Compost bin

We've been composting for awhile now, it's so easy, cuts down on our household waste and contributes to making great healthy soil for our vegetable garden. 

We use an old wheelie bin, cut off at the bottom and placed in a corner of the garden, it has a lid so it's not smelly and at the end of every Winter we can easily lift the whole bin off and move it to another spot around the garden.

Items that can be composted include,

Fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps

Dryer lint

shredded paper and cardboard

Egg shells

old tea bags and coffee grounds

dry leaves, and grass clippings can also be composted.

Every now and then I water the compost to keep it nice and moist and add a layer of paper, or hay.

We add worms we find around the garden and stick the pitch fork in every now and then to turn it over and help it compost down. At the beginning of Spring, I will mix this lot in with the soil in our vegetable garden.

It's so easy, minimizes house hold waste and makes for the best rich soil. Win, Win I'd say!

xx

Cuttings

I'm having trouble making plans for our huge back and front yard at our new home, there is just so much space and it's a bit overwhelming. These isn't much to work with, some very old garden beds that would need completely re-soiling if we were to keep them and a few high fire bushes which will do for now. 

I have been putting off buying plants as I'm not sure where I want everything to go yet, but today I made a bit of a start with the very sad looking hydrangea, which is hidden under another bush in the drive way. I love the hydrangea flowers and would like to add a few of the colorful bushes to our yard. 

I haven't grown anything from clippings so after a google search I was an expert in no time. I had some potting mix in the shed and a few old pots, I was a bit enthusiastic with my three pots, because I barely got two cuttings from my sad old hydrangea (it probably didn't help that Tommy attacked it with the hedge trimmers recently).

My Google search told me to trim the bottom leaves, leaving two on the top and cutting them side ways (definitely not length ways).

After potting them in some moist soil I made a little hot house for them out of some freezer bags and straws.

These two should be rooted and propagation complete in two to four weeks, If I remember to keep the soil moist.

That was easy enough (if they work), so I will have to go and raid some friends and families gardens for some more cuttings soon. I plan on grabbing a cutting from the apple tree hanging over the fence too.

Do you grow from cuttings? Any tips would be welcome.

Happy Sunday x