Archive for April, 2009

Rustic Garden Furniture

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

When most people think of Garden Furniture, what comes to mind is usually basic information that’s not particularly interesting or beneficial. But there’s a lot more to Garden Furniture than just the basics.

The charm of country living is found in the Rustic Garden Furniture. Right in the middle of Illinois is a quaint little shop that offers a huge selection of Garden Furniture that will give your home the real experience of country living. The retail shop full of rustic fencing, garden gates, arbors, gazebos, decorative outdoor accessories, planters and urns, home décor, and a large inventory of country antiques furniture that makes your patio seem real homey. The quaint little shop had one of their gazebos featured on the TV show Trading Spaces, and a rustic wrought iron chandelier that was used in Home and Garden TV on Landscape Smart. Woman’s Day Magazine also featured one of their Cast Iron Urns in a 2003 issue.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

While you are there you will enjoy the charm of country living wondering through the two acres of gardens with a pathway that leads to the little cottage. The cottage itself features indoor displays that feature rooms full of unique rustic garden settings. The cottage built in the 1900 is depicting the early American life on the farm it is a nostalgic view right in the heartland of our country. The little cottage and the gardens feature authentic 100-year-old antiques. The Rustic Garden Furniture area is unique with chairs, tables, benches, and arbors that depict early America. The area covers the Victorian period with antiques that most certainly delight anyone. This mixture of eras completes’ anyone’s garden furniture. There are those of you who we realize may not be able to come to our cottage that is why we feature many of the antique items in our catalog, which you can find online.

The gentle lands of southern Indiana feature a well-known market called Shipshewana. This marketplace located in Shipshewana, Indiana maintained by the Amish, opened every spring, and then closes in the fall. It is a real treasure to visit this area there is so much for you to find. The town starts out with many unique shops maintained by the Amish women with their very own crafts. The Rooster shop for instances have weather vanes, milk cans, and many other items that are perfect for your garden or patio. Then farther out of town is a very large field that the Amish have turned into a marketplace.
The marketplace starts with homegrown vegetables and the Amish barn offers the most delicious bar-b-q pork sandwiches you would ever want to cross your lips. Then as you keep wondering through the market place, you will find some of the most beautiful and sometimes rare pieces of garden furniture made by the Amish men. All the items are hand made by the Amish in their own little shops by their homes. The garden furniture, which is made of oak, cherry, and maple woods, honed into the beautiful tables, chairs, benches, and other remarkable items for your garden or patio. You truly should visit this place when looking for rustic and antique furniture made from prime woods.

There’s a lot to understand about Garden Furniture. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

Why Is Organic Vegetable Gardening So Important These Days

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

The following article presents the very latest information on Organic Gardening. If you have a particular interest in Organic Gardening, then this informative article is required reading.

Organic vegetable gardening seems to be the trend these days as more people have become conscious of what they are eating. This is because conventional methods which involve the use of harmful chemicals may enter our systems.

In order to control the problem, the US Department of Agriculture has issues a new directive. This encourages farmers to shift to organic farming.

With organic farming, farmers will no longer need to plant crops using genetic engineering, irradiation and sewage sludge. Instead, this will be replaced with crop rotation.

Crop rotation is the practice of planting a different crop in the same area where another crop once occupied. This keeps the soil’s nutrients fertile so it can be used again in the following season.

If you think about it, this approach is easier said than done as farmers are accustomed to the old ways of doing it. To help them change their minds, the government offers incentives and subsidies to farmers who decide to follow this plan.

But the main reason why organic vegetable gardening is so important is the fact that the crops harvested have 50% more nutrients and vitamins compared to that of conventional farming methods.

This means the food they consume will reduce the risk of people suffering from a number of diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and certain cancers.

Children who drink milk will be able to get more anti-oxidants, CLA, Omega 3 and vitamins when this is extracted from pastured grazed cows that will really strengthen their bones and muscles.

You can buy organically grown vegetables from the supermarket. The sad part is the almost everywhere you go, although the packaging comes from Department of Health, Quality Assurance International, California Certified Organic Farmers or the Oregon Tilth Farm Verified Organic, most of these are only 50% to 70% organic.

Think about what you’ve read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about Organic Gardening? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?

This is why homeowners who want to eat 100% organic vegetables are encouraged to grow these themselves.

