| To make next year's vegetable garden even | | | | These tumbler-type bins really speed up the |
| better than this year we have a few chores to | | | | composting time and as an added bonus they |
| do in the fall. If you take care of things at the | | | | keep the smells inside. |
| end of the growing season, you'll have less | | | | The worst way of getting rid of garden |
| disease to worry about and starting off next | | | | vegetation is to bag it up and place it at the curb |
| year will be easier. When the tomato plants stop | | | | for trash pickup. Does that stuff in the bag go |
| flowering and when their foliage turns brown, | | | | into a landfill? What a waste of time and effort, |
| they're done. This is the time to harvest the last | | | | not to mention petroleum products in the bags |
| tomatoes and dig out the dying plants. Hopefully, | | | | and to fuel the trash pickup truck. Why waste all |
| all your hard work paid off in abundant and tasty | | | | those good nutrients? With all the money spent |
| fruits. But what do you do with the leftover plant | | | | on plastic trash bags and trash pickup fees, one |
| parts? | | | | could easily save up for a compost bin. |
| The old foliage and bad fruits can be burned, | | | | Compost has been called black gold because it is |
| especially if disease is suspected. Do your | | | | so valuable to the vegetable plants in your garden. |
| tomatoes have an off-color? Maybe they're black | | | | If you haven't tried composting your vegetable |
| or just spotted with black. Are they rotting on | | | | garden wastes, please give it a try. You'll be |
| the vine? Do the leaves have a mottled look or | | | | surprised at the results and you'll be helping to |
| are they spotted with brown or black dots? In | | | | reduce your dependence on petroleum, too. Once |
| any case burning the old foliage from your garden | | | | you set up a composting system you can use it |
| at the end of the growing season is one remedy | | | | all season long to take care of kitchen scraps, |
| for starting disease-free in the spring. Viruses and | | | | plant trimmings, yard waste and leftovers from |
| bacteria and all kinds of blight problems can be | | | | the garden. |
| taken care of by burning the dying vegetation. | | | | Be kind to the environment by composting your |
| Of course, some neighborhoods won't allow | | | | garden wastes. Instead of putting those excess |
| burning and sometimes it's just not practical, so | | | | nutrients in a landfill where they will likely never be |
| instead try composting. Compost temperatures | | | | useful again, help nature out by recycling those old |
| can get high enough to kill disease-causing bugs. | | | | plants into compost. Blending compost into your |
| Many closed system compost bins are available | | | | garden soil will add nutrients and boost the fertility |
| on the market in case you don't have room for a | | | | of your soil for next year's garden. |
| great pile of decaying leaves and garden wastes. | | | | |