Janet Chapman

Hello! I want to start composting and I am not quiet in the city but close. I can't build too large of an area so I was considering getting one of the composting bins or tumblers from a store. Although I have also been reading about worm composting. I have a back yard which if you have read my intro post I am hoping to turn into gardens with raised beds for vegetables and berries mostly. I am a single mother with 2 kids and I do work full time outside the home so time is a concern as well. Any suggestions on the best composting method for me

Thank you for the tips.

Deb, I love the Keyhole gardens, although I am not sure I could do that in my backyard. My home is in more of city/town environment and my compost is probably going to need to be more contained because of my neighbors. I may try a variation on the idea though. I do like it. My yard is a rectangle with a fence all the way around. I want to do beds along the perimeter of the fence and also use the vertical space of the fence with some of the hanging containers my daughter and I used this year. I really can't believe how well some of the plants did in the juice bottles and the amount of space that was available and I still have to use is amazing and they really didn't need all that much watering. Then I want to put beds in the bulk of the yard with paths in between.  I figure we can add beds until we feel that we have gotten to a point that we are feeling to much and then slow down for a season and the garden can grow as we get more comfortable.

Hester,

I love getting plants from cuttings or friends. We actually bought 1 strawberry plant from a locally nursery this year for my daughter to get started with and it developed so many runners that we started new plants off of I can't believe how many we have now. Also my brother in law has shared many of his plants and seeds. I am trying to find people and resources locally now. I imagine there must be clubs and organizations. While my home is in more of a city type area we are not far from a very rural area. My brother in laws property is pretty much farm country.

I loved watching my little girl plant the seeds and then the excitement when she saw the first strawberry and picked it and ate it. Also when her first cucumber was ready and she was so proud to walk around the house with it cut up on a plate and make sure everyone got some.

I am already working on my plan for next season with a list of the plants we want and companion plants for them, creating a planting calendar to remind me, and making a design for the actual beds in the back yard and trying to find resources for decent soil etc. We are also saving seeds from this years vegetables to plant next year.

Hello everyone! I am fairly new to the site, posted once before and have been doing some reading. I am also new to the area I am living in...Very Northern NY...Jefferson County NY. I have very limited gardening experience but love it. My 2 year old and I did some containers this season just to get her started with the experience and to get me back into it and experiencing the area a little. I also needed to do some serious work on the backyard this year before anything would be ready for planting.

I think next season we will be doing raised beds in the backyard. I have picked vegetables that we all eat and like to start and I have tried to limit the number so that I am not overwhelmed to start but I really do want to get a large backyard garden going in steps. My brother in law has a large property not far from us and he is an amazing resource so I do have that help. I am going with raised beds because I am not in a great area for soil so for now I think the raised beds will be best. Basically we have talked about doing away with the "lawn" in the back and just making raised beds and paths.  Also a project my daughter and I did this year that I was amazed worked as well as it did was repurposing her large juice bottles and hanging them from the fence as planters. Hot peppers and even bell peppers grew amazingly in them, I can't believe it. I would love to try some other things next season.

Is there anyone in this area or the same type climate that has any suggestions for me as a beginner. I would like to go with vegetables and some berries. I would also like to start composting. Obviously anything that keeps costs down would be awesome and I love the idea of recycling and re-purposing. I am open to suggestions on best plants, soil suggestions, even ideas for raised beds.

Also just wanted to say Hi and introduce myself. My name is Janet, I am obviously in NY and I am a single mom to a 2 yr old daughter and an 18 yr old son.

Good morning! I am new to the site and new to being very active in upcycling as well. My sister got me a subscription to Reader's Digest, to be honest, I am not sure why although I appreciate the gesture. Anyway I am trying to figure out something to do with the magazines other than throw them away. They are glossy color magazines so I can't put them in my compost (which I am also new at lol)

I use non glossy paper and cardboard in my compost and to line garden beds but really don't know what to do with the glossy stuff, any suggestions would be appreciated. I do have a big hole under my deck that I need to start filling in....I don't have an intentions on planting there obviously...would it be ok to use the glossy magazine items there? I mean I don't want to damage the environment anywhere just not exactly clear on if it is just recommended not to use it in compost since that will be used for my vegetable garden