Every where you turn today people are talking about organic gardening and the healthy benefits of eating organically grown fruits and veggies. However, are organic grown vegetables and fruits as healthy and safe as people claim? The information contained in this article will provide you with food for thought.

In a recent study, done by United Kingdom scientist, revealed that almost 33% of the food being sold in the UK had measurable levels of pesticide and chemicals used in crop enhancement, which are dangerous to the human body. In addition the same study indicated that almost all developed countries, through out the world, had approximately the same levels of contamination. Unfortunately this included organically grown food as well.

The primary reason for this contamination was due to the ground water which the plants consume. This is from years and years of chemical pesticides and chemical fertilizer being dumped on the ground, to enhance the yield and speed the growth of the produce, then leeching into the ground water table. The only way your organic gardening can avoid this water is to use filtered water or distilled water. However using distilled water means your produce will be short on certain nutrients vital to the health of your body. In addition to the ground water the contamination is also caused by the wind currents.

Much of the pesticides and fertilizers applied to the crops are sprayed on. Consequently, the mist of chemicals is caught by the wind and can be carried a good distance before dropping to the earth. If your organic garden happens to be in the path of the wind your plants will become covered with the synthetic pesticides and fertilizer.

Other studies have shown that these same pesticides and other chemicals, over a period of years or even months can cause health problems in the human body. It is now believed that these chemicals can affect the brain development of unborn babies in the mother’s womb. In addition these chemicals have been linked to certain kinds of cancer, breakdown of the nervous system, weakening of the immune system and other diseases which can destroy the vital organs of the human body.

Perhaps you believe that washing of your veggies will protect you, but this is not necessarily the case. These same studies have also indicated that certain fruits and vegetables are susceptible to these same chemicals leeching into the meat of these veggies and fruits through the skin. An example of this kind or fruit would be lemons or grapefruit. In this case organic produce would really be much safer than the regular grown fruit.

As you can tell from reading the above information organic gardening may not be quite as safe as you thought it was. However, with the proper precautions, such as always washing the veggies and fruits prior to preparing or eating, will reduce the risk of ingesting dangerous chemicals.

Is Organic Gardening Always Safe? is a post from: Gardening Guide

Compost is a great tool for any gardener. It helps your garden hold just the right amount of water, makes it the right texture for optimal plant growth, and provides it with beneficial natural organisms. While you can buy several different types of compost products at a retail store or gardening center, it’s much cheaper to make your own compost. Not only will you save money, you also get the added benefit of knowing that you’re not just throwing your yard waste away; it’s actually doing something beneficial for your garden and for your health.

Before getting started on building your compost pile, you should know what to put in it. To get good compost you need four elements: carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and water. Grass clippings from your yard provide the carbon. Nitrogen comes from leaves in the fall. To make sure your pile gets water, build it somewhere where it will be rained on; just be sure it’s not completely soaked with water. Lastly, you can add oxygen simply by mixing the pile regularly. Just turn the soil over once a month with a rake or garden shovel. Don’t worry if you can’t provide enough nitrogen or carbon to your compost pile through your yard waste, you can always add a little fertilizer. The type of fertilizer you select will depend on what nutrient you’re lacking.

There are two different types of compost piles you can make; the first is a cool pile. To make a cool pile, simply throw your clippings and leaves in the bin as they come and stir the ingredients occasionally. This is a good option if you don’t have a lot of time to devote to composting, but it takes about a year to get useable compost. You shouldn’t add diseased plants or weeds to this mixture because they can be harmful to the soil quality and weeds will continue to grow once they’re back in your garden.

If you’re anxious and just can’t wait of if you need your compost in a shorter time span, you should try making a hot compost pile. Unlike cool piles, you need to have a significant amount of yard waste available to start a hot pile; at least 3 feet by 3 feet. This mixture will require mixing much more often. You can mix it anywhere from once every two weeks to once every couple of days. The more you mix, the more you break down your yard waste, the faster you get compost. This type of pile will kill weed seeds and diseases because it reaches much higher temperatures (about 160°), but be aware that it may also kill beneficial bacteria. A cool compost is a much better solution.

Another alternative is to check with your local city councilor to see if your region hosts Community Days. Community Days are growing in popularity in the United States and Canada. Hosted twice each year (usually Spring & Fall), Community Days often ask citizens to bring their recycling items, unwanted clothing and used electronics to a central location for collection & re-distribution. The last five years, Community Days have also included “bag your own compost” services. Free compost is available. Anyone with a shovel and bucket can tote away as much compost as they can carry.

