Archive for » 2009 «

Friday, December 11th, 2009 | Author: admin

At GREENCulture, our focus is not only on quality products for your Green nature, but trying to give you the best possible tools to help you keep our environment safe!

With either Compost Bin Bundle, GREENCulture is offering all you need to ensure a great composting experience in one package. With the Rain Barrel Bundle, you can save rain water for later use without the strain on your home water bill and the waste of water for your lawn or garden.

For a limited time you can enter coupon code “compost5″ (no quotes) in the checkout screen and receive an additional 5% off these already great deals!

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Thursday, December 10th, 2009 | Author: admin

If you’re going to compost, you’re going to need red worms. The little worker, uh, bees, of the composting world do more to help change your waste into quality and useful compost than anything else. And since winter is in full effect, the time to have worms is now so by time spring comes around, you’ll have beautiful compost for your garden.

If you buy now from Composters.com, insert coupon code “compost5″ (no quotes) into the “redeem” button in the checkout window and receive an additional 5% off your entire purchase.

Friday, December 04th, 2009 | Author: admin

Conserving water is yet another hot-button topic for the preservation of the Earth’s natural resources. Especially important for areas that receive less rainfall per year, rain barrels store water from natural sources without the use of faucet or home water that mostly zero-sum. Home water use by itself for the sake of gardening works against the natural flow (pun unintended) of the water chain, causing an unnecessary depletion of water supply.

By using a rain barrel from Composters.com you are showing your community your desire for smarter and more responsible way to garden. With GREENCulture by your side to help in your quest to further the message of eco-friendly and conservation of Earth’s resources, this fight against the pollution of our planet may soon be a victory for the enlightened.

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Monday, November 02nd, 2009 | Author: admin

Winter is an especially important time for any gardener to get a head-start and prepare for the months to come. The cold air and lack of sunlight can do serious damage to plants and garden life like impede growth or kill them.

So it’s a good idea to understand that what you’re up against isn’t the Big Bad Wolf, but merely a few months to plan for and work through, until spring comes around and you have your beautiful garden back.

Unless, of course, you live in Wisconsin and winter has lasted six years. In that case, might I suggest a nice, big, coat?

Here are a few things to put on your list for the upcoming season:

  • Raised Garden Beds – an aesthetically pleasing way to garden, raised garden beds lift your intended gardening area off the natural ground to allow for greater moisture saturation because of reduced compaction. This reducing allows the soil to stay warmer than ground soil after wintry seasons
  • Protector Tents – if you already have your garden in place covering it with a protector tent is an inexpensive to go about saving your plants. Protector tents form a complete barrier to protect against frost, harsh weather, and unwanted pests. The also help to effectively warm soil to promote early seed germination and faster plant growth. 
  • Garden Cloche – if your gardening experiences is a little more subtle, and enjoy just a few well placed items here and there, a garden cloche is more what you’re looking for. These globed structures provide a secure perimeter to shelter seedlings from frost and harsh winds.
Monday, October 19th, 2009 | Author: admin

At Composters.com we are always trying to find the best possible products. Three new additions to our product line the Geo Stone Composter, the Earthbound Composter 220, and the Earthbound Composter 550, have all made their debut on our Compost Bins page since our last newsletter.

Made of extreme quality for added durability, the Earthbound 220 and 550 are made to compost bio-waste year round, while their dense structure prevent harmful animals and pests from entering your precious compost. The adjustable ventilation valve and the patented thermal insulation, make the Earthbound 220 and 550s two of the more efficient and effective composters on the market.

The Geo Stone Composter is perfect for any outdoor design without the eye-sore and “clunkiness” a regular composter can bring. Because of its unique appearance, the Geo Stone blends well into environment.

Composters.com has all your needs for outdoor gardening and lawn care in one place. Be sure to browse the site today and check back frequently for updates and new products!

Category: Uncategorized  | One Comment
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009 | Author: admin

As summer comes to a close and fall heads this way, its time to start thinking about what plants to put in your garden for next year.

Are you going to change things up and try something new? Are you going to get creative with your arrangement and spell out “Hi Mom?” These questions, and surely some more, are probably going through your thoughts as planting season is around the corner.

But while your mind is scattered over the “what,” let’s draw your attention to the “how.”

Winter months can be harmful on plants and soil, so in order to keep what you’ve put in the ground healthy enough to sprout out of the ground, a raised garden bed may be in your future. 

With a raised garden bed you can section off a part of your yard to ensure the best possible place to grow plants. By elevating your garden, not only will you be enjoying an easier gardening experience, you’ll be providing a more secure environment for you plants, vegetables, and flowers, from unwanted pests, bacteria, and molds.

Another advantage from a raised garden bed is water conservation. Because the soil is lifted off the ground, and much less compact, moisture drains quicker allowing the ground, or in this case the soil in the bed, to stay warmer after wintry seasons. This better control over water, allows the gardener to better conserve how much water is being used.

Composters.com has all you need in the area of gardening, composting, and water conservation. As a leader in lawn and garden supplies, composters.com is committed to keeping you up-to-date in the latest and best products, and the best knowledge possible to make your experience, a very GREEN experience.

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Tuesday, September 01st, 2009 | Author: admin

As another summer quickly draws to a close – I’ll pause for the collective sigh to stop – the most beautiful season of the year is right around the corner.

But with this magical time of color changing trees and football, there is another time honored tradition we all must remember and take part in: leaf raking.

While this task may seem as nothing more than playtime for some, and just a tedious task of busy work to others, there is yet a more pressing reason to rake the leaves. And yes, of course, it is an environmentally friendly reason.

Hey, who would we be if we didn’t push environmental consciousness?

