A good foundation

You absolutely have to have a good foundation to build on. That is true for anything that you build, including a garden, vegetable or flower. "What makes a good foundation for a garden?", you might ask. Lots of good organic matter, something to help make the earth you plant in more nourishing for what you plant. This is especially important for plants that are permanent, like roses or your shrubs. As you plan your landscape you have to plan from about 2 feet down first. This requires some work, but it sure does pay off.

There is a real easy start for this and in all reality it doesn't take that long. You need to start a compost pile. No, they don't stink, I can vouch for this as I have had one for years. You can go buy a new fangled made specifically for the job piece of "equipment" but you don't really need to do that. 4 stakes and some chicken wire will do the job fine. How about those pallets you have laying around? You know, those wood slat things that bricks and such come delivered on. Cut them in half, nail them together, and voila, a compost bin.

Compost needs air, organic green matter and organic brown matter too. Those three things together make the best food for your plants. I just found out recently that shredded processed paper does not make good compost. It goes through too much to actually have any of its original goodness left. YES, you should recycle that by the way. There usually are places who beg for it so they can make more paper with it. Back to the subject. Any raw veggie or fruit leftovers are great to put in your compost. Also, coffee grounds and egg shells. Coffee grounds adds nitrogen and egg shells add calcium. Brown matter is anything that is brown or "dead", like leaves from the fall, stalks from corn, plants that have died, straw, and tree limbs (small ones of course). For every layer of green there should be 3 times the amount of brown. This is what makes it cook. The pile need to get hot, literally, in order to kill any seeds, and for it to turn into compost.

A lot of resources will tell you that you have to turn your pile, if it is getting good enough ventilation and it is small enough, you really don't' have to do this. My compost pile was probably a foot wide and maybe 3 feet high, but with the open sides of the chicken wire enough air got in so I didn't have to work too hard. You do need to hold to the recipe though, the 1:3 ratio. If you find you don't have enough brown to add, get a bale of straw to throw in as you need or cat tail reeds if you are near a wet area that offers that. Like I said before, leaves are best, so don't go bagging them up and throwing them away, put them near your pile so you can add them as necessary.

I sure hope all that makes sense, if not give me a shout and I will do my best to clear up any misunderstanding. Have fun getting your hands dirty!!

Let's see what happens

There is little that I enjoy more than gardening. I am not talented at much but I think I was born with a green thumb. Most people don't really care about it, gardening that is. Most don't get that joy at seeing something you plant thrive and grow. I am continually surprised when something does live. After all these years of "not really trying" and then things I plant grow and thrive and do things I could only have dreamed they would do. Learning to do what is best for you, the ecosphere, the plants you plant, and how it all works best is an adventure that goes and goes. I LOVE IT!!

I had been thinking about doing this for quite some time. Today just seemed to be a good day to start. I guess we will see where it goes, who visits and what kind of pertanant information I can put on here that others will find helpfull. I suppose as well that sometime I am going to have to ask the MAN to help me out with the html stuff. And learning, really learning to post some pictures of my own accord might be REALLY helpful.

So that you know, organic gardening is my game and that is all you will find here. I in no way form or fashion advocate the use of man made chemicals. They are posion and pollute the earth and I don't want that, and I will be so bold as to say you shouldn't want it that way either.

I will also proclaim, hinted to above, that I WILL get on a soap box about lazy methods that really only harm the things your trying to make greener and stronger.

LET THE JOURNEY BEGIN!!!