It’s easy to know when your compost pile is ready for use. When your compost pile no longer resembles what you put into it, it’s ready to be used. Just mix into your soil for strong, healthy plants.

Composting Is Key To Successful Organic Gardening is a post from: Gardening Guide

What kind of compost should you use for an organic garden? “Organic” means you don’t use artificial chemicals or fertilizers to make your compost. It also means that you don’t use lawn clippings, plant cuttings, or other material that has been exposed to chemical pesticides or herbicides.

Recipe For Quick Organic Gardening Compost

Visit your garden center and get some straw, because you’ll need plenty of straw to make this organic gardening compost. Start your quick compost pile with a layer of straw. Don’t mistake hay for straw; they are two different things. Hay contains many grass and weed seeds that you don’t want to include in your compost.

For your second layer, use kitchen scraps or clippings from garden plants, or annual plants that are past their prime – remember, nothing that has been exposed to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or herbicides. Sprinkle the pile with plenty of blood meal or bone meal..

For the third layer, add dry brown material like shredded leaves, shredded corn stalks, or small, ground-up twigs.

Keep repeating these three layers. The straw will keep the pile aerated. All you need to do is water it enough to keep it barely moist.

Amazing Additions To Your Organic Gardening Compost Pile

Certain ingredients will give your compost pile a big boost and help it cook faster and be ready to use sooner. Plants, algae, and water from a freshwater aquarium contain nitrogen and other micronutrients that speed up the decomposition process.

Dead houseplants arent so good for your home décor, but they make outstanding additions to the organic compost pile. Gardening outdoors is more fun, anyway. Make sure the plant is not showing signs of pest contamination or disease. Then just plop the entire plant, including the soil and root ball, onto the compost pile.

Weeds can be composted, too. Just be careful not to include any weeds that have set seed heads, or your compost pile will turn into a weed bed.

Coffee grounds add moisture and texture to the compost pile. You can compost the coffee filter, but it is very fibrous and will break down slowly. Cut it into smaller pieces so it can decompose faster.

Worst Compost Ingredients Ever

Whatever you do, do not add these ingredients to your organic gardening compost pile: Diseased plants; raw manure; sawdust from pressure-treated lumber; gypsum board scraps; vacuum cleaner bags and their contents; and meats, dairy products, bones, and fish.

How To Make Organic Gardening Compost is a post from: Gardening Guide

What gardener doesn’t want to rid his or her garden of all those nasty summertime pests? Yet to put chemical pesticides on plants that will ultimately grow produce the family will eat seems a bit wrong. That’s where gardeners have a break as there are several organic pesticides for use in the garden. These natural pesticides are safe and don’t damage the soil year after year.

Many organic pesticides come from plant sources, some of which produce pyrethrum, while others produce rotenone, ryania, or mineral-based pesticides. Mineral pesticides include cryolite, boric acid or diatomaceous earth—all of which are designed to kill plant-destructive insects in your garden.

Experts say that, while organic pesticides are distinctly safer than synthetic pesticides, users want to be careful when using them. Gardeners shouldn’t use them with bare hands and they should realize that some organic pesticides can be as toxic as their non-organic counterparts. Least toxic products will say “Caution” on the label, more toxic products will say “Warning” and the most toxic products will say “Danger”. These words, however, are not a signal of their potential for environmental harm.

Some organic pesticides are minimally toxic to humans but are very toxic to animals. Ryania, for example, is highly toxic to fish. Other organic pesticides kill even the most beneficial insects, such as the combination of pyrethrins and rotenone.

By law, all pesticides, including organic pesticides, must be used precisely according to the instructions on the label.

Read the label before using any organic pesticide.

An important group of “organic” pesticides is the biopesticide group. This unique class of pesticides involves using biological organisms to control pests. In general this type of organic pesticide acts slower than other organic pesticides and involves critical application times. Biopesticides reduce, rather than destroy, pest populations and they have a narrow target range with a specific mode of action. Biopesticides have a limited shelf life as they are live organisms.

There are two general types of organic biopesticides. They include biochemical and microbial-based organic biopesticides.

