I came across this cool video while I was doing some searching for my new ‘Compost Bin Plans‘ site (and have included this video there as well). It is more the concept itself, rather than the technical building details of the system built in the video, that I find really interesting. You certainly wouldn’t need to buy expensive decorative blocks in order to create something just as functional. Basic concrete construction blocks would certainly do the trick. If you are going to use blocks like this it is probably not a bad idea to do it PROPERLY as outlined in the video (with a sand foundation etc), especially if you live in a cold region where winter ground heaving might occur.

That being said, I’m sure you could get away with simple stacking the blocks – you could always go back and make adjustments if ends up a little off-kilter. One thing about the regular building blocks to keep in mind – they obviously won’t look nearly as nice as those used in the video, so you may not want to simply build it in the middle of your lawn.

Speaking of which, if you happen to have any hills on your property, building a system like this right into the side of a hill would be a great way to create more of an ‘all-season’ composter, since the earth will be great for insulation. If you took it a step further, simply using straw bales instead of concrete blocks would help to provide even more insulation value. The only downside of this approach is that the bales will need to be replaced every couple of years, or perhaps even more frequently if you live in a fairly warm, wet location.

I know I am biased here, but adding composting worms to a system like this would also be really cool. Just make sure you wait until temperatures in the system are low enough (assuming you add a bunch of materials at once when setting it up).
8)

[tags]compost, composter, compost bin, compost bed, composting, worm composting, vermicomposting, compost worms, red worms, diy[/tags]

I just came across this interesting YouTube video featuring a relatively simple homemade compost tumbler design. I suspect this system would get a little wonky if it contained a lot of material, but all in all it’s still pretty cool. I know what I’d use it for – I’d make a smaller version for keeping kitchen scraps before adding them to my worm bins. This way I could mix them up and keep them nicely aerated while they decompose prior to vermicomposting!

[tags]compost tumbler, compost tumblers, composting tumbler, compost turner, diy, compost bin, composter, vermicoposting[/tags]

Like last year, February seems like it is really going to be the ‘make it or break it’ month for me (as you may recall, last year I was broken). During this past week we’ve seen some brutally cold weather and a lot of snow fall. I made sure to pile the snow high on the bin when I heard about the cold weather coming through, and another big dump of snow last night has left my bin almost entirely buried.

I decided to shoot a short video (see below) this morning just to give you a quick 180 degree tour of the bin. Pictures certainly help, but still shots will never hold a candle to video in terms of providing viewers with the complete picture.

I’m still trying to figure out how to make videos that don’t end up pixelated (the originals look great), so please bear with me here.
I will definitely make some more featuring the winter bin – specifically, some showing the inside of the bin once I open it up again.

Speaking of which, as mentioned in the video, it has been a number of days since I last looked inside. When I last took temperature readings it looked as though the warmest regions were somewhat lower than 10 deg C (50 F), so I may be in a bit of trouble! Hopefully not, but we shall see.

Anyway, I will definitely provide another update once I clear all the snow off and have a look inside.

[tags]compost, composter, composting, winter composting, winter compost bin, worm composting, vermicomposting, worm bin[/tags]

With a name like that how can you resist watching the video??

All joking aside, I love seeing how people have used their ingenuity to come up with cool tools/machines in an effort to live more sustainably. Given the fact that I’m not very handy myself, it’s fun to live vicariously through these sorts of DIY wizards every once in awhile!

This contraption looks a little scary (kept expecting to see him taken out by a flying piece of kitchen waste), but effective nevertheless!

[tags]compost, mulch, shredder, chipper, mulching, composting, compost tumbler[/tags]

Thanks to Al for passing this one along! Pretty hilarious (and a little creepy).
Nuff said.

P.S. Don’t let this scare you away from trying out worm composting!

[tags]worm composting, red worms, red wigglers, worm bin, vermicomposting, horror stories[/tags]

One thing that’s certainly going to help is moving my office down to the basement, where all my worm bins and growing supplies are. My laptop is currently sitting underneath a fluorescent grow stand (on a desk) – I’ll post some pics once I get things looking a little more to my liking (ie. once my mad scientist growth lab is set up). I wish I had made the move a long time ago! Aside from providing a nice quiet place to work, having all my compost/gardening related stuff close at hand seems to be providing extra inspiration. I’m sure it will be even better once I have some plants growing!

But I digress…

Here are Patti’s indoor gardening videos:

Patti plans out and starts setting up her indoor gardening. A great reminder that these set-ups don’t need to cost an arm and a leg – nor do they need to be overly challenging to put together.

Planting seeds. I can’t get over how well organized Patti is. Definitely inspirational for yours truly!

Patti takes over the rest of her sun porch. I’m definitely envious of all that growing space. Wow!

Great tips on using various recycled containers to grow seeds.

Patti sets up a simple water station and talks about seedling maintenance. Some excellent info!

I’m definitely looking forward to following along as Patti continues to get ready for gardening season! While I certainly won’t be able to set up anything remotely like her sunporch grow room, I’ll definitely be getting some plants growing down in my new office. I actually am planning out a small aquaponics system, and hope to set that up soon. I’ll be sure to dedicate a post to that once I’ve wrapped my head around it a little more.

I’d love to hear back from others in terms of what sort of garden planning activities you are currently engaged in (if any).

[tags]garden girl, patti moreno, sustainable living, urban farming, gardening, garden, vegetables, soil, organic, seedlings, planting[/tags]

I just found this great video on YouTube about making your own bokashi mixture. It was posted by Neal ‘The PodChef’ Foley, from the Kitchen Garden Food Company (which looks like a great website, BTW).

I love the sound of roosters crowing in the background – you know this guy must really ‘walk the talk’ when it comes to earth-friendly living!

While I don’t necessarily agree that composting is ‘stinky’ (well, at least it doesn’t have to be if you do it properly) I think I can let that comment slide. haha

As mentioned, I’m going to be setting up my first Bokashi system – hopefully soon! Should be fun! Originally I was planning to simply buy the mixture (ready made), but now I’m wondering if it might make more sense to simply order the EM liquid and make the mixture myself. Hmmm…

Anyway, I’ll certainly keep you posted!

[tags]bokashi, bokashi bucket, EM, composting, effective microorganisms, neal foley[/tags]