Gardening for the Beginner

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Comment by Chad on July 1, 2009 at 7:36am

Jeff,
There's not really any point in thinning lily of the valley. It'll fill back in 5 minutes later. Instead, decide where you want its boundaries to be, and dig out every plant back to there. But be really careful - any tiny fragment of root you leave (and they have very thick roots) will sprout a new plant.

The only real way to control it is to solarize the area (which kills everything). Lily of the valley is hardy enough that the best time of year to deal with them seems to be pretty much whenever you have some time and they seem to need it.

Comment by Jeff Robertson on June 29, 2009 at 3:43pm

I have Lily of the Valley taking over my garden. What time of the year is best for me to thin them out?

Comment by Linda on March 28, 2009 at 8:32am

Keep those piles wet, like a rung out wet rag. It will help a lot in speeding up the process. I also shred the leaves in spring. If I keep or store the last falls leaves in bags, I will empty these on the lawn after winter, and run over them good with the lawn mower. Then I add them to the pile. You can also add that shred to the top of the soil anywhere it's bare as mulch instead of bagged products. Great for soil water retention and moderating soil temps. After the "brown" application of the shredded leaves to the pile, put something green on top of that. Grass clippings if you've started yard clean-up already, kitchen waste or fresh manure to the the compost pile and just start all over again. After everything is layered in, soak it with a hose and you are done till next time.

Comment by Jamie on January 17, 2009 at 8:16pm

Great video Drew!

Comment by Drew Odom on January 2, 2009 at 12:22pm

Well, this is the post actually:

http://barnesvillegreen.blogspot.com/2009/01/composting-old-crap-from-2008.html

Comment by Drew Odom on January 2, 2009 at 12:21pm

Check out the photos of my "new" compost bin Jamie. I think you will be proud. I will start my compost lasagna this Saturday afternoon. I have everything ready so it shouldn't take long. I do, however, want to make a video for my Barnesville Green blog.

Oh, and if you want to see my compost bin post check out, this site.....

Comment by Jamie on December 31, 2008 at 3:59pm

Drew,
It's great that you are composting and from your pix it looks like you have the space and raw materials to make lots of great compost. Since you have the space, I would not go for one of those compost drums since they only can make a little compost at a time. Find a convenient location and build compost bins out of wooden pallets or just have them free standing. My page has pictures of my active compost bins and leaf bins.

I tend to be a lazy composter and only turn my active piles when they really cool down, about once a month or so. In addition to turning them, I heat them up by adding blood meal if I dont have enough green material and keeping the pile moist. In the winter I also cover my piles with tarps. Like Byron, I throw in some existing dirt/compost to get the bacteria working. I don't bother with the commercial compost boosters. Sometimes I throw in bagged manure since I dont have a ready supply.

I also collect leaves from the neighborhood which I put into large piles for slower long term composting. But if you have lots of leaves and manure and machinery to turn the piles, you can make loads of compost. My only warning is not to use fresh "hot" manure around plants. Even with my finished compost I let it sit for a couple of months before using it.

Lastly, just google "composting" and you'll find lots of advice and some great videos on building bins, drums, and on composting. Have fun and I look forward to seeing your compost bin pictures.

Comment by Drew Odom on December 29, 2008 at 10:35am

Thank you Byron. That helps a lot. I am not going to go with rid-ex as I am trying to be a purist as you are. I am going to add worms though as I have tons around my property. That is supposed to speed up the process as well.

Do you have any pics of your turning drum / compost bin? I would love to see what you have put together.

Comment by Byron Dupin on December 29, 2008 at 10:03am

Drew,
Thanks for Joining! As far as my experience w/ a compost bin. well I just started mine about 6 wks ago, so my advise is worth about as much as your 5 lbs. of Manure. With that being said. I have had some pretty good success so far. I've turned my bin twice and have seen some real promising results. I started w/ leaves and grass clippings layered w/ kitchen scraps and wood shavings from my chainsaw, I covered each layer w/ some fresh dirt and a little patience. I have read that you can jump start your compost w/ something like rid-ex (septic tank maintainer) that normally pour down your toilet. I haven't used this as I wanted to see if I could do it without any "help". If things progress like they have, I should have a nice cubic yard of compost by spring.
Hope this helps some.
~Byron

Comment by Drew Odom on December 28, 2008 at 11:17pm

Hey guys. I am starting an outdoor compost bin. So far I have "collected" 5 lbs. of cow manure, 10 lbs. of table scraps and kitchen biodegradables, 5 lbs. of woodchips. What next? I have read a few DIY and textbook definitions of a good compost solution but in y'alls experience, what is my next logical step?

I live in middle Georgia and am hoping to use this compost for a spring garden.

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