The Compost Bin

Spring is finally in full bloom and I've got flowers or at least buds all over my yard. These flowers in the picture are going to grow up to become strawberries one day soon. Go ahead and ask them what they want to be when they grow up. I'm sure they'll tell you that they want to be strawberries.

You've got to love how our gardens come through for us every spring. I recently asked my six year old son what he wanted to be when he grew up and he asked me if it was okay if he did nothing.

Now my son may not have all the answers yet but he's a lot funnier than a strawberry plant.

I had a really productive seed starting week. Not only did I get all of my tomatoes started, but I also got my peppers started too:

• Poblano
• Thai Dragon
• California Wonder
• Jalapeno M
• Jalapeno False Alarm
• Giant Marconi Hybrid
• Corno di Toro
• Hot Lemon
• Habanero
• Caribbean Red

And this year I plan on getting a real smoker for when I try to make chipotle and ancho peppers. Last year was a disaster when I turned perfectly good peppers into dust by drying them out in my dehydrator and then trying to smoke them on my chimenea. The flames were shooting out of the top of the chimenea like a jet engine and within a minute there was nothing left of my poblano and jalapeno peppers but black powder. Definitely not one of my finer moments.

As usual I plan on growing lots of tomato plants in my vegetable garden this year. And also as usual, I’m late to start my tomato seeds. So since I haven’t even placed a seed order yet this season, I’m only going to grow tomatoes from the seed that I already have.

After going through my seed stash, this is the list of tomatoes that I decided that I’m growing this year:

• Mortgage Lifter
• Black Krim
• Brandywine
• San Marzano
• Bush Early Girl
• Super Steak Hybrid
• Big Mama
• Little Mama
• Sun Gold
• Tomande Hybrid
• Brandy Boy Hybrid

If I have time, I also want to try out two tomato related projects. Number one is a self watering container made from a Rubbermaid storage container and the other is a homemade upside down tomato container. I’ve seen those Earthboxes and those Topsy Turvy upside down tomato things available in stores but I think I can get the same results by using some of the junk that I have in my garage. More on this later in the season.

Image via Wikipedia

When it comes to getting things done in the yard and garden this year, I am by some strange miracle doing really well for once. I always get a lot done but it’s usually not in the neatest or most organized fashion. You see every year I plan on doing a lot more stuff than I have time to actually get done. And that means that I wind up with lots of unfinished garden projects, unused seeds and usually a messy yard. But this year, I really got an early start and I’m making sure things get finished before I move on to something else. What a concept!

I have already started arugula, bok choy, swiss chard, spinach and simpson lettuce from seed in my basement and transplanted the young seedlings out under my makeshift hoop house. I’ve even removed the hoop house because the overnight lows have been in the 40ies lately. And I’ve direct sowed some peas, beets and carrots outside as well.

Another project that’s going pretty well in the yard is the spring cleanup. One of my compost bins is about the size of the office cube that I spend most of my life in and it’s filled about 5 feet high with leaves. My bordered beds are clear of debris and the mulch is fluffed. For once the daffodils in those beds don’t look like someone accidentally dropped some bulbs in a pile of leaves.

My ornamental grasses and perennials have been cut back and fed, my apple tree is pruned and I’ve trimmed the dead wood out of the dogwood and the ornamental cherry.

Even my impulse purchases of 18 bare root hostas and 8 purple cone flowers have already been taken care of. Not only did I plant them in the ground but I amended the planting holes with some fresh compost and some organic fertilizer.

Since I’m doing really well with spring chores so far this year, you’d think I sit back and enjoy some extra free time to relax, right? Well not exactly. I’ve actually decided to set even more goals and start planning more projects. I have an overgrown thorned blackberry plant that needs to be removed and replaced with a thornless variety. I can definitely split most of my giant hostas and daylilies. My annual mountain of mulch is being delivered soon too. That’s always a fun weekend that I spend with my wheel barrow. And my wife is making a list for me too.

Oh well, it wouldn’t be my house if there weren’t some unfinished projects out there.

I'm always on the look out for cool composting stuff and I definitely spotted a bargain this week.

Costco is selling compost tumblers for $99 now. And they aren't bargain basement fall apart when you get home tumblers, they actually look pretty well made. Similar tumblers usually sell for about $150 - $250 online and then you have to pay for shipping on top of that. So $99 is really a steal. If you have a Costco in your area, just plunk down your $100 and you could take one home and start making compost that very same day.

It can hold up to 75 gallons of composting ingredients and it's made from recycled plastic. The steel legs are very sturdy too. I gave this thing a serious spin in the store. I haven't bought it yet but I think it's definitely in my future.

If you've never composted before, this is a great way to start. A tumbler is easy to maintain and you don't have to worry about pests getting in your compost because it's up off the ground. And very important for people who worry about nosy neighbors and home owner associations, it's really nice looking.

Even if I don't buy this tumbler I'm still happy to see it out there. A year ago composting bins just weren't widely available in stores. Now with the Obama organic vegetable garden all over the news and every morning show on TV doing segments on growing your own food gardening and composting are becoming mainstream. And that's definitely good news.