

[These little cucumber sprouts were seeds just a week ago!]

The weather is warming up, and it’s about the right time to start planting your spring garden! Whether you’re living in an apartment with just a little bit of window or patio space or a house with a yard, you can still grow some of your own food to save a little cash and reduce your food miles. Rather than spend money all season on expensive (and often petroleum-derived) fertilizer, why not get yourself a worm bin, and make your own nutrient-rich compost?

If you have a lot of yard space, you can build yourself a full-sized compost bin. Vermicomposting, compost bins where worms do the work breaking down the organic matter, are great for folks with a less space, but you homeowners can benefit from a worm bin, too! Worm castings are super-nutritious, and worm bins yeild good compost relatively quickly. The bins are easy to make yourself, and you can even divert some waste from the landfill while you’re at it! Bonus points if you rescue discarded plastic tubs, rather than buying new ones. Check out this awesome step-by-step video on getting your worm bin together:



[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/WxhEQEA0GN8&hl=en&fs=1]

You might check Craigslist or Freecycle for some bins that you can use.

If even the worm bins would take up too much space in your pad, you might look into a bokashi compost bin instead. Bokashi uses microorganisms to break down food waste. The mixture can be a bit pricey, but it’s another situation where you can use your DIY skills to save some cash. Check out this video on making your own bulk bokashi!

Composting is a great way to help fight global warming. When food scraps go to the landfill they break down and let off methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.

Are you planning to get your spring garden going? What sorts of things are you planting?