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#learn to compost
anipgarden · 9 months
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Supporting Your Plants for Cheap
This is my fifth post in a series I'll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 
Once you start gardening, you’ll find a lot of things go into it, and it can be a bit daunting to think about--especially if you’re trying to keep things low-cost. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be as hard--or as expensive--as it initially appears.
Composting
There’s several different ways to compost, any of which are helpful indirecting food waste and nutrients out of landfills and into your soil--which in and of itself can help increase biodiversity by making the space more livable for microorganisms and insects, which then cycles around to the rest of the habitat.
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The classic one you see is hot composting. Most of the time, when I see hot composting set ups online, or hear people talking about them, it’s like listening to a wizard cast an intricate spell and prattle on about ratios and temperatures and special ingredients while standing over a detailed self-built setup made of the finest wood money can buy. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be complicated. First off, there’s lots of ways to make compost bins--some can be more expensive than others, but there’s definitely options asides from buying pre-made tumblers or getting an engineering degree. I’ve seen people use metal trash cans dug into the ground, make compost pile setups out of old pallets, or just pile stuff up and leave it. While using different ratios of certain items can help them decompose faster, it’s ultimately not something you need to worry about a lot. If it can break down, it’ll break down--it just might take awhile. Composting this way can also help provide habitat--some insects like bumblebees have been known to make nests in compost heaps. In addition, it provides a robust ecosystem for decomposers like worms and other organisms, and bats and birds will be attracted to open-top piles to eat flying bugs that live off the compost. Amphibians enjoy them for humidity, warmth, and feasting on insects. Do note that sometimes snakes may also rest in and lay eggs in compost heaps, so be careful when turning them.
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Do note, though, that if your compost pile looks like that you're getting roaches and rats and raccoons out of your goddamn mind. Bury the food scraps.
Personally, when I compost, I use a worm bin--they’re a fantastic option for limited space and limiting smells. I keep mine outside in a big rubbermaid tote with holes drilled into the bottom, sides, and lid. I put a layer or two of weed block on the inside, so it’s still able to drain but keeps the worms from trying to escape during rainy days. There is an initial cost of buying the worms, getting enough bedding materials, and getting a new bin if you don’t have an old one suitable for use. But with occasional feeding, it should sustain itself and provide valuable worm castings that can be used in the garden. Please do note, however, that earthworms are considered invasive in some places.
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Look at that worm bin-y goodness. This is a pic of my bin, from earlier this month!
Though I’ve never done it, I’ve heard of people having good results with bokashi composting--a method that’s done in a bucket, and is relatively easy to do indoors.
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Once you start a composting system, keeping it stockpiled with organic material can become pretty easy for cheap. In general, if it comes from a plant, it’s safe to use. It’s also a good idea to avoid putting already-cooked things in a pile, as salts and sauces can kill beneficial bacteria in the compost while also attracting animals. Adding meat is also generally avoided to not attract animals. But below are some things that I’ve put in my worm bin quick, easy, and cheaply; or things I’ve seen friends put in their compost piles.
Cooking scraps/snack leftovers--things like cut up bell peppers, the ends of tomatoes, strawberry tops, apple cores, watermelon rinds, coffee grounds, and orange peels are amassed somewhat quickly in my house--my dad likes to cook. Around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas? Corn husks, potato peels, sweet potato fibers, leftover greens and other trimmings are a feast for compost piles and worm bins.
Vegetables and Stuff that went bad in the fridge/pantry--we’re constantly victims of the ‘forgot it was there’ conundrum. Fridge cleanouts are great times to decide what can be tossed to the compost--moldy bell peppers, spotty celery, questionable carrots, onion halves, old eggs, bagged salads, and stale/moldy bread have all been tossed into the pile before! 
Grass clippings--though my worms don’t like grass clippings, they’re still great material for a classic hot compost set-up!
Fallen leaves--another classic addition to a hot compost pile. Some friends keep them stocked up and stored for later use.
Plant trimmings--what is plant clean up if not compost material? I’ve put cleaned-out sunflower heads and stalks in my worm bin, and they decomposed after about two months. If you get  blossom end rot on your tomatoes or peppers, they’re still fair game for the bin as well!
Shredded mail--just make sure to not put in the thin plastic that covers the address section on some envelopes. Otherwise? As long as  the paper isn’t glossy, it should be great for a bin or pile! Shredded paper or cardboard also makes great bedding for worm bins. Put those Amazon boxes to good use!
