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Composting

How to Build Hugelkultur Self-Composting Garden Beds

As you might be able to tell by the name, hugelkultur comes to us from Germany. The word translates to “hill culture,” and it is a very environmentally friendly and efficient type of raised bed gardening.  Hugelkultur (pronounced Hoo-gull-culture) is sustainable, low-maintenance, drought-resistant, affordable, and can vastly improve the nearby landscape. Better yet, it’s easy […]

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Composting

Spring Composting: A Do It Yourself Guide to Homemade Fertilizer

Ah… the sweet sights and sounds of spring. It’s the time of the year when robins are plucking worms from the grass, tulips and crocuses are in bloom, our radishes and peas are ready to harvest, and our spring composting work is well underway. But what is that exactly? Isn’t composting just a matter of […]

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Composting

The Best Compost Ingredients for Making Black Gold

If there is a magic formula to a bountiful vegetable garden, compost has an honored place in the mix. Good compost is rich in the nutrients your plants need to grow. In addition, compost can double as mulch, it’s environmentally friendly, and the process of composting is pretty darn easy. That said, some compost ingredients […]

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Composting

A Guide to Composting in Winter Months

Most of us here at the Food Gardening Network love composting. Composting is a great way to deal with waste, the finished compost is super nutritious for your garden, and you don’t need any special equipment. But since the decomposition process requires heat, can you keep composting in winter? Yes. Your compost pile won’t move […]

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Composting

When and How to Use Compost in the Spring

The great thing about compost is that… wait. Forget that. Everything is great about compost. It’s a great way to reduce the amount of garbage that goes to the landfill. It’s an incredibly healthy addition to your soil. And you don’t need any special equipment to compost. Of course, I’ve been gardening for a while, but when I first started, even though I knew compost was good, I didn’t really know how to use compost.

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Composting

Compost Not Heating Up? 3 Ways to Fix Slow Composting

It’s probably no surprise that I love compost. Ever since I began using compost in my garden, all my plants, vegetables, and herbs are happier than ever. And compost is generally worry-free, although I did run into a problem with my compost not heating up a little while back.

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Composting

Can You Compost Dog Poop?

When I first started composting, I felt a surge of angst any time I was about to throw something in the garbage. Can I compost it? Is this really garbage? At first, it only happened in the kitchen with food scraps and some paper products.

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Composting

How to Use an Indoor Compost Bin That Doesn’t Stink

I have a love/hate relationship with my indoor compost bin. I love that I don’t have to walk out to my compost heap every time I peel a banana or empty my tea pot. I hate that it can sometimes smell like I’m downwind from the town dump. Even though I empty it regularly, it can still develop a nose-turning aroma. And for some people without an outdoor compost pile, it’s a lot more difficult to empty the indoor bin regularly. Some friends that live in the city have to wait a full week before their compost gets picked up.

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Composting

How to Compost in an Apartment

There is a lot of information out there about how to compost in an apartment. One thing that seems to be missing in much of that information is whether or not it’s worth it to compost if you don’t have an outdoor garden. It does, after all, take a bit more work than just tossing your banana peels and peach pits in the garbage.