14 S  By Cody Kennedy ou’ve just cooked a hearty breakfast full of vegetables, maybe a pot of coffee and a frittata. Now, you’ve got veggie skins, coffee grounds, egg shells and banana peels – but before you get ready to toss it all, you stop and think, “I could use those in my garden this spring.” We spoke with Adam Lovill, whose family runs Manor Earth Composting Club in the neighborhood, to get the low down on composting, gardening and re- growing veggies in your backyard. To start, we first must understand the method. Composting is a decomposition process that creates soil. By combining organic materials, water and air at the right ratios, gardeners can accelerate the decomposition of organic materials until they make a nutrient- and microbial-rich soil. When looking at the pros and cons of composting – well – there aren’t many cons, according to Lovill. He cites three “big” reasons why composting is beneficial: They keep organic material out of landfills which produce harmful methane gasses; they turn food scraps into nutrient-rich soil, and composting increases people’s awareness of things like food waste and climate change. Looking to start composting this year? Manor Earth can help! Keep those scraps Y TIPS & TRICKS FROM MANOR EARTH Collect as many leaves as you can during the winter months. In the summer, dried leaves can be tough to come across, so it’s good to have a collection. You want a rough ratio of 2-3 parts brown material (like leaves or shredded newspaper) to 1-part food scraps. If the material is not breaking down, it may need to be turned, or more water added. If it smells funky, add more leaves. The most important thing is to get in there and just start doing it. Composting is about making adjustments. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU USE? • Used tea • Coffee grounds • Grass and green plant cuttings • Weeds (without seeds) and old flowers • Straw, paper and cardboard • Sawdust from untreated wood WHEN TO PLANT YOUR GARDEN = Seed = Transplant = Transplant FRUIT, VEGETABLE, HERB TIME TO HARVEST MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT ARTICHOKES 6-8 months BASIL T: 30 days S: 60-75 days BEANS, PINTO 60-90 days BEANS, SNAP 60-90 days BEETS 60-80 days BLACKEYED PEAS 90-120 days BOK CHOY 45 days BROCCOLI T: 90-100 days S: 120-130 days BRUSSELS SPROUTS T: 100-120 days S: 130-150 days CABBAGE T: 80-90 days S: 120-130 days CARROTS 60-100 days CAULIFLOWER T: 90-100 days S: 120-130 days CELERY 120-150 days CHARD 60-90 days COLLARD GREENS 80 days CORN, SWEET 70-90 days CUCUMBERS 60-90 days CUCUMBERS, ARMENIAN 55 days ENDIVE 80-120 days MELONS, CANTALOUPE 80-120 days KALE 60-90 days LETTUCE, HEAD 50-100 days LETTUCE, LEAF 50-90 days LEAK 180-200 days MUSTARD 35-45 days OKRA 70-100 days ONIONS, GREEN 90-100 days PARSNIPS 100-120 days PEAS 60-120 days PEPPERS 90-120 days SWEET POTATOES 120-160 days PUMPKINS 90-120 days RADISHES 40-60 days RUTABAGAS 100-120 days SPINACH 40-90 days SQUASH, SUMMER 60-90 days SQUASH, WINTER 90-120 days SUNFLOWER 90-110 days TOMATOES 50-120 days TURNIPS 90-120 days

15 What’s beautiful about the process is that every vegetable works well for composting. Lovill explained that if a vegetable was growing from the earth at some point, it’s okay to compost. “There are lots of different vegetables that are good for re-growing. Our favorite is sweet potatoes. You cut them into two to three-inch sections and plan them directly into the dirt. They are a ‘nitrogen fixer,’ so they function like organic fertilizer while they are growing. It’s a win-win,” Lovill said. Other veggies to consider are garlic cloves and the base of a celery stalk – garlic can be planted directly into the soil to re-grow. Other veggies benefit from soaking in water indoors for several days to stimulate growth and then can be transferred into a garden. And – a common thing gardeners might do – save your seeds! “One thing to consider is getting a second use out of vegetable scraps. Our favorite hack is to put vegetable scraps like onions, peppers, carrots and celery in the freezer. Once we have enough, we’ll boil those scraps in water and make our homemade broth. In the summer, use discarded ears of corn to make a delicious corn broth,” Lovill said. So, what kind of tools does one need to compost or garden properly? Lovill said composting can happen with a small portion of land and a shovel. More advanced composting would use a compost bin, pitchfork and compost thermometer. “The cool thing is that’s mostly all you need to garden, too. You’d probably want a pair of pruning shears to harvest your garden, but that’s about it for basic tools,” he said. “The ideal compost pile needs around nine square feet. With a little research and a little space, anyone can and should be composting!” There’s also the sustainability factor. Lovill explained that when people throw food scraps away, they go to landfills, decompose over dozens or hundreds of years, and produce harmful gasses. With composting, those food scraps can turn into fertile soil in as little as 90 days. If you’re curious to know how Manor Earth Composting Club has been doing since we wrote about them in the August 2022 edition, the answer is: they’re thriving. “Elliot and Weston have been great at driving sustainability awareness and providing services to our community. We had a pumpkin smashing party last fall where the neighborhood kids got to smash the neighborhood’s pumpkins after Halloween, and we then composted them,” Lovill said. “We’ve diverted over 1,000 pounds of food waste from landfills since starting. The kids are doing an incredible job with their business.” The Lovill family hopes to inspire others to make changes in their lives that are environmentally and sustainably focused. When it comes to composting and re-growing veggies – like most things – the best way to learn is just to give it a try. Instagram @_themanorearth CALL US TO BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME SPRAYNET.COM 480.508.9780 CALL US TO BEAUTIFY YOUR HOME SPRAYNET.COM 480.508.9780 There’s pain ing. There’s replacing. 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