Pumpkins! Snag your neighbor’s halloween pumpkins in November and toss them in my compost! Last year my dad went around the cul-de-sac and nabbed all of the post-halloween pumpkins, the worms loved it.
Christmas tree needles--can’t confirm I’ve tried this, but it seems like it would work.
Mulch
Mulch is an excellent way to keep your soil moist, while also beginning and continuing to improve soil conditions as it breaks down into organic matter. You’ll have to water less, and it’ll prevent/slow down the growth of unwanted weeds (which is always the final straw to gardening for me, I get so overwhelmed I just stop going outside). Win-win situation, right? Except stepping into a Home Depot and finding mulch being sold for five dollars per square foot and knowing you have to cover a whole garden with it all can add up… pretty quickly, to say the least.
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Fortunately, there are a few solutions to this, and likely from your own backyard!
Grass clippings are the first that come to mind. If you’re mowing your lawn, or have neighbors who are, collecting the clippings and spreading them over your soil is a cheap and easy option for some quick mulch. It’ll be very nitrogen-heavy, so keep that in mind, but it’ll still prevent weeds, retain moisture, and break down into organic material over the course of a few months. Do try to not use grass clippings you know are treated with pesticides, since the aim is to use this mulch to help increase your biodiversity, and having insects around plays a big role in that.
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Fallen leaves are the next that comes to mind. If you’ve got a tree in your yard, or in your neighborhood, then you or someone around you knows the neverending avalanche of leaves or pine needles that drop come fall. As mentioned before, they can be used to make brush piles for creatures, or added into compost, but they have a fantastic third use as mulch. Add them on top of your beds!
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Want free wood mulch? A program called Chip Drop might be the best solution for you! They team up with arborists to find cheap drop sites for shredded wood, logs, etc. that are produced as they maintain trees! If any local arborists tied to the program are operating in your area, instead  of paying to dump the resulting mulch at a landfill or some other dumpside, they’ll simply dump it at your place! Now, you won’t be able to control when the mulch gets dropped--I’ve heard of people coming home from work one day to find a chip drop in their driveway. But… free mulch!
Want wood chips but not a whole truck load? If an arborist is working in your area, and you can muster the courage, its worth a shot to ask! One time someone in my neighborhood was getting a tree removed, so my Dad and I parked near their car with a tarp in the trunk, some shovels, and an old storage bin. We approached nicely and asked if we could have some chips, and they were totally cool with it! At that point, how much you get depends on how big your trunk space is, and how many times you’re willing to ferry mulch back and forth out of your car so you can go back for more. But it is an option! Alternatively, you can ask them to dump the whole load in front of  your house, but at least you’ll know when and where it’s happening!
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Trellises
Many plants need, or will appreciate, some kind of climbing structure. But trellises aren’t often cheap to find. To that, I say--we’ll create our own!
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One popular option is to grow taller plants, and then plant climbing species are few weeks/years later so they’ll climb the taller plants! I’ve planted passion vine near a tree in my garden for it to climb, and I’ve seen people do similar concepts with sunflowers, corn, and other such plants! Sunflower stalks can provide support even after they’ve been cut back.
A combination of wood, some stakes, some nails, and some string can create a great frame trellis that can be used for beans, tomatoes, vines, etc--so I’m sure if could be put to good use for native climbers, especially since my dad’s used this structure for passion vines before. You may have to replace the string every year, but most of the time, the string is compostable anyways!
This may take a bit more setup and have a more upfront cost, but creating a trellis out of cattle panels makes a durable structure that can support all kinds of vining plants! 
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Of course, there’s always the easy alternative of simply letting plants climb along your fence! This is especially easy if you have a chain link fence, but wooden fences are plenty suitable for some species as well! I’ve seen passion vines do great growing along chain link fences as supports, and one of my favorite sights as a kid was always seeing bushels of trumpet vines growing up and over fences on the drive home.
Why are we worrying about trellises? Creatures are attracted  to diverse landscapes with a variety of plants within them, so having a few climbers can be a great way to attract more wildlife! I know some plants in my area that pollinators are attracted to, or even rely on as host plants, are climbers that can get upwards of 15 feet tall, and will climb any surface you give them. A trellis provides you a great place to put extremely beneficial plants.
That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about how different 'kinds' of plants can all be beneficial in a biodiversity standpoint. Until then, I hope this advice was helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, your success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!
