Well the South Texas heat has finally stopped the relentless assault on us and the rains have returned… we even had a few temps down in the 60′s , you can’t beat that!  So it’s been a busy few weeks around here, we have been horse sitting for a friend of my wife’s, we have moved cattle around to rotate pastures, and the garden work has picked back up.

After the Hornworm Incident last month, I had given up on the tomatoes, but there is one plant that still keeps chugging along.  So we shall see how that goes.  Mostly its been cleanup work, weeding , cutting back the dead stuff, you know how it goes.  We have also been filling up the compost piles, lots of goodies for that endeavor, old hay grass clippings and what not, so now we have two pretty big piles ready for next spring, if everything works as it should!

Now The Garden Plan!

Down here where we live we really don’t get winter. oh yea I hear ya , it gets cool, 40′ s maybe a freeze in January, but over all its more like a hard Fall season…I was stationed in Colorado in The Army, now it gets cold there!!  But that’s all the better for us , with the proper protection , you can garden dang near year round.   Most of your cool season crops just love the mild weather here from October until usually late December, even some root veggies and onions can stay in ground until spring, That is if the cold rainy days don’t get to crazy and it all rots.   So without further delay here’s what I’m planning for this fall season.

• Cabbage – some red and some green
• Carrots – can’t go wrong with carrots
• Onions and Garlic – Two more favorites around here
• Spinach and some Lettuce
• Broccoli – gonna try this again, I never have any luck with good broccoli

And whatever else I have a few extra seeds for , so stay tuned for the next installment now that things have cooled off a bit!

The first thing I did was to build a cage out of Red Brand Goat Fence, you can use what ever you have around your place, we just had some extra.  I took a 10 foot piece and connected the ends to make a cylinder, it works perfect for contaning the pile.  I put this cylinder in an out of the way place , its gonna be there a while, and start gathering my materials.  Since I live on the farm out here materials are easy to come by. I use mostly old hay that has gotten wet, and bales that fell apart around the haystack, plus grass clippings from mowing around the house. We also have an abundance of chicken, cow and donkey manure around here so that is a key ingredient as well.

Old Hay

Let’s Assemble!

With the materials gathered up I first put down a layer of hay, 1 to 2 feet deep, then water it down with the water hose , it will compact down quite a bit.

1st Layer of Hay

The next layer is a layer of grass clippings, I used about 2 full bags from the mower for the grass layer it works out to about 5 to six inch layers.

Bag From The Mower Full Of Clippings.

Layer Of Grass Clippings

After the grass goes on I dump in about two five-gallon bucket fulls of chicken manure over the grass layer and then wet it down, it helps to keep the dust down as well as adds to the needed moisture in the pile.

Five gallon Bucket of Chicken Manure.

From there it just goes layer upon layer , just like lasagna!  I put about five layers on this pile and will keep the water going on for a few more days, as you add water you will see the pile begin to compact down.   After a few weeks you can turn the pile over a couple of times to get the air moving again, this will speed up your compost, or you can just let it set and it will still work, it will just take longer.

Almost Done

So there you have it, started compost pile ready to cook.  You can continue to add kitchen waste, more grass clipping, fall leaves, whatever  just make sure you keep the pile moist and it will do fine.    Check back in a few weeks and I’ll update how this particular pile is going!

Thanks for stopping by!

   I’m into the compost, well not literally, but I have 2 good size piles going right now.  One has pretty well worked itself out , the other was started in October, so its not really rolling yet.  The good thing about living in southeast Texas, most of the winter months are nice and mild.  Its been a little cold this week , but we have had days in the sixties. So my compost can work longer than most, just a little slower sometimes.

Check this article on food waste in the compost pile, I do this too.  I drink lots of coffee and I put all the coffee grounds I can get into the compost, along with other food waste like vegetable cuttings etc. 

Composting Your Food Scraps, The Easy Way

Each year around May 1st, give or take a day or two depending on the weather, I begin my vegetable garden. I turn the soil over (by hand of course), mark the rows as to where certain vegetables will grow and so on. When it comes to picking my vegetables, or as farmers say, harvest them, people I give them to always give me great compliments. Long before I ever plant the seeds or begin to water and long before the weather turns to warm spring, I work the soil in my garden. When I say work, what I mean is contribute to increasing the nutrient content giving my vegetables an ideal growing environment.

Believe it or not it is easy to do, takes only a few minutes of your time and in that short time you are doing a world of difference to your garden and the environment. What I simply do is compost my food waste. I am sure you have heard of composting where you take leaves, grass etc., and put them all together and every so often you turn the pile over to create great compost.

Well you can also compost your food waste (well all except bones of course). Food waste and scraps are a great way to add nutrients to your soil. In a nutshell here is how it works. You collect your food waste, dig a deep hole in your vegetable garden, place your food scraps in the hole and then cover. Now wash, rinse and repeat what I just wrote, over and over again, year after year.

What happens when you do this is worms will find those food scraps and eat them. Their waste, known as castings, are filled with nutrients that your plants require. When you turn the soil over in the spring you are actually bringing those castings close to the top where the vegetable’s roots will be.

The best way I find to collect food waste is in an airtight Tupperware bowl. I add my scraps to this bowl and then when the bowl is filled, I bury it in my garden. I then mark that spot with a stick so I do not dig it up within 3 months (gives the worms plenty of time to do their thing). That is it. Composting doesn’t get any easier than that.

If you were looking for a way to have a better garden (vegetable or flower) without doing a whole lot of work, then this is it. You make your soil more nutrient rich, you do not use any chemical fertilizers and you reduce the amount of waste you add to your landfill all in one swoop.

Now go and bury that garbage and enjoy!

By: Bruce A Tucker

Chipper Shredder

I was thinking of this idea last year, I think I may just go ahead with it.  My compost pile takes a while to break down with whole leaves left in there, they form an almost waterproof matt so nothing gets thru.  Smaller particles are better, at least I have heard that.