Mr. G's Mind

Since my last post was on garden boxes Garden Box Kits, I wanted to show you what I use for compost creation.

I’ve had this bin for more than a decade. If I recall, I paid 20 dollars for it through my local sanitation department. Before you buy, call your sanitation department. They might offer free bins. If you have a wood pile, look at plans on line to build your own.

This is a stackable bin, meaning the that three rectangular segments stack on top of one another.

There are many different types of bins available today. If I were to purchase another it would be the barrel type, which sits on a stand and is turnable.

It’s a simple process really. You open the lid and place vegetable scraps into the bin. You can also add yard waste like leaves, grass cuttings, and plant cuttings. I try not to add too many ‘woody’ stalks, as they have a much longer breakdown cycle.

I do not add ‘other’ food waste scraps, as that encourages unwanted insects and rodents. I put the food scraps in the green waste bin, which is picked up weekly.

I add a spray of water once a week, and sometimes a bit of loose soil. I turn over the mixture every two weeks or whenever I think of it. It takes just a few minutes to maintain.

This is what it all breaks down to – a wonderful garden gold – full of healthy minerals for your veggie garden.

When needed, I just shovel it out and add it to the garden.

Compost bins are great for your garden and for Mother Earth!

A request came into my work cue to make up two garden boxes, each 8′ long X 16″ deep X 2′ high. The request indicated a very quick turn-a-round time. Well, I knew that I could not meet the time requirement. I just don’t work like that anymore.

A suggestion was made to buy some planter box kits. A little pricey, but everything was cut, made to assemble, and delivered to your site. Plus, it was made in the USA, and free shipping.

The kits were ordered from Greenes Fence Company.

Here are the two kits as delivered. The shipping boxes were not nearly as big as I’d imagined. Nice cedar wood, resistant to insects as well. Boards looked a little thinner than what I would have used.

Below is the location where the first box was to be placed. The ground had to be cleared and leveled.

Of course, when doing a ground level job, there are ALWAYS concrete remnants that require removal.

As you can see, there are no nails or screws required to assemble the boxes. Everything went together very well. Only an occasional ‘persuasion’ from a wooden mallet was needed.

This is a picture of the completed second box.

Of course a couple of trips to the nursery were required for dirt. We also added some of our own compost Garden Gold.

Well, the job is done and veggies are growing. Pretty good I’d say.

If you are going to go the kit route, here are a couple of suggestions:

Do not unbox the kit until you are ready to set it up. The boards may have a tendency to bend as they dry. Once bent, they are harder to get installed.
Fill each box with dirt as soon as possible, so that the box sides remain straight and do not curve.

If it was not for the garden box kits, I might very well still be in the planning phase.