There are two ways to make this happen. First, you buy the seedlings until they grow so you can harvest the. Second, you buy them fully grown and then just plant it into the ground.

Most people prefer the first because it makes them proud to know that what is served on the table was done from scratch.

In both cases, you have to prepare the soil, use compost and make sure that these are safe from threats such as insects, weeds and other animals that will eat what you have planted.

You can fight these with other animals, insects, organic fertilizers, deodorant soap and a few other items which you can find out after doing some research.

For those who don’t have a big garden, they can try growing these organically grown vegetables in containers. They require more water than those planted in the soil so give doses frequently.

There is no doubt that organic vegetables and other products are important these days. If you value your health and those of your family you can buy these from the store or plant it yourself.

For those who decide to buy organically grown vegetables, remember to wash before cooking them. This will remove any harmful substances or residue that may still be there which is invisible to the naked eye.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

Information on Miniature Roses

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

Miniature roses are actual roses but bred to stay small in size. Most mini roses also have smaller flowers than standard rose bushes but they come in a variety of types and colors. Miniature roses are quite hardy plants despite their small size. In fact, they are more winter hardy than most tea roses. Miniature roses also tend to be repeat bloomers which is an advantage in adding them to your gardens. Listed below are a few of the more popular miniature roses.

Climbers: Minis with a vertical growth habit and can become trained to grow against supports.

Miniflora: An American Rose Society classification for newly developed mini roses that have a slightly larger plant and bloom size than miniature roses.

Micro-Mini: Term for the smallest mini roses.

How can you put a limit on learning more? The next section may contain that one little bit of wisdom that changes everything.

Trailers: Minis with a cascading growth habit that are wonderful in baskets, window boxes and over walls.

In planting your miniature roses, you plant just like full size roses. Dig a hole the same depth as the pot the rose came in and about a foot wider. Carefully loosen the rose from the pot and remove while gently loosening the roots. If the plant seems to be tightly root bound, use a knife to slit the sides of the root ball and try again to loosen the roots. Place the rose bush in the center of the hole with roots spread out. Place soil in the hole and press firmly. Before applying a layer of mulch be sure to thoroughly water your rose bush. In feeding, regular fertilizing is necessary all season. Use general purpose fertilizer or commercial rose food and follow instructions on label. End feedings approximately six to eight weeks before first expected frost.

When watering your rose, bush the amount required depends on the local soil and weather. An inch or so of water per week should be sufficient unless there are dry spells wherein you will need to water more frequently. Water the rose bush deeply so the soil is wet a minimum of twelve to eighteen inches below the surface. Try not to wet the leaves during humid weather to omit fungal disease. Pruning is not a big issue with miniature roses. Prune before new growth starts in early spring. Just prune back around one third of the plant to maintain shape and encourage new growth.
Miniature roses are just as suspect to diseases as larger roses. Always keep an eye out for early signs of insect damage and treat quickly.

Miniature roses are great in the house too. Most are disappointed by their performance indoors and realize being roses they need lots of sun and good humidity. Most roses if given for gifts will be long lasting if transplanted outdoors. Miniature roses if properly cared for can give you years of enjoyment and bring color, fragrance and vibrancy to your yard. Whether adorning a seaside cottage trellis, adorning the stone at the Vanderbilt House or growing wildly along your fenced driveway, miniature roses are timeless and bring spectacular images to the most discriminate of gardeners.

That’s the latest from the Roses authorities. Once you’re familiar with these ideas, you’ll be ready to move to the next level.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

How Recycling Bags Helps The Environment

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Recycling. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Recycling.

You may not be aware, but in the United States, we are using bags all of the time! There are the bags we get at the grocery store, the ones we pack lunches in, the ones other retail items come in and everything that is packaged by the manufacturer. Inevitibly we could all end up, literally, buried under the pile of bags that we collect in a life time. And what a waste that would be! The good news is that most of those bags come from recycled products and with any luck, in the recycle process, will return to the start and be recycled into bags that we will use again and again.

But what should the average American consumer do when those bags start to pile up? It doesn’t take long for the pile to start to form, maybe two or three big trips to the grocery store, and you could end up with 15 or more bags per visit. What are some of the ways we can keep the build up of plastic bags to a minimum?

