Live Long Naturally ©2012

Volunteering at the L.A. Arboretum has opened up a whole new world for me – it has taught me to think outside the box and the bin. In learning to garden by way of permaculture, I went back and forth on how to build my own compost pile. In waiting for everything to be just right, I decided to just start piling on the ground. Wouldn’t you know, before long… I had my very own compost. No fancy bins, nothing! Here’s what worked for me:

I picked a site near the garden. A site near the kitchen and under the branches of a deciduous tree work well according to some gardeners. I just happened to start mine very near an orange tree. “They” say to alternate between brown and green ingredients for the ideal carbon/nitrogen balance. I didn’t so much alternate –  for brown ingredients… I’ve used straw, grass clippings, dead and broken tree branches, and lots of kitchen scraps. I’ve been told no potatoes or citrus, though, I’ve used the later simply because the citrus trees want it. A textbook of mine suggests layering 3” of straw, 1” to 6” moist green material, then a 1” layer of soil and repeat to 3-4 feet in height. The thickness of green material is dependent on the density of material. Loose open material, such as green bean vines or tomato stems can be applied thicker. Kitchen scraps and grass clippings are denser and can be applied thinner. The microorganisms in the soil help decompose organic matter.

Technical aspect aside – I merely toss my compost ingredients, mix thoroughly, and water almost daily. Pile sits atop the ground, so soil automatically gets mixed in. The soil underneath is where I scoop out my wonderfully smelling decomposed matter. It takes much less time than most people and/or textbooks state. However, temperature does play a role.

Happy composting!

“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.” ~~ Mohandas K. Gandhi~~

A positive effect of the  less than optimal economy has been Gardens and Recession Diets. Whether planting your own garden, being a part of a community garden, or buying from a Farmers’ Market or a CSA… REAL food can help keep you lean, clean, green, not to mention surviving & thriving! It can in fact help with finding your passion and purpose. Freeing the body of toxic waste frees the mind of toxic thoughts and vice versa. ”Forgetting ourselves” becomes unfortunately easier when the diet consists of cooked, processed, and/or fake food with labels.

Gardening will not only lower your grocery bill and whittle the waist,  it will add years to your life and life to your years! Think you don’t have a place to garden? Pots, wheelbarrows, and even lil red wagons serve quite well as a place to grow your own food. The beauty of growing in small moveable objects is you can follow the sun.

Consider giving your thumbs a try at gardening, you’ll be glad you did! Saving your seeds and or buying organic seeds or seedlings can feed you and your family for days and decades to come!

Imagine a world where you look and feel your best everyday? (instead of waiting for a special occasion). Where colds and flu’s are a thing of the past! And disease, what’s that? Where you take better care of your body, than you do your vehicle? Where you shop the outer walls of the grocery store and the Farmer’s Markets? Or better yet, grow your own garden… where the only thing ‘fast’ about your food is that it’s fresh and in it’s raw form? Where using a microwave is a thing of the past?  There’s not a whole lot DEAD-ER than nuked food! If you are what you eat, wouldn’t you want to look and feel ALIVE?

Why not age gracefully (inside and out) the way nature intended!  This is the simple solution to Health Reform… Healthy Eating Reform… its easier than you think! It will help you live long naturally and look and feel like a million bucks. Not to mention SAVE a million BUCK$!

Aren’t you and your loved ones worth it?