Some of you may know that I am a backyard gardener. I have always enjoyed nature and spending my days under the sun, and knowing that my joy for planting produces organic veggies/fruits makes me even more happy! Living in Hawaii comes with many perks for the gardener, such as rain water, great temperatures, weather is never really severe and we don't have to deal with bunnies and other veggie intruders. As my plants begin to flourish, I start thinking about different ways to enhance my "green area". So here are a few of the ideas that I have used or currently use....
Compost Bin
Compost bins do not have to be a big production, in fact it can be quite simple. Some of us may not have a huge space to create a huge pile, or don't want to deal with the eye sore. You can take something as simple as a food-grade barrel or trash can to create your own homemade compost bin. It's really simple! I used a Garbage can and drilled holes on the sides, make sure you secure the lid so rodents don't sneak in (you could use rope, a bungee, twine).Now the key for successful composting is BALANCE. Your compost should consist of "brown" and "green" matter. Brown compost can be leaf clippings from your yard, newspaper, paper and the Green materials can be anythings from egg shells, coffee grinds, veggies/fruits try to stay away from adding meats or dairy. Try to stick to a 4:1 brown to green ratio and that will create the perfect balance for your compost bin! Thanks to the humidity, we don't have to worry to much about keeping the compost damp but if you live in a dryer climate you might want to add water to your compost, keeping it damp at all times (not soaked).
Rain Barrel
Water is extremely valuable for gardeners. In many places you may experience droughts and wish your had access to unlimited water sources. Unfortunately we all deal with earth's "dry spells" so why not take advantage of the times that we do have rain? By making a rainbarrel we can collect all that FREE water and store it for our plants! again this is a simple progect that can be placed under rain gutters, in open spaces or really anywhere where the rain can be caught. Look for a food-grade barrel (make sure you don't purchase one that has previously had chemicals inside) and cut a small square on the top of the barrel. You can easily cover it with a piece of screen to prevent leaves from falling into the barrel and then every now and then brush debris away from the screen. Thanks to lowes and home depot, there are all sorts of nozzles that you can purchas and simply drill a hole on the bottom and with a few swobs of liquid cement your nozzle will be secure!
**DO NOT FORGET THAT HORSE MANURE IS GOLD FOR ANY GARDENER...call a local horse farm and they will most likely jump for joy if you pick it up**
My next progect will be convincing the wife to let me have a few free range chickens!I would love to hear any of your gardening tips or ideas! Come back soon for a few more of my "green thumb" moments.
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