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n3ongold3n · 10 months
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Some may flowers from the backyard and the alottment 💐
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🌱
#the gardening itch has arrived#along with a hankering for chickens#I honestly could set up a coop along the sideyard and build a good fence for that and part of the front hard#hedge it in with some shrubs#and use the chickens as pest control while I establish some native grasses and whatnot#that would keep said chickens out of the vegetable garden and away from the dog#really what I want is fresh eggs and also to not have to mow so much because I'm lazy#I also would love to learn how to establish and maintain a native plant-rich yard#other items maintaining permanent residence on my yard to-do:#1) building a patio over the ugly gravel patch in the back yard (maybeeeee this year???)#2) disassembling and rebuilding the front flower beds because the border wood is all rotted#3) uprooting some shrubs that are basically dead#4) building a third veggie bed (will actually be in the works once we get a run of warm weather and sunshine)#5) rebuild the back fence (yeah this won't happen any time soon)#6) set up a compost area (and possibly a second area for brush and whatnot)#7) establish some sort of living fence for the top of the yarn along the sidewalk since EVERYONE'S litter ends up in my yard#8) find some way to keep the feral cats away from my house#I also desperately need to clear out my garden shed#the patio and front beds are my biggest issues right now and I have time I just don't really have a lot of extra funds for materials#but! I have the hammock set up! so that's something lol#oh and I need to overhaul the firepit#such as it is#anyway that's what I'm daydreaming about today
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watching 4 sided dive and the more marisha talks about laudna the more i love her
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renee-mariposa · 1 year
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How is the composting coming along? I just bought a tumbling composter for the balcony and am very excited to get started!
The smell wasn’t the worst thing ever - I think I got the ratio of browns and greens right - but I moved it into a 1x1x1 bin out on my porch anyway. The bag wasn’t working because I put dry straw in with the kitchen scraps and the straw would poke through the bag every time I turned it. Live and learn! I think it would’ve been fine without the straw, and I might try again, but my sister is visiting in a month and I could hear her griping from a month away 😂 if I could rig up some sort of small rudimentary turning bin I think the kitchen might work…….maybe just a five-gallon bucket with a lid I can put on tight, roll the bin once a day???…
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alternis · 7 months
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i tried adding the symbol to my previous sketch and i think. it works?
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secnghwa · 1 year
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spent an hour drawing a card + wrapping it for a secret santa … if you’re matthew look away i did not draw your name
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fcktaken · 2 years
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Milk Thistle
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cantankerouscatfish · 2 years
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it's honestly kinda nice encountering folks who don't know a darn thing about gardening, but who want to learn.
and if I don't know the answer, I'll call over someone who does and listen in. or get a book from our little library cabinet and learn along with them. knowledge!!!
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partialveil · 2 months
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ngl the happiest i've been in the recent past was when i was unemployed and dedicating all my free time to foraging, studying herbalism, diving into spirituality, learning more about plant and fungi identification and spending a lot of time outdoors at parks and shit
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waitinginthecorner · 6 months
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I need to kill something with my hands. I want to learn to hunt
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soluciencianova · 8 months
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Tecnologías de Procesamiento de Alimentos del Futuro
El procesamiento de alimentos es una industria en constante evolución. Con el avance de la tecnología y la creciente conciencia sobre la sostenibilidad, se espera que en las próximas décadas emerjan innovadoras formas de procesar, empacar y producir los alimentos que consumimos diariamente. En este artículo exploraremos algunas de las tecnologías más prometedoras que podrían transformar la forma…
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plant-cell-park · 9 months
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i need someone to push me to watch maria clara at ibarra
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murderousink23 · 10 months
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05/29/2023 is Put a Pillow in Your Fridge Day 🌏, National Learn About Composting Day 🌏, World Digestive Health Day 🌏, National Coq Au Vin Day 🇺🇲, National Paperclip Day 📎🇺🇲, Memorial Day 🇺🇲, National Biscuit Day 🍪🇬🇧, National BBQ Week 🇬🇧, Gloucestershire Cheese Rolling 🧀🇬🇧, International Day of UN Peacekeepers 🇺🇳
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smugraccoon137 · 1 year
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I went out by myself and did Alllll of my errands like an adult
Rent paid and dropped pff
Car tags renewed
Returns returned
So I bought myself from dollar store flower seeds 😊
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renee-mariposa · 1 year
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So last month, I was absolutely obsessed with knitting, spent every free minute working on sweaters.
Well, this month, I am obsessed with compost to the point I’m trying to make some in my kitchen. Yes, this is insane, do not try this at home etc.
(It’s day 2, and it’s actually heating up!! And it doesn’t smell too terribly bad!! This is SO EXCITING)
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