It there are cats in your house those left over bags from the grocery store come in handy when cleaning out the litter box. Just having the bags around when you have to touch something you really don’t want to. By having the bags, in hand, the actual touching of the item is no longer an issue and it will help with germs being passed from cat litter box to human, which can cause all kinds of illnesses.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

People can reuse the bags as lunch bags, rather than the old way of using a new “brown bag” for lunch carrying purposes. It may not seem like a great effort but each and every effort, no matter how little, is having an impact.

Another way to cut down on the recycling in the area of shopping is to have a designated bag that can be used over and over again for the groceries. Totally eliminating the need for the plastic bag is a huge step toward progress when it comes to recycling. There are companies that sell bags for this purpose and some of them are made from organic materials and even have sayings on them like, “Nothing on me is plastic,” and my personal favorite, “I’m not an old bag!” I love the companies that make bags like these because they can do it with flair. Some of the recycled bags come in a rainbow of neon colors that are, to say the least, eye catching, as well as reusable! Canvas totes can be thrown into a washing machine and will serve for many, many trips to pick up bread and milk.

The bottom line is becoming aware of what we use and how such items can be reused. No matter where you shop or what purchases you make, if, at the end of the day you’re surrounded by plastic bags, there’s always a way to get more use out of them.

That’s the latest from the Recycling authorities. Once you’re familiar with these ideas, you’ll be ready to move to the next level.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

Outdoor Play Time & Recycling

Friday, April 24th, 2009

Without a doubt the best play time is spent outside in the fresh air and in an effort to remain responsible to the environment there are a few things to keep in mind when out and about.

The best place to play is somewhere that you don’t need to fly to, take a train to, or drive to. Yeah, your own backyard is a good place but not everyone is fortunate enough to live near a national park. There are bike paths to find and trails to hike that can be found all over the place, and can be new journeys of adventure with very little effort. Check with your town or city hall, they may have little treasures all over your community that you go past everyday and are not aware that there is a walking path tucked in somewhere because you don’t take the time to walk in and explore.

Always remember when you are enjoying yourself outdoors that the other people around are trying to enjoy themselves too, so do everything possible to remember to leave the beautiful spaces as beautiful as they were when you arrived. Today, with trash cans everywhere you look, there is no excuse for leaving trash behind and that means cigarette butts, too. Take a few minutes before leaving the area you have been enjoying and be sure that all of your trash goes with you, so it won’t become a burden for the next person to deal with.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

Spending a day in a park or at a beach will greatly outweigh the alternative to watching TV and running electronics in your home, depriving yourself the added benefit of fresh air and exercise. Walking the beach will never affect your electric bill and picking up after yourself will only encourage the next person to do the same. The power to make choices about what to do with our leisure time is great and being able to choose an activity that will not impact your financial responsibilities is a wonderful freedom.

If a mode of transportation is needed to arrive at the spot you’re headed to, try to use the least pollutant-adding means possible. Riding a bike is better than driving a car, so depending on the distance that is needed to travel, make the best choices that will not add to the pollutants our air is facing. If it is a possibility, use mass transportation to get to where you need to go. A bus or a train is always better than driving, but if you have to drive, be sure to pack as many people into one vehicle as is possible. You may need to drive, but driving one car is a whole lot better than driving four of them.

Making choices to help our great outdoors is not difficult, but there is some thought involved and don’t we owe it to the planet to take the time necessary to make the choices that will benefit it, in the long run?

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

Helping Nature through Organic Gardening

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of Organic Gardening is certainly no exception.

If you are pondering about organic gardening, keep doing so. Not many people are like you who think of such causes for the benefit of nature. Nature may be smiling at you now. With the advent of all the problems with the world around us, specifically the global warming, such simple steps to ease the bigger problem is already a big leap to be carried out.

This will take a lot of hard work. So you better be prepared for it. Once you are already into the process, take time to familiarize yourself. Do not give up just because of a minor problem. Just think of it like nature is testing you how big your love for it is. So prove it worth your tears and fears regarding this type of gardening.

What makes this hard? Unlike the ordinary kind of gardening, going organic will remove from you the freedom to use just about anything that is commercially available as long as it will help you with your venture. No way. You cannot use synthetic materials on this one. Everything must be organic. It must come from nature itself. You must have done it using elements that can be found on the ground. Or you can also buy those available in the market as long as they claim to be organic.

