Ah, the potager garden: rich, earthy soil yielding up perfectly vibrant veggies and herbs. Grow your own fertilizer by turning scraps of kitchen garbage into black gold-now that is true alchemy for your garden bed. Building a compost bin is actually a lot easier than it might seem at first glance or thought.
So, down to the materials for your soon-to-be magnificent compost bin: you are not required to go overboard in this regard, but just a few pallets, some wire mesh, and a selection of nails or screws would suffice. The size of your bin depends on how much scrap you’re dealing with, but normally, it should at least not be less than three feet to a side.
Think of it as a cubical bookshelf, wherein the books are banana peels and apple cores. It is designed for easy access on the front for easy turning of the materials-turning, speaking of which, keeps the compost aerobic and much in need of speeding up the decomposition process. Stirring the witch’s cauldron of your garden’s future nourishment.
“Will it stink?” you might wonder. Theoretically, your compost shouldn’t smell if it’s looked after properly. Smell that musty, earthy aroma of a forest floor-that’s what it should smell like. Mix in enough of those browns like dried leaves with vegetable scraps-type greens-and you’ll offset the odour. The composting yin and yang.
To build double layers of browns and greens, start first with the addition of twigs or straw for drainage. These are followed by kitchen scraps, light sprinkling of soil to introduce microbes-the small, invisible workforce-followed by leaves or paper for capping the addition. Repeat when more scraps accumulate. Note: Composting is not cooking, where a little of this and a little of that is called for.
And then, of course, is the moisture. You want it to be like a damp sponge to you. If you said yes, you’re golden. If it’s too dry, add water. If it’s too wet, stir in more browns. You’ll know it when you hit it, like tuning a guitar. Fluffing things out allows for air to enter. Think of your compost pile like it’s a breathing entity. It’s alive and kicking. A good, hearty turnover will keep your composting compadres, the microorganisms, happy and active.
What about pests? Set the plants deeper, this will put fruits in the pile, which will discourage critters. Nobody wants a raccoon rave in the yard. Sprinkle Lime if unwanted visitors suddenly show up as a possible way to discourage them.
Kind of like hiring a bouncer for your pile. After a couple of months, the bottom gives way to eminently well-rotted compost. It takes a little more time, but finally, it’s crumbly, dark, and beautiful. Just test by sifting through your fingers-pure gardener’s gold dust. Spread with love on your potager. See plants do the happy dance in it and return your love in due season.
Digging into the Dirt: Worm Composting and Your Potager Garden
If you ever dreamed of having a French kitchen garden, otherwise known as a potager garden, let me take you down that often-gritty path, promising you the most lucrative of dividends. Not shining as such, the earthworms, they sure are gold for gardeners!
Unsung heroes beneath our feet, these little wriggly, squirmy workhorses turn food scraps into black gold in the form of compost. For the more high-brow among us, vermicomposting is composting with worms-a complete game-changer for a potager enthusiast: some invisible little buddy out in the garden, whispering magic into your soil.
Why befriend the worms? Well, they are such fine recyclers. Apple peels and banana skins you put out in the garbage are a sort of five-star restaurant assortment for them.
Well, they snack on them, but as they munch on that organic trash, they excrete some nutrient-rich castings, some super food for your plants. Just think about it, carrots and kale get that meal of health. In fact, that is why most vegetables thrive well with a little wormy assistance. Now, try separating the finished vermicompost-it is quite a process, like a little treasure hunt in there with your hand. Let me tell you, it really pays off. Teeming with life, this compost will make the soil much fluffier and thus more porous for better water holding; none of those soggy disasters or parched spots are to be expected. In a sense, it is like a spa for your garden. It would return a hundredfold: green, lush, and colored flowers galore.
And the pests? Well, vermicompost acts like some sort of secret service: tends the plant, keeps the bad guys away, ushers the good guys in. Perhaps even the ladybugs and bees will wink back at you. It gets even better: the even happier the plant, the fewer headaches it is for you, too, which should be, or at least is, the ultimate happy ending that any gardener could wish for. For one thing, a potager doesn’t stop at veggies. Herbs share top billing, and worm composting doesn’t leave them in the dust.
Basil and rosemary drink in, whispering their ancient secrets to you-perhaps even giving you enough herbs to drive your gastronomical revolution!
As far as an ecologically valid method of organic gardening goes, vermicomposting is just plain not shy. Less goes into a landfill because one can transfer the waste right into the soil. Well, that is nature’s recycling plan right there in action. Vermicomposting works equally well in small, inner-city apartments and sprawling countryside. Anyone can get on this bandwagon! And, honestly, the worm composting is one heck of a good conversation starter. Now, just visualize you, comfortably seated, sipping away with your snooty neighbor, and say out loud, “Oh, my lettuce was thanks to a fabulous worm tea.” Maybe they will be impressed; at a minimum, they will envy you. Something communitarian about this magic-most of us, even the hard-nosed ones-will appreciate. Yet another plus: it is pretty affordable. Once an installation, no expensive fertilizers or soil amendments need become required. You’re riding on Mother Nature’s coattails. Low-cost gardening never looked or tasted this good! Ready to get wiggly? Man, it is just so damn easy to set up the worm bin: take a container with holes in it and just fill it with damp newspaper-voila.