Biochemical pesticides include insect pheromones, odor-based chemicals that disrupt the insect mating cycle by interfering with the ability to find a mate. Pheromone-based traps can also be used to trap male insects, disrupting the mating cycle. Organic microbial biopesticides include those that come from genetically-changed fungi, viruses, protozoans or bacteria.

This type of organic pesticide suppresses the pest population by secreting toxins specific to the insects, causing disease in the pest population, interfering with the establishment of pests through competition and other modes of action.

One type of organic biopesticide is the bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis, a soil-based bacterium that is toxic to several types of insect larvae but not to other things. This bacterium can be applied to plant foliage or incorporated into the genetic material of larger crops. It is toxic to the larvae of moths and butterflies. Other varieties are toxic to mosquitoes and black flies.

Gardening with organic pesticides is generally effective and healthier to the environment and the plants than synthetic pesticides and make a good alternative to using harmful chemicals on your garden.

Treat Your Garden Right with Organic Pesticides is a post from: Gardening Guide

Have you noticed that the “organic” section of your grocery store has grown exponentially in the last few years?

This type of food, as it clearly seems, has ceased to be a fad of hippies and environmental nuts. Organic foods are everywhere and you can find them alongside other vegetables and fruits in your local stores and markets.

So how about the vegetables and fruits you grow at home?

Have you made the leap to this source of healthy food yet or do you still have a lot of pesticides on your garden shelf?
Let’s take a look at how you can transform your regular garden into a delight of organic vegetables.
It doesn’t take much and you won’t have as many problems with insects or poor soil as you thought.

Organic gardens are different from regular gardens in the way that the plants are fertilized and in the way that pests are controlled in the garden. True professionals use only natural products and materials and shy away from any synthetic materials that could be harmful to the environment or to those who consume the produce.

Just like conventional gardens, and perhaps a bit more so, organic gardens take a great deal of work.
You may need to plan for a few healthy meals when the vegetable or fruit is in season and leave it at that.
On the other hand, an organic farmer may decide to can their vegetables or otherwise store them for when they are longer in season. Clearly, a bigger garden is in store in that situation. Make sure your garden has a steady water supply and that the soil drains well into the ground.

Remember that organic fertilizers and conditioners work more slowly than the synthetic variety so mix up the soil with your fertilizer at least three weeks before you actually plant. Make sure you remove any organic materials that haven’t rotted yet and any weeds or unwanted plants. Fertilizers usually mean using animal manures, plant manures, compost or a mixture of different types of organic fertilizers. Some parts of the world rely on human waste but, generally, that’s not recommended.

Your organic fertilizer will remove the hardness of the soil and improve its overall condition. The soil will be able to hold both water and nutrients much better after fertilizing it. In addition, organic fertilizer buffers the soil so it is more stable to extremes of acidity or alkalinity. In many cases, the microbiology of the soil improves and the added nutrients will gradually release themselves as the plants grow.

Organic plant fertilizer will add healthy nitrogen to the soil in a process called “nitrification”. Nitrogen is a
necessary nutrient for the growth of most gardens even conventional ones. Compost piles help organic gardens by improving the usable nitrogen component of the soil.

Animal manures make for the best type of fertilizer for the average organic garden. It needs to have been aged for at least 30 days to make the nitrogen more usable. The manure varies depending on the type of the animal, the way the animal was fed and even the condition of the animal. After letting the soil rest with the animal manure, you’re ready to plant and grow the healthiest garden possible.

Go Natural with Organic Gardening! is a post from: Gardening Guide

More and more families have made the ecological decision to stop putting their organic refuse in the garbage for the area landfill but to take the material and create a compost pile in their backyard, next to the house or wherever there’s room to let organic elements and nature take their course.

Composts take material that one would otherwise throw away and turns it into an extremely beneficial organic artificial manure that is made by alternately putting layers of organic substances, such as leaves from the lawn, scraps from the kitchen table, topsoil, lime, and fertilizer (if available), and mixing it with the right amount of water and plenty of air.

The basis of an organic compost pile is the decomposition of a number of organic materials in such a way as to create a healthy fertilizer for lawns, pots and the yard. In general, an ordinary compost pile is approximately ten square feet or more and should be able to be stacked at least 3-5 feet tall. There should be no cover on it; rather, the top should be flat or have a slight depression in it so that it can catch water when it rains. The ideal organic compost pile should be neither too wet nor too dry.

