Landscaping Portland, Salem, Eugene Oregon | DeSantis Landscapes

If you are interested in the magical process of turning food waste into natures’ gold, try vermi-composting. This is a great project for kids and yields awesome results for plants.

The “sciencey” part:

Worms do not actually eat food as much as they eat the bacteria that breaks down the food. They do injest the food to process the bacteria and in the process, the food is broken down into just the right size for good soil and meanwhile the enzymes in the gut of the worm provide the magic we are looking for with  our plants.

Quick  DIY worm bin:

To start you’ll need:

Two plastic totes (with one lid)

Drill with 3/8 bit (or so)

A few pounds of cardboard torn up

A pound of fresh vegetable scraps.

A pound of red wrigglers (eisenia fetida) Garden leaves (optional)

Drill 20-30 holes at the bottom of one of the totes.

Put the “holey” tote inside the other one.

Place your cardboard in the bottom of the “holey” tote and wet down the card board enough so that it is mushy. This may be best done in a sink or bucket of water first.

Place the worms in a pile on the cardboard and the food on top of the worms.

Then either place another batch of cardboard or leaves on top.

THATS IT! Wait for about 60 days, feeding only once in a while (once a week perhaps) but don’t allow the food to be fully processed before adding more, this will cause a crash and boom cycle. Once the worms have laid cocoons and the babies are born in your bin, you will start to see the food turn into castings much more quickly. The new worms will be almost 80% more efficient at consuming the scraps from your bin compared to the transplanted worms.

Once all the food is consumed and has turned black and sticky, not gooey, then put another “holey” tote on top of the first one. Make sure the new tote has full contact with the old material so the worms can crawl up to find your next source of food in the new tote.

~Walker Leiser

Sustainable Landscape Consultant

DeSantis Landscapes

In the wide wild world of gardening, one active subject that still seems to mystify me is pruning.  I’ve received the credentials as a Certified Horticulturist, a Master Gardener and have worked extensively in the field of gardening doing back breaking jobs for over ten years.  However, pruning is still one of those tasks that I find myself researching every season.  Indeed, pruning is a skill, but Nature has a way of reflecting our skill level through plant performance over the coming seasons…that is, if the plant survives.  A little known fact is that bad pruning accounts for 80 percent of work done by both professionals and homeowners.  It is not to say that we should be disheartened or discouraged to prune, but perhaps be more willing to incur greater patience with Nature.  Nature has her own laws and we are much more successful when her laws for life are obeyed.  Each plant is a living breathing thing that serves its own purpose that is way beyond our knowledge and understanding.  To many, a plant is just a plant.  To Nature, plants are an integral part of life that has purpose that extends beyond our vision.  Plants feed creatures of all types and in many ways.  They help birds, insects, the soil food web and all of the millions of living organisms that work diligently year round beneath our feet.  In the secret life of plants, there is much more than meets the eye.

There are countless books, videos and instructors who lend guidance to good pruning practices.  It is true that not all plants should be treated the same or pruned in the same way.  Some plants require pruning for different reasons and during different seasons.  Without proper knowledge, the end result could be the end of the plant or the beginning of an eyesore.  As stewards for life, taking time to watch, listen and learn are key tools to increase our knowledge and understanding of life’s needs.   I don’t know if I’ll ever master the art of pruning; but, as the years pass I find that I am more inclined to appreciate the mastery and art of Nature.   Writing this blog calls to mind some resounding words of wisdom:  Let nature be your guide.  There is plenty of wisdom to be gained in a garden, in nature and in daily life.  Knowledge and understanding are actions, whereas wisdom is a state of being; and wisdom is merely knowledge in action.

~Jamie Sloan

Account Manager

DeSantis Landscapes

2013