Comments on: DIY “stackable” composter part II http://www.ecoyardfarming.com/hotcompost/dyi-stackable-composter-part-ii/ Home growing of fruits and vegetables organically Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:11:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Mark Ihde http://www.ecoyardfarming.com/hotcompost/dyi-stackable-composter-part-ii/#comment-1074 Mark Ihde Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:14:50 +0000 http://www.ecoyardfarming.com/hotcompost/dyi-stackable-composter-part-ii/#comment-1074 Interesting information. I happened upon a variation of this idea, using plants growing in 20 gallon containers. I live in northern Montana, where nights in summer can get down in the 40's. Also, irrigation can be a problem due to wind and available water issues. So, I bought some dark gray laundry tubs for their color which absorbs heat, and drilled holes in the bottom. Then, I put about 2" pea gravel in the bottom, fill them to about half full with sheep compost and top them off with potting soil. These go near a south facing wall, where they absorb heat, conserve water and are out of the prevailing wind. As I have about a 3/4 acre yard, lawn clippings go into a compost heap--chicken wire around a tree stump. Kitchen trash has a separate can for disposal of organics, and this goes into the compost heap, too. Not real scientific, but about once a month I turn the heap and fork anything that looks black into a wheelbarrow, and this goes in the tubs around the potted plants and keeps the worms happy. Extra lawn clippings go directly into the big garden for weed control, but there's never enough! I grow tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and summer squash in this manner. The plants in the 2,000 sq. ft. garden area have to contend with cold, wind, draught, gophers and deer. But space hogs like beets, beans, corn, onions, winter squash, etc., just aren't well suited to container gardening. Irrigation of the big garden depends on how much water I've collected in the pond out back. Anyway, I dig a few worms from the garden area and put them into the pots when I seed/transplant them. It's something of an ecosystem that's balanced enough to last the growing season. The results have been quite productive. Weeds and animals are a non-issue. Efficient on water, too. The soil in the tubs gets dumped into the bigger garden and is tilled in at the end of the growing season. Radio, wind chimes, predator pee and solar powered electric fence for varmint/deer control. Determined gophers get remedial education. "This is your brain on hollow points." Mark Ihde Interesting information.

I happened upon a variation of this idea, using plants growing in 20 gallon containers. I live in northern Montana, where nights in summer can get down in the 40’s. Also, irrigation can be a problem due to wind and available water issues.

So, I bought some dark gray laundry tubs for their color which absorbs heat, and drilled holes in the bottom. Then, I put about 2″ pea gravel in the bottom, fill them to about half full with sheep compost and top them off with potting soil. These go near a south facing wall, where they absorb heat, conserve water and are out of the prevailing wind.

As I have about a 3/4 acre yard, lawn clippings go into a compost heap–chicken wire around a tree stump. Kitchen trash has a separate can for disposal of organics, and this goes into the compost heap, too. Not real scientific, but about once a month I turn the heap and fork anything that looks black into a wheelbarrow, and this goes in the tubs around the potted plants and keeps the worms happy. Extra lawn clippings go directly into the big garden for weed control, but there’s never enough!

I grow tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, eggplant, peppers, cucumbers and summer squash in this manner. The plants in the 2,000 sq. ft. garden area have to contend with cold, wind, draught, gophers and deer. But space hogs like beets, beans, corn, onions, winter squash, etc., just aren’t well suited to container gardening. Irrigation of the big garden depends on how much water I’ve collected in the pond out back.

Anyway, I dig a few worms from the garden area and put them into the pots when I seed/transplant them. It’s something of an ecosystem that’s balanced enough to last the growing season. The results have been quite productive. Weeds and animals are a non-issue. Efficient on water, too. The soil in the tubs gets dumped into the bigger garden and is tilled in at the end of the growing season.

Radio, wind chimes, predator pee and solar powered electric fence for varmint/deer control. Determined gophers get remedial education. “This is your brain on hollow points.”

Mark Ihde

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