How one packs the organic compost pile makes a difference. The pile, in a sense, needs to breathe a little, so it can’t be packed too tightly. The first layer is ideally grass clippings, leaves or straw and it should be about a foot deep before being wet down and packed. You can add scraps of food at anytime. Then, spread a layer of manure about four to six inches deep. Finally, put up to five pounds of ground rock phosphate or a quart of bone material for every hundred square feet, and a single pound of ground limestone. If you have topsoil, add an inch or so now.
After this is done, your organic compost pile has gone through one cycle and you then repeat the process by adding another foot or so of organic grass clippings, straw or other plant material.

Don’t put weeds in your compost because the seeds could spread to your garden later. When you’ve got your “green” layer on, pack it and repeat with the other ingredients.
You’ll notice that, after a couple of days, your organic compost pile will begin to heat up from the organic chemical reactions and microbiological reactions that are taking place. It’s a good idea to keep the organic compost pile moist but, in many cases, the rainfall may be all it really needs.
When the compost pile is first made, it should not be disturbed so the process can continue without issue.

When the organic compost pile is as old as three to four weeks, you need to take a fork and turn the pile over and over to mix up the layers so they are uniform. Continue to do this every several weeks and you should expect to be able to use the compost to fertilize your organic garden in anywhere from two months to a year. You will know it is ready when everything looks uniform and you don’t see any non-decomposed materials in the pile.

Do It Yourself – Organic Composting is a post from: Gardening Guide

When most people think of organic gardening they think of gardening without the use of chemicals such as fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides. Although these are essential elements, organic gardening involves a lot more. Organic gardening in it’s broadest sense refers to a system of gardening in harmony with nature.

The organic gardener tries to minimize the impact of his gardening efforts on the environment and natural systems. Organic gardening is self sustaining and aims to leave the environment in the same state as it was found – avoiding depletion of resources and safeguarding the delicate balance that exists in nature.

True organic gardening therefore considers the role that even the smallest micro organism has to play in the ecology of the garden and attempts to make use of resources present naturally in the environment rather than introduce external chemicals into the process.

Selection of plants appropriate to the environment is therefore a vital part of organic gardening. Whereas chemical based agriculture attempts to change the environment to suit the crop by using chemical additives and fertilizers etc. The organic approach is to best use the resources naturally available. Principles of organic gardening also involve crop rotation to prevent nutrient depletion.

Constantly growing the same type of plant -that is plants which have the same or similar nutrient requirements could lead to severe depletion of these elements in the soil. Crop rotation by alternately growing plants with different nutrient requirements allows the soil to replenish its nutrient supplies and rejuvenate itself.

These concepts are very succinctly stated in the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement’s Principles of Organic Agriculture as follows:

“The role of Organic Agriculture, whether in farming , processing, distribution or consumption is to sustain and enhance the health of the ecosystems and organisms from the smallest in the soil to human beings”

Stated in this manner the objective of organic gardening and agriculture while laudable might seem rather unachievable. However, there are many practical and simple strategies that could promote this objective. These include:

Composting – rather than using chemicals and other artificial additives to boost soil nutrients the organic approach is through recycling of plant matter itself through composting. Instead of using pesticides the organic gardener uses natural methods to control insects and other organisms. The emphasis is on control rather than total eradication. Crop rotation helps by not letting pests that feed on any particular type of plant to establish a strong presence. Another strategy may be to grow plants which encourage the presence of “pest predators” or growing companion plants that repel insects. These are a few of the many natural environmental control mechanisms available to the organic gardener.

Weed control could be done for instance through use of mulches and natural ground cover.

The major criticism of organic gardening is that it is not as efficient or productive as chemical based gardening. It is suggested that yields can be significantly increased by use of artificial cultivation methods. However, the organic gardener would argue that the increased yields come at an unacceptably high price. A price expressed in terms of the new and increased health risks associated with exposure to dangerous chemicals. Chemicals which find their way into all manner of products and foods as result of contamination of waterways etc. Pollution and degradation of the environment as a result is the other price we pay for non-organic gardening.

Since the beginning of the 1990’s interest in organic gardening has been increasing in leaps and bounds and shows no signs of abating. Although organic gardening is not likely to take over in the short run it is obviously here to stay.

Great Gardening Advice About Organic Gardening is a post from: Gardening Guide

It is April and you are having dreams of growing organic tomatoes in your backyard. In your reoccuring dream, everything you have to do is on autopilot. An automatic shovel digs up the soil, and a robot digs the holes for your tomato plants, fills in the soil, ties your tomato plants to a stake and waters your seedlings. Well, you can dream.

