Monday, December 21, 2015

Haciendo compost abono/ Making compost fertilizer


Escribiré primero en español, después en inglés. I will write first in Spanish, and then in English! See the English below the photos.

Dedico este blog a mi gran amigo Jonatán en la ciudad de Córdoba, Argentina. Jonatán  cultiva su jardíncito, de su proprio iniciativo, para dar comida a su familia.

Jonatán, por supuesto puedes hallar mucha información sobre compostaje en la red, pero prefiero darte informaciones más personal, de mis experiencias haciendo mi proprio compost por muchos años. Lo hago porque es abono limpio, sin sustancia química. Además, me da mucho placer hacerlo. Parece que todavía soy niña que quiere ensuciar sus manos jugando en la tierra!

Para comenzar con foto #1, se ve abono "vivo," plantas que se puede desarraigar, y despues socavar en la tierra. Hago esto después de unas estaciones, para dar de nuevo nutrientes a la tierra.

Una parte de mi composto se hace en un receptáculo de plástico. Pongo dentro malas hierbas del jardín y comida incomible de la cocina. ( Fotos #2, 3, 4, y 5)

En cuanto a las malas hierbas, es MUY IMPORTANTE recordar de no poner: plantas con semillas ni plantas con enfermedads, como fungo. Y en cuanto a la comida incomible de la cocina, no poner: carne, huesos, o cosas ya cocidas. Cáscaras de huevo son muy amadas de las lombrices. Te, café y maté también.Todo se pone en el receptáculo  grande de compost, foto #6.  La próxima etapa es girar el compostaje cada 2-3 semanas, poniendo lo de arriba en la tierra para formar el montón de nuevo. Al fondo del montón original, habrá tierra negra y fino. Esta es el compostaje bien "cocinado," o terminado, como se puede ver en foto #7. Este pongo en otro receptáculo  para continuar a "cocinar" durante los meses fríos, para usar cuando comienza la estación de cultivación. 

 El segundo tipo de composto es algo muy común en el este de los Estados Unidos: hojas! Compré seis graneros para hojas. (Foto #8) Las colecciono en el otoño, cuando caen, y las pongo en la tierra entre las plantas para impedir la salida de malas hierbas. Y, a la vez, las hojas son perfectas para nutrir la tierra. Al fondo de los graneros hay tambien compostaje de hojas que parece tierra negra y fino. (Foto #9) Este tesoro mezclo con el otro compostaje para abono "super." Produce plantas fantásticas también! (Fotos #10 y 11.) 

Pues, ya ven que soy una compostadora fanática! Pero vale la pena en cuanto al salud de la familia y el sabor de las hortalizas. Buena suerte, y buen provecho! 
Foto #1 Abono vivo.  Cover crops to replenish nutrients
Foto #2 Contenador de plástico para compost    Plastic composter 
Foto #3  Malas hierbas   Weeds
Foto #4 Receptáculo  para comida incomible de la cocina   Kitchen composter
Foto #5 Comida incomible de la cocina (se puede poner el mate!). Kitchen waste
Foto#6 Aquí se pone todo!  Put everything in here!

Foto#7 Compostaje terminado.  Finished compost

Foto #8 Graneros de hojas. Leaf bins

Foto #9 Compostaje de hojas, bien terminado.  Leaf mold.

Foto #10 Nabos!   Turnips!

Foto #11 Col rizado, o "kale"

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
I dedicate this blog to my great friend Jonatán in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, who cultivates his small garden, all on his own initiative, to give fresh vegetables to his family.

Jonatan, of course you can find a lot of information about composting on the Internet, put I prefer to give you more personalized tips from my many years of making my own compost. I do it myself because it's "clean fertilizer," without any chemicals. Also, it is great fun to make it. It seems that I'm still a little kid who wants to get her hands dirty playing in the dirt!

Starting with photo #1, you can see "cover crops," which are plants which you dig up and then bury in the soil. I plant these after a few season to return nutrients to the soil. 

One part of my compost is made in a round plastic container. I put weeds and kitchen scraps in it. (Photos #2, 3, 4, and 5)

Regarding the weeds, it's very important to remember not to put in any plants with seeds, or any plants with diseases, such as fungal infections. And when using kitchen scraps, remember to leave out bones, meat, or anything that's already been cooked. Worms love eggshells, as well as tea, coffee grounds, and mate. Everything allowable is put into the big plastic composter, photo #6.  The next step is to turn the compost pile every 2-3 weeks, putting the stuff on the top on the ground next to the original pile to form a new pile. At the bottom of the original pile, there will be fine black soil. This is "finished compost," which you can see in photo #7. I put this in another container to continue to "cook" during the cold months, in order to use it when the new planting season begins.

The second type of compost is something very commonly found in the Eastern United States: leaves! I bought six leaf bins. (Photo #8) I gather the leaves in the autumn, and put them on the ground between the newly-growing plants in the spring and summer to impede weed growth. And, at the same time, leaves are perfect soil nutrients. At the bottom of the leaf bins, there is also leaf compost that looks like fine black soil. This is leaf mold, a treasure shich I mix with the other compost to make a "super fertilizer." It produces fantastic plants!

Well, now it's obvious that I'm a compost fanatic. But it's worth it for our families' health and the taste of the vegetables. Good luck and bon apetit!






Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Re-Entry from Travel: What a Change!

A week ago I returned from a five-week trip to Argentina. During the first three weeks of the trip, I felt as if I were floating in a dreamy state of experiential bliss: observing new sights, walking and exploring endlessly, starting many conversations with strangers, and living free from schedules, to-do lists, obligations, and tyrannical self-rule, to which I have at least 50 years' worth of in-brain jail time. By the fourth week, I organized myself enough to eat vegetables, take my vitamins, and stop eating any pastries or junk food, but that's where the bossiness ended. So when my plane landed in Baltimore, I fully expected to enter the jail cell of my brain and endure the endless orders that an Organized Person gives to herself in order to Get Things Done.

There was only one thing to cause tension in my mind. My host in Cordoba, Argentina, looked at me intently, and asked "What kind of work do you intend to do when you return?" I cast about in my floaty vacation state, and couldn't come up with anything except, "Get my violin out and start practicing my scales....?" "But what kind of work?" he persisted. I just could not answer him. I knew I needed to do something, but I couldn't figure out what.

A week after my return, my usual tense self-exhortations to WORK, and to do my weekly planning and extreme day scheduling had not happened.  Although I wrote all my weekly goals in my fabulous Planner Pad, they were all relaxed and happy: rehearse Shostakovich, finish Giardinelli novel, start editing Argentina blog, start watching the video, "Sewing with Silk," etc. My daily life has been likewise relaxed. WHY???

I think it is because I am now retired. RETIRED!! Retired from the need to tightly schedule my interests around my work, to organize all my time efficiently and smartly, to push push push to accomplish accomplish accomplish. The five weeks in Argentina gave me a break in which to part ways with my weird driving nature of a working life, and have a relaxed re-entry to my new retired life.

So now I have an open and kindly-natured attitude to let ideas enter about what will happen next. There are so many possibilities! Here is a toast to being imaginative, helpful, creative, inquisitive and fun---so everyone can enjoy life along with me---and perhaps get a bit of interesting work out of me! CHEERS!