Compost

I used to buy potting soil for my plant starts and to refill the raised bed garden- but now I generate new fertile planting media for free.

No blog about urban gardening would be complete without a mention about composting. Composting is good for the environment. Otherwise the kitchen trim would go into the trash or down the disposal, the dead leaves and grass would be tossed into trash bins and carted away, and packed deep into landfills- where it would generate methane gas.

Instead by composting- you get free topsoil, soil conditioner and fertilizer- plus by stirring it up and turning it over every morning with a short tined rake- you give your arms and abdominal muscles an easy but effective workout.

I posted an article 10 ways to heat up your compost- A step by step roadmap for a low cost, efficient way to feed your garden, condition the soil and get fast, easy, green results, safely.

The efficient compost heap has a pleasant fragrance, is warm, even steamy. I keep mine in a black plastic bin with vents on the sides- about a yard around and between 3 and 5 feet deep. When it gets below 3 feet, I make a concerted effort to top it up- because the pile cools down.

Yes it does attract some undesireable insects- like fruit flies, and earwigs- but it also supplies earthworms, lizards, birds, and beneficial spiders as well- and your garden will be kept in balance.

Whenever I add kitchen trim I immediately turn it over and mix it into the dead leaves and grass cuttings. And I can always put the lid on.

I move the compost bin every year or so- to get the full benefit of its production. Last year I put it between the avocado, the blueberry and the dwarf meyer lemon. Delicious volunteer heirloom tomatoes, potatoes, and wild spinach now grow in that place. This year it sits in a different part of the yard amid tropical plants like elephant ears and shade trees like the schefflera and the privet hedges.

A Castle of Calm- Going Green Affordably

I chose SustainableFootprints, because I believe we benefit from observing and improving on our understanding of our lives' literal and figurative "footprints in the sand."

For many people, their home represents their biggest social and economic investment. In these times of resource challenges and economic distress, we all seek relevant, common sense sustainable living solutions that can be introduced singly, over time, or in multiples.

We want a home that shelters us from uncertainties arising outside our domain, providing:

1. An affordable respite from the twin extremes of heat and cold, as well as undue influences of other forces of nature.
2. A reliable source of safe water to drink, clean ourselves, and provide for our gardens and landscaping
3. A beneficial, nourishing adequate food supply for ourselves and our loved ones, babies, pets- with competent, efficient storage and preparation systems
4. Security and privacy from hostile, unwanted intrusion- virus/bacteria- bugs- animal or human predators- for ourselves and our prized possessions
5. An individualized aesthetic best representing ourselves to those who surround us

Recently there has been a spate of news bytes implying that unless Americans consume more now (i.e. go into heavier debt) - buy a hybrid auto, put up solar paneling for whole house electricity, and buy new furniture made from recyclable materials this year or next- they are not walking their talk by making ethical choices.

"Research firm Mintel, in a January report, said it was unlikely that customers will develop new, ethical shopping patterns in a period of economic crisis ...."

Americans are changing their habits and the way they think about things. For the most part, they choose green, eco friendly home and garden improvements as they believe they can afford them.

As I walked around my neighborhood over the past couple months, knocking on all the doors and talking with folks- they readily volunteered what they had done, what was next on their “going green” list. It included water and energy conservation practices, including recycling, installing CFL bulbs and purchasing energy efficient appliances as replacements for failed ones, adding dual pane windows, roof and wall insulation, changes in diet, changed modes of transport and conveyances, carrying canvas totes and reusable bags when grocery shopping. A big "want"- particularly for seniors and families with children- was a flourishing, maintainable organic herb and vegetable garden. Successful composting was a topic of interest.

This blog is going to focus on real world investigations; natural, practical approaches and systems for creating eco-friendly ways to go for the highest ethical experiences we can have- being in harmony with our lives.