Don't Throw Away Broken Clay Pots - Part 2

In my previous post on broken clay pots, I recommended not throwing them out. If you're like me, and many others, perhaps this has happened to you this spring:

Not to worry, there are plenty of uses if you have the will to use them elsewhere.

You can use broken pots as garden art - allowing plants to spill out from their brokenness. It's quite interesting, and I will do a post on that method soon...

For now, this weekend, we made a path to the compost heap with all the broken bits that were saved over the years.

First, it was decided that this worn area should have a permanent path made with aggregates. Shade from a Black Walnut and Silver Maple back there has made growing grass difficult.  Crushed clay chips are ideal for this.

I used rags to wrap the broken sections and a sledgehammer -smashing the clay pots into 1 inch bits. 
(Make sure you don't smash and damage the surface beneath.)  
Never do this on patio stones.

Various sizes are the best. They help level and fill in gaps better.

I went through several rags accomplishing this. The impact shreds the material quickly.

If you have an intended area, use dark plastic to first kill off any grass or stubborn weeds before laying down the clay bits. It takes about 2 weeks with this plastic cover to kill off most everything. 
Make sure you way down the edges, so no light and moisture get through.

Next, level off the intended path area. 
Remove ruts, high-low areas and remove any roots from neighbouring plant material. 
Level the path down to about a 1 inch depth, so that the clay bits won't be too high off the ground.

If you like to suppress more weeds and grass from growing through the broken clay, use landscape fabric or this old pond liner. It will help keep the weeds down.

I made the path slightly wider, and it's ok to overlap this fabric to create the desired shape. 
You don't have to use landscape fabric. We used it, since Convallaria majalis (Lily of the Valley) is situated on the left.

Once I crushed a bucket full, I spread it over the landscape fabric. 
I just tamped it down with foot traffic, but you could roll it with an aggregate roller to make the chips embed in the soil.

I had a hunch there was enough to cover the entire path...

Here is the finished result.  Now, whenever another pot breaks, we can easily crush and top-up or refresh the path. Great waste diversion.

Controlled Burn - Perennial Grasses

This past weekend, I enjoyed learning other gardening techniques - when it comes to handling perennial grasses.

The garden I visited, had grasses growing out of a bed of river stones. With the amount of snow we had this winter, the grass thatch had all fallen over. I wondered how long it would take to cut back all the dried foliage, when lo'and behold, the gardener told me all we needed was a match.

Actually, it was more than just a match. We required a bucket of water, an old corn-broom, matches and a bundle of newspaper.

Thick amount of grass thatch that would of taken ages to cut back.

To begin, we lit a match and ignited a rolled up newspaper. We started at the edge of the patch of perennial grasses and with the corn broom (soaked in water prior to) we tamped down any flames that crept beyond the intended bed.

NOTE: Control burns should be done with the utmost care.  Do not attempt without making sure you have the proper dousing tools to prevent fires from getting out of control.

We made sure the weather co-operated with us. We had no wind; rain was expected overnight and had access to water and a tamping device.

Here we had to tamp down some of the tree leaves that were closer to the lawn. The wet corn broom was perfect for this job.

It took about 5 minutes to complete the burn. We had 2 hot spots that needed dousing, but the burn really did the trick. Not only did it clean up the job quickly, the burn added nutrients to the soil's surface from the ash that remained.

I highly recommend doing this if you have a controllable area and the need to clear up old thatch left behind from last years growth.

After a bit of a sweep up (brushing off the burnt ash), here is the result:

I was glad to participate and learn this technique.

If you are worried the flames would burn the new growth, here you can see the flames just burned the brown bits. The new spring growth is left to flourish.

5 minutes to clear this up, or an hour.  Makes sense, eh?

Another batch of Compost ready: 6 weeks

Left side, ready. Haven't added scraps in last 3 weeks.

I am brimming with satisfaction over my Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It's been another six weeks, and I can report another completed batch of compost is ready.  This heat wave has certainly accelerated decomposition.

Great stuff. I wish you could smell it. So fresh.

Some helpful hints I've learned along the way since my previous 2 composter posts:

• If you add lots of kitchen scraps, avoid adding too many (sugary) fruity bits. I added soft cherries and grapes, only to find I had a large quantity of ants invade one chamber.
• Adding kitchen scraps daily adds adequate moisture. No added water is necessary, unless you add a lot of dry brown debris.
• I found spinning the rolling bin should be done only once a week, if not less. Rolling it thoroughly, rather than one rotation or so is better than just once over.
• Cutting up thicker, leafier material aids the process.
• Do not fill the chambers to full. Fill about 2/3rds. This allows for air circulation and better tumbling of contents.
•  Filling the chamber nearly full with green waste will not give you a full chamber when done.
•  Keep the vents open.

Right side - scrap side

Since the ready chamber is not yet full, I will add compost from the kitchen scrap side to the other ready side, in order to bulk up for a full batch in September. I plan to top-dress my garden with the left chamber's contents, leaving the right chamber to carry me through the autumn months.

Right chamber: not ready...but getting there!

So pleased.

