Anyone try this popular Japanese method of indoor composting?
miscel
3 years ago
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miscel
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoRelated Discussions
Does anyone use the NatureMill Composter?
Comments (32)I live in a condo with a balcony so NatureMill was the only option I was willing to consider. At first I kept it indoors. It is odourless when the lid is closed, but there is a strong organic mushroom/sourdour odour when you open the lid to add more stuff in. It's not overly unpleasant but I'm very sensitive to smells so I moved the NatureMill to the balcony (thankfully, I have a power outlet outside). Yes, the machine can be finicky but if you FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS, it works fine. I'll admit that I burned through my first machine by not doing so - NatureMill sent me a replacement. My new moto: Nothing stringy, only 1 inch pieces of stuff (my scissors are now very active! much better than using a knife to chop things up), don't overload. If it's too wet or smells sour, I add more pet pine litter or cross-shredded newspapers and baking soda. Above all else - being patient helps. There were times when I was tinkering the inside of the mixing chamber with a screw driver and a knife trying to free up a jam, instead of waiting forty-eight hours like the instructions advised - that wasn't a good idea and contributed to my first machine's demise. If you stick to the motto, you shouldn't be getting jams. I love it when the organic waste gets cooking and really steams up! I've been using the NatureMill Pro for a few months now. We do a lot of cooking using fresh veg and eat lots of fruits so we generate a large amount of organic waste. Add to that coffee grinds and egg shells. In fact, for just two people, I find that my NatureMill is not fast enough to process the organic non-meat waste we generate. The waste from eating just one watermelon or a couple of cantalopes will keep the machine busy for at least a week. In the meantime, I generate several small bags of organic waste waiting to be processed! So I get backlogged regularly. In two months I have generated 3 trays of compost and will have a fourth in a couple of days. It's rich, black and looks like a nice soil. There is one full tray in the machine being heat-cured, and I have the contents from two trays sitting in planters on the balcony being air-cured. I intend to air-cure the compost for at least two weeks before I put it on top of my growing suger snaps and tomato plants. I can comfortable say that I've reduced my landfill waste by around 70% since I bought the NatureMill. As for the future, I'm going to add small chopped up pieces of corn cob and used kleenex tissues next....See MoreHome made indoor potting/seed starting soil
Comments (11)I usually use a store bought seed starting mix, but this year I decided to try a homemade mix for seed starting. We used some well-aged homemade compost. It was finely sifted and placed in a covered container in September. We then mixed 4 parts of this screened and sifted compost with 2 parts peat moss, 1 part perlite, and 1 part vermiculite. So far our plants look really healthy. Cabbage, basil, sage, and dill are all doing fine in this mix. No signs of mold, rot, damping off, or bugs yet. I guess this is the year for experimenting, because I have also purchased one of those fancy seed starter kits from Gurney's. It was a total impulse buy. I have started some more cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers, and spinach in that. I sowed these seeds 2 days ago and several have already sprouted. Germination seems like it will not be a problem with this kit. I am more worried about the roots and how well they will grow in the provided "grow plugs". Also, because the styrofoam tray that the plugs sit in is constantly floating on water, it seems like the plants might not like being constantly saturated as they are growing. I am going to keep an eye on them and if I see any signs that they are not doing well, I will take them out of this tray and put them in their own pots. So far though everything is looking good. I will keep you updated on the progress of my little friends!...See MoreWhat's YOUR method of growing hellebores from seed?
Comments (59)I am bumping this thread. I have hellebores in two areas of the garden; one with mature plants and the second in an area where I've been scattering seeds occasionally. This year, I found hundreds of babies around my mature plants. I transplanted around 300 of the babies over to the other area and now have collected seed to scatter in the same area. The new area has partial sun. We are in New England. My questions are: 1) Should I scatter the seeds, scatter and rake in lightly, or scatter and then cover with a light layer of something? I would prefer not to pot them and then have to plant them later. (Too much chance of me forgetting about them!) 2) When I see a baby ( around an inch and a half tall, with a 4" root), did that sprout from last year's seed or this year's? And as a followup, is the young plant (around 7-9 inches, with larger leaves), a 2 year old? Thanks, I do love these plants!...See MoreJapanese snowbell - anyone with experience growing in zone 5?
Comments (23)I’m a (very) latecomer to this conversation, however however, I stumbled across a lone specimen at a local garden centre 15 or so yrs ago. I had no idea what sort of tree it was or it’s growing requirements, (I was drawn to it on account of it’s heavenly fragrance - literally followed my nose to the thing:). Anyway, in our profound ignorance, we planted it at my mum’s house under a very large/old sugar maple (in Ancaster, Ontario) and the tree continues to thrive in that spot to this day:). I’ve been looking for a specimen for my own garden for years now without success. Does anyone know where I might locate one (Styrax Obassia/Large Leafed Japanese Snowbell specifically) in Ontario? if not, can you pls let me know the best tome to harvest the seeds so i can try to grow one for myself? Many thanks, Lisa O, Ancaster, Ontario, Canada....See Moremiscel
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
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3 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agomiscel
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3 years agotsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
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3 years ago
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