Pascale’s Garden

The most common location for a compost pile or bin is in close proximity to your kitchen or garden. You want it in a convenient location to make it easy and second nature to bring your food scraps or garden waste to the composter. If you have a large yard, the yard waste can get quite heavy and you don’t want to be transporting the heavy material be a deterrent to composting.

There are other considerations that need to be taken into account when choosing a composting site. Keeping all the below suggestions in mind, you also want to make sure that it is in an area that children or animals will not disturb or get into the compost bin.

The ground should be level and not prone to collecting excessive water (it needs good drainage). Your compost pile needs to stay moist but you do not want too much water or it will not work properly. In addition to level ground, make sure you can easily access the area with a wheelbarrow. Read more…

If you’ve been growing a vegetable garden for a while, you might be feeling slightly disgruntled at how plain it is to look at. I too began my gardening career with a vegetable garden, but I decided that it wasn’t quite as pleasing to look at as I would have liked. I heard from a friend that the use of perennial flowers could be a great way to liven up my garden without adding any extra work for me.

Perennial flowers are strong, local flowers that come back every year without having to replant or do any extra work. During their off seasons, the flowers and stems die back and you can hardly even tell the plant is there (rather than just dying and looking like hideous brown clumps in your garden). When it’s time to bloom, entirely new flowers shoot up where the old ones were. Read more…

If you would rather not purchase a bin for your compost pile, you should still devise a way to contain it. You can easily and inexpensively build your own bin. This will give you more control over the size of the pile and can prevent unwelcome animals helping themselves to some free food.

If you are using recycled lumber and it has been treated (either painted or stained) make sure it has been done using non-toxic material. You do not want anything toxic or poisonous to come in contact with your compost, especially if you are going to be using it where you are growing food.

You will need four 4-foot sections of 2X4 and 20 3-foot sections of 1X6 boards. Begin by hammering the 2X4 lumber pieces into the ground with a sledgehammer at the corners of what will become a 3 feet squared container (space each corner post 3 feet apart). Next, put five boards to every side securing each end of the board to the corner post with nails. Be sure to leave enough room in between each board for air circulation. You can use a piece of plywood or another flat piece of material large enough to cover the top as a cover. Read more…

There is something about going to your cupboard and getting a jar of canned vegetables that you personally grew and preserved before winter set in.

Growing a garden may take a lot of work but it is something that you can enjoy all year long.

Canning and preserving everything you grow is not only safe but it can be very enjoyable and rewarding.

When you successfully hear all of the jars seal after they are done canning can give you a sense of accomplishment and can make you feel great about what your family eats. Read more…