Starting Compost...update

In March, I posted how I started compost with this Dual Batch Rolling Composter. It claimed on the directions that within 5-6 weeks, a batch would be ready. It's been a little over 6 weeks now and here are my results:

Given we had a rather warm March, it started out well. The cooler temperatures this April I think have hampered the progress. Yet, overall - I think in a another 2 weeks or so, I'll have workable compost.


The warmth that comes out of here is incredible. I stick my nose in the chamber hole just to smell any off or rotten fumes. I haven't yet smelled any of that, so I know the microbes are breaking it down!

This batch is a mix of kitchen scraps and pruning bits. Hopefully by June I'll have another batch.

Heidi = totally happy!

Homemade Organic Fertilizer

I'm quite blessed working for a municipality that bans the use of chemical treatments in horticultural practices. It's so comforting not to fret and worry about handling plant material that is covered with pesticide and herbicide residue.

To add fertility, we mulch, add chicken manure and compost in thick layers. However, at home, there is more creativity involved to aiding plant health.

Deciding to go completely organic with fertilizing is not simple.  Right now I am collecting certain plants which are known to fixate nutrients. My next post will be about making a compost tea to fertilize my containers and vegetables. If I had room in my garden, I would plant them directly at the source (near the compost bin) but since I don't, I will harvest along my garden route at work and use these plants at home.

Burdock has hairy, wavy leaves.

For now, I am collecting foliage from:

• Burdock
• Comfrey
• Nettles

Young Burdock leaves are grey.

Long Burdock roots. These draw up nutrients deep down in subsoil levels.

The first on my list is Burdock (you know them, those common burs everyone hates when taking hikes and having little "hitch-hikers" stick to you like velcro). In the Greater Toronto Area, you can find them almost anywhere. They love disturbed soil and soils heavily mulched.

Wear gloves, you don't want to know what stingy Nettle feels like on your skin.

 

No root is necessary for using nettle. The foliage is the key ingredient. With my gloves, I just mash them and bruise the foliage nicely before adding it to the tea.

Comfrey is more difficult to find at this time of year. I hope to find a patch to harvest from soon.

Happy Earth Day Canada (April 22)!

Stepping Stones - Avoid Trampling

April 4th 2012

I really didn't want my garden to have stepping stones at first. They take up valuable space and right now look like typical concrete squares.  Yet, seeing my garden soil today, I am --SO GLAD-- I decided to do it anyway.  They actually have become a great help.  I have noticed with all the organic material I left overwinter, the soil is fluffy and totally happy. If I didn't have the stepping stones, the soil would not be as workable and I would have trampled over my perennials and overwintering herbs by now.

Garlic chives

Trampling is the gardeners worst enemy and since I have edibles dotted about, plants not yet showing where they reside, I avoid it at much as possible. I've invested in a lot of compost and a good litter layer over winter, my foot traffic would counteract all that effort.

I've planted many herbs, ground covers and perennials that need attention close enough to each stone to help soften their stark concrete edges. I trim herbs and what-not throughout the growing season, at least giving gaps big enough for my foot to touch down.

Soil around my Lysimachia nummularia is so fluffy!

I wish I had more patience and came up with other fun choices of stepping material, like:

• used bricks
• bamboo mats
• pre-cast slabs and stones
• mosaic stepping stone kits
• flagstone

Another benefit of using stepping stones: you can place pots in their spots, when the garden becomes full and less foot traffic is necessary.

I'll take comparative photos in late summer to see how little the stones are visible.

Starting Compost

I purchased this Dual Batch Tumbling Composter because of its rotational drum and two chambers. My only complaint: it took a bit of time to put together, as there's so many fiddly nuts and bolts and about 20 parts to fit together. Solid build though. Rotates smoothly and lots of air pockets for good aeration and water drainage. I'm happy with it.

The neat design to this composter is it's two chambers. That way, I have two batches to work with and hopefully can harvest my first batch in what the instructions say: 5-6 weeks. I can add less coarse bits to one side to start this spring and add regular compost to the other side. While one side newly composts the other side I can begin to use. That's the theory anyway...  It also has a great lid that is animal proof (hopefully) and it's off the ground. So critters if trying to get on it, will fall off because it rotates easily.

One of my hanging baskets

To start I added some soil from my winter containers. It's spent soil from last years annuals, and to initiate decomposition you need some soil. I also added just a skimming of soil from my garden (it has the microbes to help break down the refuse).

It's best to add materials in layers:

• a brown layer (leaves, soil)

• a wet (kitchen) layer 

• and a green layer in stages.

My brown layer was made up of leaves, some leftover fall annuals (cut up), some perennial die-back and clippings from my rose bush.

The wet layer was made up of coffee grounds, potato peelings...etc. (Never compost dairy, meat, bones and wood ashes).

My green layer was the clippings I cut last week for homemade mulch. 

I've yet to fill the entire left chamber. I added water to get all the soil and material inside slightly moist (not soggy).


I will fill it all up once my other containers have thawed out. They were still frozen. lol 

Now that temperatures are getting warmer and there's plenty of bright spring sunshine, warmth and moisture will begin the process.  Will keep you posted as to how long it will take to get workable compost!