I Love Composting!!!

With the warm weather rolling in, it's a great time to reap the rewards of all my hard composting work throughout the year!  If you don't compost, then this article is for you!  I've been a firm believer of composting for years!  And now I would like to share some tips and knowledge of composting and just my personal opinions on how great it is! 

First of all, it's a great way to reduce the amount of trash you take to the curb!  I will get into further detail as to what kinds of trash can be composted further in this post.
Secondly, it's an easy, cheap way to get organic, nutrient-filled soils for your vegetable and flower gardens without even leaving your home!  I don't even have to buy fertilizers or potting soils anymore with the amount of soil I get from my compost bin!
And lastly, depending on the type of container you wish to use, you can make a compost bin from almost any scrap materials you may have lying around your garage or barn!

To begin, you need a bin.  There are several different options you can use....from chicken wire/fencing material to metal garbage cans to the more common plastic bins found in stores.  Whatever option you choose, just be sure that it's made from a material that won't rot...wood isn't a good material to use in making a compost bin, because it can break down from the common processes of breaking down that occur in composting.  If you choose chicken wire or fencing, simply wrap it in a circular shape and tie with plastic ties or wire ties to hold it together.  If you choose to use a metal garbage can, be sure to drill holes into the sides of the can to help aerate the material.  And if you choose to buy a bin from the store (this is the method I chose), there are many different options available...from simple square plastic bottomless bins with a lid, to circular bins that can be turned in order to aerate the material inside. 
If you choose on of the simpler methods that don't have an aerator method for turning your compost material, then you need to manually turn the material on your own by simply using a shovel or pitchfork and occasionally turning the material inside.  The process of aeration allows the composting process to occur quicker.

Next, you need to accumulate products to compost.  The list is pretty extensive as to what you can compost.  Among the list of compostable items are kitchen scraps such as fruit and vegetable clippings, skins and rinds, coffee grounds, tea bags, coffee filters, egg shells, and leftovers.  Just be sure that any of these kitchen scraps do NOT include meat, poultry or fish products.  These are things that cannot be composted.  In addition to the kitchen scraps, you can also compost newspapers and shredded papers (I don't use the any "glossy" newspaper ads or paper), and you can use fallen leaves in autumn and grass clippings and flower clippings in spring and summer.  For a more extensive list, you can visit this website, which provides an extensive list of compostable products for easy reference.  http://eartheasy.com/grow_compost.html  (not only does this website provide a list of compostable materials, but it also gives useful tips in getting started with a compost bin and how to maintain your compost bin, as well as answering questions you may have on the composting process)
Another website beneficial in composting is http://www.composting101.com/. 

And lastly, you just need to maintain your bin as you add material.  Every few days (I normally do it once a week or so), you will need to turn your compost material, if you don't have a turnable bin. It's as easy as taking a pitchfork or shovel and simply moving the material around to allow it to blend and get air.   When you add kitchen scraps, they tend to be wet or watery, so it's best to top them off with something dry when you add them to the bin.  You can use leaves, straw, grass clippings or other yard materials to do this.  You can also add fertilizers to your compost bin to help add nutrients, as well as help speed up the composting process.  (I choose not to add fertilizer, because I want to keep my material as organic as possible, but it is an option if you want!)

And that's pretty much it!  The more material you add, the more soil you will yield! I use the soil for adding to my vegetable garden as well as my flower gardens.  The soil is very rich in nutrients and helps give your plants what they need to grow!  You can have a compost bin no matter where you live and it's highly beneficial to whatever plants you intend on growing! 


Now go out there, and get composting!!!!!!! :)

Spring is Here!!!

With the long winter coming to an end, I'm ready to embrace the warm weather and sunshine of Spring with open arms!  One of my favorite things to do when the weather warms up is to head to the outdoors and enjoy nature!  And when I can't be outdoors all of the time, I like to incorporate little things from the outdoors into our everyday life...through decorating, through crafts or even just opening the windows to let the sunshine and breezes come into our home! 
This craft that I would like to share with you is just one example of bringing the outdoors in!  It's a cute, simple craft for children of all ages to do in just a few easy steps.

I've nicknamed thes cute little guys "Mother Nature's Peeps" :)

Materials

• various printed cardstock
• solid color cardstock of choice
• orange cardstock
• black marker
• small twigs
• small leaves (I used leaves from a Myrtle plant)
• scissors
• glue
• hole punch

Directions

1. Cut bodies of birds in "egg" shapes using a solid colored card stock of choice.
2. Cut beaks of birds using orange card stock
3. Cut tail feathers of birds using printed card stock of choice.  I chose to use "boy" patterns with browns and blues since I have a son, but any patterns will work!
4. Glue beaks, tail feathers and two small leaves for wings and twigs for legs onto the bodies of the birds.
5. Punch hole in the top of each bird and place ribbon through the holes.
6. Tie ribbon off for hanging.

(Additional Note- Instead of making individual birds, you can also make a mobile of birds or even a birdie garland for hanging as Spring decoration as well! )

We used these cute little guys as "Springy gifts" for grandmas, aunts and friends!