Composting- A new trend in the Green movement Part 2

Using two Containers is recommended when composting. 
(The process can take several weeks)

Materials needed:

Pitch fork

Shovel

Garden cart

Key ingredients needed:

Food, water and air

“Greens” ( grass clippings, fresh manure, fruit, vegetables, coffee grounds , tea bags, weeds, leftover fruit from garden)

“Browns”  (dry leaves, dry grass, shredded cornstalks, sawdust, straw)

The best combination of browns and greens is about 4 parts of “browns” to one part “greens” by volume.

Hot & Cold Composting

Hot composting is fast, and a well maintained compost heap can fully decompose in several weeks.

Cold composting is slower, primarily because the environment is hospitable to some of the micro bugs, but it’s hardly ideal.

Getting Started – Activators, Worms, Microorganisms

               

After you’ve built or bought a composter. You have some dry leaves and you’ll be adding green materials (lawn clippings, kitchen waste, plant scraps) all summer. To some extent, you’ll be layering these materials to provide both a balanced diet and the best mix for air and water penetration. Also if you want to try compost activators go ahead they won't hurt.

Worms can significantly improve your composting effectiveness, just as worms in the garden can improve soil tilth. My open bin compost piles have a healthy supply of worms, probably because I occasionally add a shovel full of good garden soil to my bins.

More to come next week!

www.modaainc.com

Composting- A new trend in the Green movement Part 1

Basics of Composting

• Composting is simply decomposing organic material.
• The organic material can be plant material or animal matter
• Composting is great for your garden and environmentally responsible.
• Improves soil
• Improves soil structure/texture
• Provides all essential nutrients for healthy plant growth
• Environmentally beneficial by reducing the amount of solid waste and contribution to landfills
• Reduces dependency of chemical fertilizers
• Save money on expensive fertilizers

To make compost you will need space. In or near your garden and close enough to where you can get to your waste.

You Can Do Your Composting In Two Ways:

1.       An open bin (constructed from wood, chicken wire, or recycled plastic.

Advantages of Open Bin Composting

Open bins easily collect rain water

Open bins are very convenient for adding materials

Disadvantages of Open Bin Composting

Open bins can attract pest and can be an eyesore

Open bins can become too wet, if not covered

Open bins may be more difficult to mix (more on that later)

2.       Enclosed container  (upright box or rotating drum)

Advantages of Compost Containers

Rarely attract pest, easy on the eyes

Rotating drums are usually easier to mix or turn

Rotating drums are easy to unload 

Disadvantages of Compost Containers

Enclosed containers usually require you to add water

Upright containers may be very difficult to mix or turn

This is part 1 of 4. Keep an eye out for for more to come.

www.modaainc.com

Painting & Decorating Specialty License

As many of you now know, I recently passed my C-33 (painting and decorating) license test with the C.S.L.B. It is a great addition to my current B-General Building Contracting license. We're always doing our best here at Modaa to further our education and training.

Its always good to work with licensed professionals. Keep that in mind when hiring people to work on/in your home. Here are some helpful tips when hiring any type of Contractor:

• Hire only licensed Contractors
• Check a contractor's license number at www.cslb.ca.gov or at (800) 321-CSLB (2752)
• Get references and review past work
• Get at least three bids
• Get a written contract and don't sign anything until you completely understand the terms
• Pay 10% down or $1,000, whichever is less
• Don't let payments get ahead of the work and keep records of payments
• Don't make final payment until you're satisfied with the job
• Don't pay cash
• Keep a job file of all papers related to your project
• Don't be talked into more work than you need done

Modaa Inc.

How Much Energy Are You Consuming?

You could be paying higher utility bills than your neighbors.

Find out how to improve your home's efficiency and comfort without spending tons of money. Visit Energy Savvy and take there easy survey to get your home energy report. You can also find out about federal tax credits and rebates that are available to you by zip code. Every little bit counts. If we ALL start being a little more efficient in our day to day lives we can make a difference. 

Modaa Inc.