Here are 10 tips to make growing organic tomatoes almost as easy as your dream.

1.Separate your plants…growing organic tomatoes is best accomplished when the plants are 3 feet apart to give the roots room to spread out.

2. Dig Deep…plant your tomato plants in a deep hole.

3. Weather Reports…you can check temperature ranges for your town online. Do not plant your tomato plants until the low temperatures are always above 48 degrees.

4. Soil Temperature…make sure your soil temperature is above 50 degrees before planting.

5. Cover your beds…with a clear plastic for about one week before planting to warm up the soil. The clear plastic acts like a greenhouse to capture the warmth.

6. Fertilize when planting…when planting organic tomatoes, put about a cup of organic fertilizer, such as bone meal before planting.

7. Water deep when you first plant your organic or heirloom tomatoes. Then pack down the soil.

8. Pest control…when growing organic tomatoes, plant bulbs of garlic around your garden to help keep pests away. They hate the odor.

9. Insect control…you can buy ladybugs for your garden. They will eat many of the insects that would like to eat your plants.

10. Keep your plants warm…you can buy clear plastic containers to cover your plants at night to keep the cold out.

You can make growing organic tomatoes fun and have a bumper crop of juicy organically grown tomatoes, by following these tips. To get more ideas on growing organic tomatoes check out Growing Organic Tomatoes…The Easy Way

To learn more about growing organic tomatoes as well as organic vegetable gardening, I highly recommend you read more at Growing Organic Tomatoes

Growing Organic Tomatoes is a post from: Gardening Guide

Organic gardening can be a great way to save some extra money in your budget. Imagine cutting your grocery bill in half or more! With a little planning and preparation, this is easy to achieve. In this article I will give you an idea of how much effort is involved and will explore ways to save money in your garden.

How Much Effort is Involved?

In the beginning, learning everything you need to know can be a challenge; however, when money is involved this becomes less of an issue. Most of the physical effort with organic gardening is in the bed preparation and the harvest. In all fairness this should only account for a couple of weeks out of the gardening season, although it may involve other activities (for example, maintaining a compost pile).

Other chores that require some time and effort, such as weeding and watering, can both be reduced through the proper use of mulch. Walking through your garden for a couple of minutes every day will help you identify your gardens needs quickly, before they become a problem. About one hour twice a week should be enough to maintain a substantial garden.

Finally, if your goal is to produce a large portion of your food requirements for the year, canning may take several days of time and effort. This can be minimized by planning ahead to grow items that can be dried or stored in a root cellar.

Where Does All the Money Go?

One reason to start organic gardening is for the money you can save. By paying close attention to the health of the soil, organic gardens are more productive. Plants fed through proper soil management require less additional fertilizers. They are also more disease and pest resistant, therefore they use less pesticides. More vegetables and larger vegetables mean less food you have to buy!

To save money on gardening in general, let’s take a look at all the things in a garden that could cost you extra money. You could pay for seeds. You could pay for manure and compost. You could pay for additional fertilizers. You could pay for pesticides. Finally, you could water your garden with city water and run up your water bill.

How Do You Save Money Gardening?

With your first garden you may find it necessary to buy seeds. In order to save yourself this expense, you can save seeds from tomatoes, cucumbers and other garden produce as you use them. However, it is not exactly that simple…

Over the years greedy seed companies have genetically modified food crops to produce seeds that are sterile. Saving seeds from any of these varieties will just be a waste of your time. They key is to purchase heirloom strains, also known as heritage strains.

Heirloom varieties have not had insect DNA spliced into their genes, nor have they been modified to produce sterile seed. So far seed companies have not been able to modify potatoes to make them sterile… simply grow 10% more than you intend to eat and save them as seed potatoes for the following year.

Saving Money on Mulch, Manure, and Fertilizer

The secret to healthy, organic soil is compost. While some plants might enjoy the addition of manure, the truth is you can grow a very healthy and productive garden without manure or mulch if you have properly made compost. If you want to save money on all three (plus use less fertilizer), it is easy to learn how to make your own quality compost! Add plenty of it to your garden bed, and wherever you need mulch use sifted compost instead.