By going organic, you’ll be able to help nature replenish its resources. Yes, you get from it all the materials that you will be needing for this task. You will get the dried leaves, the sawdust, some vegetable peels and other materials from the ground. This is also your way of cleaning your surroundings. But such materials can be used as elements in compost.

If you don’t have accurate details regarding Organic Gardening, then you might make a bad choice on the subject. Don’t let that happen: keep reading.

You can actually do your own compost by going over some books on how this can be done. You can also turn to someone who is successful with this type of gardening and ask that person for tips and tricks. You can use the result of that compost as fertilizers on your garden.

Finding a guru may serve a lot of purpose as you go along in this type of gardening. It doesn’t matter if you will just be doing so as a hobby or you will turn it into a business. So start asking around and look for that person who can further mentor you in the trade of doing the stuff that surrounds such method of gardening.

By having the aid of an expert, especially if you are only beginning on this task, you will be better at helping nature. You will know what type of plants you can grow in what type of soil. You will have a clearer view as to how the elements of the ground can contribute to the success of your project. You will know what to do in cases of trouble with regards to the growth of your plants or the emergence of pests on your garden.

Nature will really love you for the way you will only utilize organic materials for the purpose of growing green things on your garden. And you will benefit a lot in the process of organic gardening. You will be able to become a guru of this type of task. You will be able to produce organic sources of food.

And you can also turn this into a business venture once you have mastered the art and you are already harvesting more than enough.

Take time to consider the points presented above. What you learn may help you overcome your hesitation to take action.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

How To Travel And Still Recycle

Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009

There are so many ways that we can choose to stay environmentally contientious when we travel that there really is no excuse for not doing it.

Here are a few ideas for families that are traveling and still want to stay in their recycle-conscious state of mind.

Before you even leave your home there are ways that you can help save energy and waste. Turn your thermostadts down on your home and your hot water heater. Some heaters have a “Vacation” setting right on them that can be used to set the temperature when no one will be around to need the heat. Just keep in mind the plants that are left behind and as long as they will not be killed off due to the temperature change, you’re set. Be sure to turn off your outside water source, in the event that there is a pipe break while you’re away, this will minimize the damage. When you return home, turn the water back on slowly, where you will be able to be aware of any issues or leaks that may have occurred.

So far, we’ve uncovered some interesting facts about Recycling. You may decide that the following information is even more interesting.

If you are going to be away from home for a few days, stop your newspaper delivery. That way the paper won’t be left to end up in the trash receptical and waste your time when you return home, sorting through what is relavent mail and what is not. You may even want to check to see if your paper can be donated to a school or non-profit organization, where it will be used in your absence.

If you or someone else in your home sleeps on a waterbed, turn the temperature down on that while you’re away, you can go as low as a ten degree difference and it will impact your energy useage. If you have a refridgerator with the ability to make ice cubes, be sure to turn that part off by lifting the wire, and you can lessen the risk of flooding should it break while you’re away.
There are airlines that offer electronic ticketing and by using these services will cut back on the paper waste generated by the airline, on a daily basis. There are even some airlines that charge a fee if you have lost a paper ticket, so rid yourself of any of those problems by opting for the paper-less airline ticket options.

If you are heading out of town, before you leave, go around the house and unplug the items that you would normally leave plugged in, like the TV, the computer, cable converter boxes, appliances, VCRs, stereos, etc. If these items are left plugged in to the outlets they can still draw or “leak” energy, even up to 40 watts per hour, even if they have been turned off. I think this is one of the most important messages to get across before you leave for a vacation; even if your electronics are turned off, they can still cost you money if they remain plugged in. Do yourself a big favor and always be sure to check these items before walking out the door to your vacation.

So now you know a little bit about Recycling. Even if you don’t know everything, you’ve done something worthwhile: you’ve expanded your knowledge.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson, the Cheap Web Hosting Guy!

Wriggly Friends Help Make Compost

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Have you ever wondered what exactly is up with Composting? This informative report can give you an insight into everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Composting.

Have you ever heard of worm composting? I know about composting. I have a small composting pile brewing in my backyard. However, the first time I’ve heard of worm composting, I have to ask (embarrassingly I might add) twice if the person was not joking. When I got home, I searched the web and found out that those wriggly friends do help make compost. The process is interestingly different from the regular composting procedure.

