Winter Square Foot Garden 2013

I was so excited to have built my first Square Foot Garden based on my raised bed plans that I wanted to put it to use right away by trying to grow a winter vegetable garden.

For the soil I went the easy route and purchased bags of Mel's Mix from Home Depot. It seemed pretty good. The soil is light and friable. Just handling the bag you can tell it's good because it's loose and not clumpy and solid feeling like other soil mix bags. It wasn't screened very well and I did see some small twigs and stems but it was better than some other organic potting mixes I've purchased in the past. From what I understand it's manufactured by different companies based on the region according to specs so quality may vary across the country. It wasn't too much more than buying individual components but saved me the work of mixing it myself. It took 6 bags to fill my 3' x 4' raised bed but it settled about an inch after a couple of weeks. Next spring I'll top it off with some of my own compost.

I planted late, I've never done this before and I'm not quite sure what I'm doing yet so I don't have the highest expectations but it should be fun to try. Here's some info on how I'm protecting the plants from frost and what I planted.

Ryobi 24v Li-Ion Cordless Edger Review

I started using the Ryobi 24-Volt Cordless Stick Edger (model RY24310) this year and I've been completely blown away by how well it works and decided it's about time I posted my review here. I've used it practically every time I've mowed and it has become one of my favorite lawn power tools.

This came as a big surprise to me as I really expected it to be horrible. With only a 24V battery I didn't expect much from it. Boy was I wrong!

I received the RY24310 from Home Depot in order to provide feedback on it. If it wasn't for that, I never would have even thought to buy it thinking it wouldn't be that good. I just didn't think it would have enough power to do as good a job as the Black & Decker LE750 Edge Hog corded electric edger I've been using.

To be fair... It's not as powerful but it is powerful enough that I haven't used the LE750 at all this year. Understanding the power limitations of it helps. I have some tips for using it to get the most out of your RY24310 edger.

How To Turn Compost In A Geobin

There are a couple of different ways I aerate the compost in the Geobin Composter. One is more labor intensive and I only do it once a year. The other is easier and I do it more regularly throughout the year. I'll go over both methods.

I could probably compost a little better. I'm not sure if what I'm doing is right but this is what I do and this is the method that works for me. It's a somewhat hybrid of active and passive composting.

In the spring I empty out the compost from the Geobin and spread it around the garden beds. With the Geobin empty, I also make it smaller since there isn't much material to compost and I want to conserve space.