composting. I read your post about your compost container and thought I should do this. Then I didn't know what I would do with the compost. (I am still new to all of this.) I don't have time to have a garden so I do container gardening instead. It was so cool to see what you did with your compost. Next year I'll be doing the same. I really love your blog!! A friend of mine sent me your yogurt recipe and I can't wait to make it later this week. Keep up the great work.