Work composting or vermiculture is easy, affordable, and low-maintenance way of creating compost. It has a lot of advantages. Definitely it requires less work, just let the worms eat up all your scraps and in two months you’ll have rich compost at your disposal.

The worms used in composting are the brown-nose worms or redworms. They work best in containers and on moistened bedding. Those night crawlers or large, soil-burrowing worms are not good for composting purposes. Just stick with the redworms and things will work out well. All you need to do is add food waste to the container and soon enough the worms will eat them up and convert compost together with the bedding.

Before placing your redworms inside containers, place a nice layer of paper to serve as bedding for the worms. Any kind of paper will do, but it has been observed that the worms will consume newspapers, cardboards, paper towels and other coarse papers faster. The worms will eat this layer of bedding together with the scraps of food to convert them in compost. You can also add a bit soil on top of the paper and a few pieces of leaves. If your redworm container is located outside the house, try considering adding livestock manure on it. Redworms love them.

Fruits, grain, or vegetables are great for worm composting. The redworms can even eat egg shells, coffee grounds, and even tea bags. Avoid giving them meat, fish, oil, and other animal products. Like the traditional composting, these materials only attract pests to the composting bin and also produce bad smell.

Knowledge can give you a real advantage. To make sure you’re fully informed about Composting, keep reading.

The proportion of worms to food scraps will be based on how much scrap you like to be composted in a week. For example, if you want 1 pound of food scrap to be composted a week, all you need is also a pound of redworms. You don’t need to add redworms into the container unless you want to increase the amount of food scraps you intend to compost in a weekly basis.

For containers, keep it well ventilated to let the air in and let the excess moisture out. You can use plastic bins, and even wooden boxes for worm composting.

The time to harvest would be when the container is full. Scoop out the undigested food scraps as well as the works which are usually on the top few inches of the material. The remaining material inside the container is your compost. To remove the remaining worms from compost, you can spread the compost under the sunlight.

Leave a few small mounds of compost. As the heat dries the compost, the worms will gather in the mounds. Just be careful not to leave the compost under the sun that long or the worms will die.

Afterwards, you can place the worms in the container again and repeat the process all over. You see, this is how our wriggly friends help make compost and for those who don not mind the feeling of worms in their hands, this might be a good and easy way to make compost.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson (Click on the link to learn more about me)

Safety Tips for Lawn Mowers

Sunday, April 19th, 2009

Lawn mowers are more than just a simple tool in the household, be it the manual and basic push device or the riding and powered lawn mowers, safety tips for lawn mowers should still be a primary concern for anybody and everybody.

Nowadays, lawn mowers are a common lawn and garden care tool, but it still needs to be handled with safety as a major concern.

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that no less than 60,000 injuries are treated in hospital emergency rooms each year related to the unsafe operation of power lawn mowers.

Children under the age of 15 are more vulnerable to injury from lawn mowers and a simple guide on safe lawn mower operation will help prevent these untoward accidents from happening.

Lawn mower injuries can be devastating and it is important to never take lawn mower safety for granted.

Riding lawn mowers, the ones usually that are gasoline fuelled or powered machinery poses some of the more serious threats of injury to both adults and children.

Adults often allow young children to ride on their lap while mowing grass, which is not a safe thing to do. With young passengers riding on mowers, there is always the tendency that they could fall off the machine while it’s running.

Here are some tips for gasoline powered mowers;

Never smoke when filling the gas tank and make sure to store gasoline in a container with a CSA, FM, or UL label, especially containers that are not made for storing fuel.

See how much you can learn about Lawn Mowers when you take a little time to read a well-researched article? Don’t miss out on the rest of this great information.

Never store gasoline of large quantities in the house or fill a mower fuel tank indoors or in closed spaces.

Never attempt to store the machine near a heat source or place the machinery close to an open flame, spark source, or pilot light such as near a water heater or electrical appliances.

Do not attempt to fill fuel containers inside a vehicle or on a truck bed installed with a plastic bed liner and always place containers on the ground away from a vehicle, especially one with a running engine, before filling.

Clean up and wipe gasoline spills immediately and never attempt to start the engine with spilled gasoline around it. Move the machine away from the ground soaked with spilled gasoline and avoid igniting anything until all of the fuel has completely evaporated from the surface.

Do not fill the fuel tank beyond its required capacity or devising a supplementary tank and always make sure to replace the gas cap and tighten securely.

