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I actually got the tower planted today. No worms for a week or two, but yellow summer and zucchini squash, green and yellow pepper plants, 4 tomato plants, cucumbers in the top, and compost in the center. This really makes me happy.
Tomorrow I will drill holes in all the planters that need it. I have lettuce, chard, and herbs already in buckets. I set up the dog kennel to act as our compost bin. We have to repurpose the things that are just sitting. 🙂
Today I bought and set up a plant stand, filled the tower, made Kombucha, and bought plants. I found that my fig tree has recovered and is loaded with baby figs. The previous owners had cut it to the ground. Steve came out both times with me when I left the house. He says he will either get better or kill himself. Ugh. I hate when he talks to me these days and all he says is “I hate Rocky Mount” or “I want to die.”
I am as in love with my house today as when I moved in. I’m going to add a few pictures and make this short and sweet today. Tomorrow I will plant my tower 😀
So I have to decide if I want to be informative or document what I actually did and the mistakes I made to get to stage two? I think I’ll show you the mistakes since this IS my blog… lol
I was going to be efficient when I got to the Lowes and bought a PVC drain pipe with 1/2 inch holes already in it. Had to go up front and buy a hacksaw so I could get the thing into lengths that would fit into my Nissan Versa. Lowes has a ‘no cut’ policy, and I had to do it myself. I’m 58, can’t get off my knees, etc. Not easy for me to maneuver my body – cutting the pipe was NOT the big deal. When I finished, I pulled out my phone and realized the worms could get out of the big holes. Crap.
I just messed up a $13 item and had to figure out something to make it work. I brought my PVC pipe and end caps home and piddled around on Amazon to look for plugs. YES! 1/2 inch black plugs were just $3.00 for 100. Pipe saved. I placed my Prime order, Saturday afternoon.
Monday morning I set my drill to charge and turned on Youtube to figure out how to run the hole saw. I have a small drill for inside that I operate, but had never used the bigger drill. My first try had my arm twisting! NO way was that right! I turned on autoplay to get some more ideas on how to use the saw. Steve wanted to help but he couldn’t get up and where he was sitting was in the dark. I got frustrated and realized he would not be helping me. GROWL… back clinch. Getting older sucks. I had the adapter stuck too far into the collar lock. Now don’t laugh at me, I do NOT know the correct terms for these things! I’m trying to prove that if I can do it, anyone can do it. lol
So opening and unfolding the new tarp was too much trouble. I’d of had to climb over the air conditioner in the bathroom floor, work my way past the boxes of kitty litter, block the kitty and the dogs from pushing past me, and reclimb my way out of the closet. I spread an old tablecloth instead. Sitting on the ottoman, drill in hand, 32-gallon trash can between my knees, I began to get it right.
Using the 3/8″ drill bit on the PVC, I made little holes up and down. I put plugs into the top 3 pre-drilled holes all around. I was reminded of the Doctor Seuss book “Put Me in the Zoo.” My pipe has spots! LOL! My can has 31 holes. Next steps are to add the trash bag, decide where to put it, and add the soil.
Other preparations are happening as well. Kitchen scraps are being collected to blend into sludge for feeding the worms. I have a big plastic Utz pork rind container for those. I am collecting coffee grounds and enjoying that part. I have a box of shredded paper that I tore up while watching TV with the hubs. I decided that the 2 1/2″ hole saw blade will be good for the other two towers I’ll be making, and I ordered it.
Right now, though, I’m making oatmeal. It’s raining and everything is on hold until I can get outside and place that can. I believe I’ll go to the Tractor Supply store for plants, just this once since I’m getting such a late start on my tower. I saw them when I was out chair shopping last weekend. Their veggie plants looked good and healthy. With that said, it’s time to share picture number ONE!
I’ve been a lazy container gardener for years. Now that we are eating more organic veggies, I’ve been doing some research about a composting vertical garden. My friend bought a hydroponic vertical garden and while I like the look of it, it didn’t feel very user-friendly and seemed to have a lot of chemicals I’d need to replace from time to time. So I decided to look at this from another angle and decided on a setup that would work for me.
After several hours of research, I chose a simple plan and went out and bought the components. I had everything I needed except a hole saw drill bit and the center, a piece of PVC piping. I’m making 3 of the vertical gardens to use the 10 ft long piece of PVC pipe I had to buy, efficiently. If you had nothing towards it’s construction, you could get your own vertical composting garden tower built for $200 or less. I estimated high for you.
So here are the supplies needed . . .
I’m really excited to get this tower started. Since I need to cut the holes in the trash can, and I’m a caregiver; I’ll be doing it on a new tarp I have, in the living room. I also have degenerative discs so I need to do this in stages to accomidate my physical issues. I am convinced I can do this myself. We shall see.
Join me on this journey? I’m making three. Oh, don’t forget – fill it with dirt, outside!
Morning Knits 