Organic gardening itself will save you money on fertilizer, but if your plants need a little extra during the growing season you can make your own compost tea. While there are many different recipes, the general idea is to fill a sock with compost and suspend it in a 5 gallon bucket of water for several hours. The resulting liquid can be watered down if needed and will contain humus, beneficial microorganisms, and nutrients that are immediately available to your plants.

Saving Money on Pesticides

Every garden needs some form of pest control. If you look through an organic gardening guide, again and again you will see the same item mentioned: Rotenone with pyrethrins. A plant called purslane is the commercial source for pyrethrins, and rotenone breaks down in 24 hours to Nitrogen and Phosphorus (making it one of the safest of all insecticides).

If this is your first year gardening than buy some rotenone with pyrethrins, but also plant some purslane. Next year you can make your own pyrethrins- simply use 1 tablespoon freshly ground dried purslane flowers, 2 liters of hot water, and a few drops of dish soap.

Also plant a few extra cayenne peppers and garlic plants. A couple peppers and a couple cloves of garlic ground up and soaked in a liter of warm water will make a spray that keeps bugs away.

Saving Money on Water

A lake or pond can be helpful for saving you money on your water bill. Otherwise, a very low cost modification to your downspout can divert rainwater to a barrel or cistern for use in your garden. Not only will it save you money on your water bill, but this water contains no chlorine and is much healthier for your plants.

One Final Thought

Let me just say that gardening should be thought of as a long term solution. If you buy a hoe and a rototiller and a pressure canner (and other items) and you only use them for one season, than you are probably spending more money than you are saving. It is only when you purchase these items (once) and use them season after season that you are truely saving yourself money on the food you produce. Keeping this in mind will help you save the most money with your garden.

Organic Gardening to Save Money on Food is a post from: Gardening Guide

Manufactured solid-sided bins are usually constructed of sheet steel or recycled plastic. In cool climates there is an advantage to tightly constructed plastic walls that retain heat and facilitate decomposition of smaller thermal masses. Precise construction also prevents access by larger vermin and pets.

Mice, on the other hand, are capable of squeezing through amazingly small openings. Promotional materials make composting in pre-manufactured bins seem easy, self-righteously ecological, and effortless. However, there are drawbacks.

It is not possible to readily turn the materials once they’ve been placed into most composters of this type unless the entire front is removable. Instead, new materials are continuously placed on top while an opening at the bottom permits the gardener to scrape out finished compost in small quantities. Because no turning is involved, this method is called “passive” composting. But to work well, the ingredients must not be too coarse and must be well mixed before loading.

Continuous bin composters generally work fast enough when processing mixtures of readily decomposable materials like kitchen garbage, weeds, grass clippings and some leaves. But if the load contains too much fine grass or other gooey stuff and goes anaerobic, a special compost aerator must be used to loosen it up.

Manufactured passive composters are not very large. Compactness may be an advantage to people with very small yards or who may want to compost on their terrace or porch. But if the C/N of the materials is not favorable, decomposition can take a long, long time and several bins may have to be used in tandem. Unless they are first ground or chopped very finely, larger more resistant materials like corn, Brussels sprouts, sunflower stalks, cabbage stumps, shrub prunings, etc. will “constipate” a top-loading, bottom-discharging composter.

The compost tumbler is a clever method that accelerates decomposition by improving aeration and facilitating frequent turning. A rotating drum holding from eight to eighteen bushels (the larger sizes look like a squat, fat, oversized oil drum) is suspended above the ground, top-loaded with organic matter, and then tumbled every few days for a few weeks until the materials have decomposed. Then the door is opened and finished compost falls out the bottom.

Tumblers have real advantages. Frequent turning greatly increases air supply and accelerates the process. Most tumblers retard moisture loss too because they are made of solid material, either heavy plastic or steel with small air vents. Being suspended above ground makes them immune to vermin and frequent turning makes it impossible for flies to breed.

Tumblers have disadvantages that may not become apparent until a person has used one for awhile. First, although greatly accelerated, composting in them is not instantaneous. Passive bins are continuous processors while (with the exception of one unique design) tumblers are “batch” processors, meaning that they are first loaded and then the entire load is decomposed to finished compost.

What does a person do with newly acquired kitchen garbage and other waste during the two to six weeks that they are tumbling a batch? One handy solution is to buy two tumblers and be filling one while the other is working, but tumblers arent cheap! The more substantial ones cost $250 to $400 plus freight.

Your Guide To Organic Gardening is a post from: Gardening Guide