Never attempt to remove the gas cap or add fuel with the engine running and always allow the engine to cool before refueling.

For all types of lawn mowers, powered or not, always be sure to completely read the safety information contained in the operator’s manual.

Before getting on a riding lawn mower or turning on the engine, make sure all debris such as rocks, sticks and toys are removed from the lawn or garden since loose objects can get into the lawn mower and cause serious injury.

Riding mowers can also tip or roll over if used on slopes or steep hills, which can result in more serious injury, so always be aware of the landscape where the mower is going to be used and never try to attempt forcing the mower to maneuver inclined or uneven ground leveling.

Do not try to revise, alter or tamper safety devices and always check for proper operation on a regular basis.

It is indeed a fact that a lawn mower is much more than just a simple, everyday power tool sitting in the garage, but with extra lawn mower safety and precautionary measures, many of the serious and life-threatening injuries caused by lawn mowers can actually be prevented.

Before operating any lawn mower equipment, always take into consideration these safety tips for lawn mowers, since the lawn mower has the potential can become an extremely dangerous instrument when used carelessly or without considering the proper safety precautions.

Now you can understand why there’s a growing interest in Lawn Mowers. When people start looking for more information about Lawn Mowers, you’ll be in a position to meet their needs.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson (Click on the link to learn more about me)

The Greens and Browns of Composting

Saturday, April 18th, 2009

Imagine yourself as a chef of a fancy restaurant. To cook a delicious meal, you carefully measure the ingredients and combine them to create wonderful dishes. The same can be said when creating composts. This time, however, instead of the people in the restaurant as your customers, you will be answering the needs of your plants. And just like cooking, you are given the task of putting together in equal amounts the ?greens? and ?browns? of composting.

?Greens? and ?browns? are nicknames which are used to refer to the organic materials used in creating compost. The major differences between these two elements are not so much on the colors of the organic matter themselves but rather on their basic components. The Greens are organic materials rich in nitrogen or protein. Meanwhile, Browns are those organic matters that have high carbon or carbohydrates contents.

Because of their high nitrogen and protein contents, Greens allow micro organism in composts to grow and multiply. Also, the Green components generate heat in compost piles. The Brown elements on the other hand contain the energy that most soil organisms need. Furthermore, because of their high carbon contents, the Browns function as a big air filter, absorbing the bad odors that emanates from the compost pile. The carbons also help prevent organic nitrogen from escaping and also aids in the faster formation of humus from the compost.

In case you’re stumped whether an organic waste or material belongs to the Greens or Browns variety, one of the easiest way to test it is to wet the material. If you find the material to stink after a few days then it belongs to the Greens variety. Again, remember not to be fooled by color.

For example, although leaves come in green, brown, red, etc. colors, they are classified as Browns. Leaves are high in carbon. The evergreen leaves for example have higher carbon contents than any other leaves. However, there is always an exception. Oak tree leaves do not fall under the Greens classification. Oak leaves contain high amounts of nitrogen which makes them fall under the Greens category.

Hopefully the information presented so far has been applicable. You might also want to consider the following:

Other examples of Greens include animal wastes, grass clippings, and those left over food from your kitchen. AS long as you don’t use harmful chemicals like inorganic fertilizers and pesticides on your grass, then the use of grass clippings I is okay. Meanwhile, papers, wood chippings, sawdusts, bark mulches and other wood products are most often than not fall under the Browns classification.

Sugar products are also classified under Browns. These include molasses, syrups, sugar and carbonated drinks. You could use these sugar products to activate or increase the activities of microbes in your compost pile.

Some other Greens include vegetable and fruit wastes, eggshells, as well as coffee grounds, filters, and teabags. For the Browns, they have hay, straw, and cornstalks. Pine needles fall also under the Browns category. However, it is suggested that using too much pine needles on the compost pile will give the Browns too much of an advantage.

Once can achieve a successful compost with the correct ratio of Brown and Green components. Ideally, a ?Browns? and ?Greens? of composting ratio of 3:1 would ensure a successful compost.

This means, you will have three parts or the pile made of components high in carbon (Browns) and one part of it made up of nitrogen-rich ingredients (Greens).

Now you can be a confident expert on Composting. OK, maybe not an expert. But you should have something to bring to the table next time you join a discussion on Composting.

About the Author
By Anders Eriksson (Click on the link to learn more about me)