South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

It’s that time of the year again, folks. The temperatures are warming, the snow is melting and the buds are showing up on the trees. Spring is coming fast, and it’s time for you to start thinking about your garden. Don’t let the season of life pass you by without putting out some beautiful flowers or yummy veggies.

1. What are you going to plant? Your first decision should be what you are going to plant: flowers, vegetables or both. What kind of flowers or vegetables are you going to grow? What are their soil, food and acidity needs? What kind of pests do you have in your area? All these are questions you should ask when choosing a plant to grow. Pick ones that you like.

2. Choose Your Plot. If you haven’t created a garden before, then look outside and decide what spot would be good. The ideal spot is flat with few rocks and some decent sunlight. Rope off the area you want as your garden. You are on your way.

3. Prepare your plot and plant the seeds. Till the soil and take out any rocks and roots that are present. Add fresh potting soil and fertilizer to get the acidity level right, and make your rows for planting. Follow the instructions for planting the various plants and cover the bulbs, seeds or saplings in dirt. You officially have a garden.

4. Grow your plants. The plants are going to need constant care in the form of watering and protection from the elements. There will still be some cold nights, and they should be covered up to resist frost. Use a blanket or other breathable material and do not use plastic. Watch out for predators like insects, rabbits and squirrels, who like to nibble on your vegetables and flowers.

5. Harvest. If you planted vegetables, then after a few months, they will mature and be ready to put in your favorite salad or sold at the local farmers market.

There are few feelings as fulfilling as seeing a heap of fresh vegetables that you grew or a field of bloomed flowers brightening up an already gorgeous spring day. Take advantage of the weather this season and make a garden!

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/archeon/14808878

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Maintaining A Compost Heap

Many people who maintain gardens have a large amount of organic waste, from grass clippings to leaves and dead plants. Unfortunately, many waste money and time having these wastes transported to a landfill. It isn’t just a waste of good compost; it’s a waste of everything that goes into the process of transporting it (the garbage man’s time, the money you pay for the removal, etc). It is truly a travesty.

All this garbage that people are trying to get rid of can be a better supplement for your garden than any fertilizer or chemical. If you properly facilitate the decomposition of all of the garbage, it will alter chemically until it is in such a state that it can be nothing but beneficial nutrition for other plants. Therefore you can turn all the stuff you would have thrown away into top grade fertilizer for your garden.

Usually compost is maintained in a pile somewhere in your backyard. Usually the thought of a compost heap brings disturbing images to ones mind; heaps of rotten garbage emitting a horrid odor. However, if you maintain it correctly you’ll be able to produce great compost without producing an offensive odor. When I first began my compost pile in an effort to improve environmental health, I made several major errors. These included preventing the pile from the oxygen it truly needed, and keeping it to dry. It ended up decomposing in a very non-beneficial way, and producing an odor so foul that I had government agents knocking at my door.

When you are choosing your spot where you will be putting all of these materials, you should aim for a higher square footage. Having a really deep pile of compost is not a good idea, because generally the deeper sections won’t be exposed to anything that is required for the process to work. It is better to spread it all out over a large area. If you have a shed or a tool shack of some sort, it is a possibility to spread it over the roof (with boards to keep it from falling off, of course). I have seen this done several times, and it helps keep the pile out of the way while still maintaining a large square footage.

A compost heap can consist of any organic garbage from your yard, garden or kitchen. This includes leaves, grass, any leftover food that won’t be eaten, or newspaper (no more than a fifth of your pile should consist of newspaper, due to it having a harder time composting with the rest of the materials). Usually if you have a barrel devoted to storing all of these things, it will fill up within several weeks. It is quite easy to obtain compost, but the hard part truly comes in getting it to compost.

After you have begun to get a large assortment of materials in your compost heap, you should moisten the whole pile. This encourages the process of composting. Also chop every element of the pile into the smallest pieces possible. As the materials start to compress and meld together as they decompose, frequently head outside and aerate the pile. You can use a shovel to mix it all up, or an aeration tool to poke dozens of tiny holes into it. Doing this will increase the oxygen flow to each part of the pile, and oxygen is required for any decomposition to take place.

If maintaining a compost pile sounds like something that would interest you, start considering the different placement options. The hardest part about maintaining a pile is choosing a spot that provides enough square footage without intruding on the rest of your yard or garden. While usually you can prevent the horrible odors that most people associate with compost heaps, it’s still not a pleasant thing to have to look at whenever you go for a walk in your garden.

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