Because some grass genes, especially those in colder, northern climates, grow their most during the fall season, it is important to give those grass species as much of their most important resources as possible.

Leaf covered grass can be deprived of the nutrients it needs in order to survive. Plus, the lack of air and water can be a breeding ground for fungi and insects.

Of course the most important resource the grass is being forced to do without is the sun.

Grass can literally be blanketed from the sun by a layering of leaves. Without the sun cool-season grasses, like in the northern climates or Kentucky bluegrass, can greatly be affected in their prime growing seasons.

For those that enjoy having a healthy lawn, without the muscle and time it traditionally takes raking leaves, try out the Featherweight Lawn Sweeper on composters.com. Unlike leaf blowers it’s quiet, and unlike the heavy-duty machinery, completely eco-friendly.

Because having a great looking lawn during all seasons shouldn’t come at the expense of your time, or your environment.

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Tuesday, July 21st, 2009 | Author: admin

Our planet is a host for several creatures. From the tiniest to the biggest, there are countless number of worms, reptiles, animals, birds and even greater number of species under each category. There are roughly around 4400 species of worms on Planet Earth. Out of this number, there are about 2700 species of earthworms.  Red wrigglers and Nightcrawlers are the most commonly found earthworms and are present everywhere in the universe. Red wrigglers and Nightcrawlers are most commonly found in the earth’s soil. They also survive in trees, under the rocks, along rivers, ponds and springs. Earthworms burrow themselves deep in the soil and these burrows are very important for the plants. They serve as a path for water, air and other soil nutrients to pass through.

The physical structure of worms has a few vital features that assist the worms to survive on this planet. One of the main features is the absence of lungs. This is the reason why the worms, including your composting worms, are so slimy. Due to the absence of lungs, earthworms breathe through their skin which needs to be moist at all times so as to facilitate breathing. This is the reason why earthworms are rarely found near the sea. In spite of the presence of water, most of the sand is dry. This dryness can cause suffocation to the worms which may eventually die. At the same time, too much water too can be detrimental as the water can take the place of oxygen which causes the worms to surface. On the surface, worms may die as they get exposed to sunlight. As worms as so slimy, it helps them survive. The other physical features include the presence of mouth which is powerful enough to drag a leaf and eat it, all major nerves, circulatory and digestive organs.

Part One of our Worm Q&A: What Do Worms Eat?

Part Two of our Worm Q&A: How Many Worms To Start With?

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in comments and we will answer them as soon as possible.

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 | Author: admin

There is a lot of information out there about composting and a lot of it states that you shouldn’t use products like meats or eggshells in your compost because they would attract all sorts of unwanted animal attention and might turn your compost pile into a snacking ground for the area animals. There have been those complaining about bears being drawn to compost bins and other smaller animals as well. However, eggshells can also be a good source of nutrients for your garden, and can also have other uses, so composting them can prove to be quite beneficial if you follow a few golden rules.

The first thing you should know is that eggshells can host salmonella on their surface, and as such, if you don’t want to spread that around to your garden, it’s best to wash the eggshells before composting them. There are those who also like to put the eggshells in a tray in the oven for 20 minutes or so to make sure to kill all the bacteria, and this might not be a bad idea since the procedure would not destroy the Calcium in the shell, which is what the plants will most require out of the eggshells in the first place.

Egg shellsAnother thing you could do is to grind the shells into very small pieces. This helps in more than one way. For one thing, the smaller the eggshell bits, the quicker the break down process (and in the case of eggshells, this process will take quite a while so you want to do whatever you can to hasten it). For another, scattering the small pieces of eggshell around plants will keep slugs and other pests away from them.

Spreading the ground up eggshells onto the ground or in the areas where you feed birds or chicken can also be useful, as the birds can take back a lot of much needed nutrients from the shells. If you are going to feed them to chicken, it’s advisable to put the shells into the oven for a few minutes, as feeding the chicken raw shells might encourage them to also pick at the freshly laid eggs that are yet to be collected.

While composting eggshells can be beneficial for your plants and birds and is therefore not discouraged, it would be good to avoid composting other egg parts, as it would not only be a surefire way to attract animals to your compost pile but it would also ensure that your compost would give away a smell that you would not be thrilled to have around. All in all, if you take some precautions, there is no reason why you shouldn’t compost your eggshells.

Tuesday, July 07th, 2009 | Author: admin

worm compostingWe are living in a time where recycling and making the best use of everything, including organic wastes is of utmost importance. With the depleting natural resources, worm composting is one of the most successful steps taken in the right direction. The process of worm composting is also commonly known as ‘Vermiculture.’ Worm composting is a method of using worms to recycle food waste and other organic material into a valuable soil conditioner called worm compost.

Vermiculture is a scientific process which involves the artificial rearing of worms not only provides manure for plants but also keeps the environment healthy. The worms eat food scraps, cow-dung, farm wastes, municipal wastes, household garbage and non-toxic industrial waste and convert them to compost. The process is straightforward and can be done by with the use of simple equipments. The required materials are worm bin, worms, bedding and wastes. The worm bin is decided depending upon the kind of worms being used. Bedding requires few shredded newspapers, corrugated cardboard and leaves.

Ideally, the worms used for worm composting are Redworms as they thrive on organic wastes such as food scraps, cow-dung. Redworms, which are scientifically named as Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus ar found in aged manure and existing compost bins. The standard proportion of food waste to the amount of worms that needs to be used to form worm compost is 1:2. For every one pound of food waste used per day, two pounds of worms are required. Two pounds of worms roughly approximates to 2,000 worms. The population will increase depending upon the room to breed and the availability of food.

Part One of our Worm Q&A: What Do Worms Eat?

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in comments and we will answer them as soon as possible.