Organic Kitchen Garden A - Z list of vegetables and herbs to grow and when

LILA'S O R G A N I C K I T C H E N G A R D E N SUSTAINABLE EARTH LIVING. New Plymouth, Taranaki, New Zealand.© 2007

How to make compost - compost making - organic compost - sustainable compost

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HOW TO MAKE COMPOST

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Before we begin this section, you need to know that piling scraps, lawn clippings and leaves in a bin or a corner is not compost, that is mulch, and takes a long time to break down.. people make the mistake of thinking that compost is just a matter of putting scraps leaves and lawn clippings etc in a heap, leaving it to nature and after a while it will feed your plants, it will certainly improve your soil when you add it to the garden, however it is not a complete food, you would still have to add other nutrients to get your food to grow, I want to show you how to make REAL COMPOST QUICKLY. This is a complete plant food ready in 8 weeks

GARDEN ALMANAC

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A-Z LIST OF VEGETABLES AND HERBS, WHEN AND HOW TO GROW THEM.

What is permaculture exactly - and why is it important?

compost making

liquid fertilizers

soil improvement

THE INGREDIENTS:

'Greens' (wet and nitrogen-rich) fresh green matter such as grass clippings, vegetable wastes, fresh leaves, make sure they are cut into small 6cm strips or pieces

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'Browns' (dry and carbon-rich) Fallen leaves, straw, sawdust, shredded newspaper and cardboard, very small wood chips old bits of cotton/wool

Garden Lime

Blood and bone

"Manure": Sheep pellets, or sheep, chicken, horse or cow manure

Urea [your urine] why purchase urea when you carry it with you at all time, Urine is the most sterile and complete form of urea, please go past what people may think, in fact you don't even have to tell them, now do you!. A most brilliant compost activator. The urea you buy comes from Petroleum, which would you prefer.

Water & rich soil or compost full of microorganisms [important]

THE RECIPE:

this pile is 2meters by 2meters and you start with your ''greens'' now the important thing about greens is that they are fresh, not a day old and all wilted but cut back leaves or hedge clippings or lawn clippings, best if you do it on a day you mow the lawns, you lose too much nitrogen when greens are wilted. I got up this morning and mowed the lawns and cut back the hedge, this pile of greens is about 1 ft tall sprinkle with 1 handful of lime, 4 handfuls of blood and bone and 6 handfuls of sheep pellets.

Then I emptied my kitchen scrap bin, I have a large bin in the kitchen, which is airtight, so no bugs can get in and no smells can get out, there are about 2 newspapers in total here shredded into strips and cut so they are small pieces, a layer of the kitchen scraps and paper goes next, then sprinkle with a handful of lime, then 4 handfuls of blood and bone and 6 handfuls of sheep pellets.

THREE TIMES MORE BROWNS THAN GREENS

Then a layer of browns is about three times more than greens - I used about 3 wheelbarrows full of dried raked leaves, collect your dried leaves all year round ready for your composting remember that browns take up more room and look like there is more, greens compact more, then again a small handful of lime, 4 handfuls of blood and bone and 6 handfuls of sheep pellets.

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Then you want a very thin layer of soil, about 3/4 of a bucket, I ensure that it is compost from my last batch carried over, if no compost use a healthy soil, don't add worms, it will be too hot for them and they will die, or crawl away in desperation if they can..

Last but not least 1 small handful of lime sprinkled, 3 handfuls of blood and bone and 6 handfuls of sheep pellets, then 1/2 water can of urine [urea] to activate the compost mixed with 1/2 can of water, please do not hesitate to use urine I beg of you, it simply is eaten up and produces the most wonderful compost and then plants, I will actually devote a whole section to the use of urine as a plant food later.

Now you need to thoroughly mix the pile, start on the outside and work in, then spread out, sprinkle a little water on the pile, remember your browns are very dry, then turn again and spread out sprinkle and turn again until the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and THIS IS IMPORTANT the mix is to be damp, not wet, so when you pick up a little handful you feel moisture left on your palm of your hand and fingers, but they are not wet.

Work then into a large round mountain pile, at this stage you must check for dampness, too often people go wrong right now with a mixture that is TOO WET. it will be a waste of time if you do that...you can always add a bit of water but its hard to take it away...in fact you will spoil all your good work up to this stage.

At this stage you can get your mix ready for your compost bin, or you can cover the whole lot with tarpaulin and put bricks or stones around the edge, to keep the heat in and the rain out, do not let the pile just sit in open air that would be a total shame.,

I have made too much for my compost bin, however by the time I lift the bin in 2 weeks and turn the compost again, it will have broken down so I will be able to add the other container as well, you can in fact make compost in anything, you could leave it in large pots like this one, or bays you have made out of wood or other materials, I have a three bay system as well.

The finished product, before you put the lid on ensure that your compost is wet enough, if you suspect it is a bit dry then use a watering can to add water, judge it intelligently, if the compost is too dry, and it does dry out the composting will stop, if the compost is too wet it will just compact into a slimy sludge, the compost needs to feel spongy with lots of air pockets

The compost will rapidly heat up, by the next morning if you put your hand into the middle of the compost it should be really hot, it means it is working and you are on your way to making the perfect compost/plant nutrient, this is the meaning of organic growing. After two weeks you will lift the top off your compost heap and you will then turn the compost pile again, this will ensure that all the contents from the outside edge are mixed thoroughly through the rest, sprinkle with water again if it appears to be a bit on the dry side, at this stage if you like you can add some more blood and bone and manure and urea, this will assist the composting procedure once it is piled back in the compost bin....NEVER PACK YOUR COMPOST DOWN TO MAKE ROOM, always let it slowly break down by itself, the compost will reheat all over again, and in fact if you find that the compost is cooling down then re-start it, you could do this anytime, you are going to turn your compost every two weeks for 6 weeks. Then you can transfer your compost to big plastic garden bags where it will keep breaking down and your compost will be ready to use in 8 weeks from the date of making the pile - The fresher you apply your compost to your soil the better, you should in fact if you are serious about growing everything on your property organically have at least 2 or 3 compost heaps on the go, you will not be sorry. Your compost should smell fantastic at all times, if it starts to stink then it is too wet, turn out, mix and let dry in the sun for a while, add more manures, urea, browns and greens and reactivate. WHEN YOU TURN OUT YOUR COMPOST AND MIX THEN OXYGEN GETS INTO THE MIX, THIS WILL REACTIVATE THE COMPOST ALONE. note: if you want to produce really quick compost you can turn out, and re mix weekly, the more oxygen that gets into your mix the quicker the breakdown period, never use your compost until it is cold to touch this is a perfect potting mix for all plants and is especially a fantastic seed raising mix, you could not find better. I cannot impress on you how important this compost is and how easy it is to make once you are in the habit. NOTE: IF YOU MAKE A PERFECT COMPOST AND BECAUSE IT HEATS UP, IT WILL BE WEED FREE, THE HEATING PROCESS COOKS THE WEED SEEDS. (:

COMPOST BAYS and COMPOST HEAPS and POP'S TRENCHES

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