Compost Benefits (May 13th garden update)

Since 2011, I have been composting my food scraps. Every year at the beginning of Spring, I use the compost for a raised bed. In fact I have raised beds dedicated to 15+ strawberry plants. The raised beds contain 1 year of compost in each. Compost is organic, Vegan, free soil containing much more vitamins and minerals than conventional soil from Lawn & Garden stores. 

I have written other blog posts on the benefits of Compost here "Compost food scraps...and get food back for free" and "What you need to know about Compost". I will also add, if you wouldn't put animal derived foods in your Compost or toxic chemicals/materials, then we should also avoid these products in our diet (heavy metals, toxic chemicals, acid forming foods).

The most beneficial aspect of Compost is the free food it produces. For example, 100+ Tomatoes fruiting within the strawberry beds (As you can see in the pictures below).

Free food to be transplanted

Tomatoes in the strawberry bed

Strawberry ripening

Compost makes strawberries taste like candy

Pine needles are used as free mulch

I am fortunate to have come across cheap Tomato plants at Ace hardware. This allowed James and I to transplant up to  60 Tomato plants into the garden yesterday, as you can see below.
Tomorrow I will transplant the Tomatoes from the Strawberry beds (in pictures above) into Styrofoam cups. After several weeks the Tomatoes will grow large enough to transplant into the garden. I am able to grow half the Tomatoes for free, and half of them purchased-- all-in-all, a successful Tomato garden, and I will still be eating free, tasty, High Quality, nutritious food.
Below are photos of the Strawberries currently fruiting in the raised beds.

60 Tomato plants (Big Belgium, Celebrity, Rutgers, & Roma varieties)

Other tasks I have done today: directly sow 10 rows of Corn; two rows of Black-eyed peas, and one row of Lima beans. I will have several more bean varieties to plant. I also have another variety of Corn to plant. I will present pictures tomorrow or another day of the Corn and bean garden (which is placed across the road from my Grandparents). I may also transplant watermelon plants in a small portion of the Corn & bean garden.

At the beginning of May, flowers and trees are in bloom. One of my favorite trees, The Locust, is blooming out at this time of year. It is one of the most fragrant trees around my neighborhood. I have a picture of its blooms below. Also in the following picture is a Frog pond and tad pole transitioning into a Frog. We have several Frogs around the pond, and many Frogs around my Grandparent's property. It is a pleasure to coexist with other life...

Locust tree

Frog pond with many tadpoles

Transitioning into a Frog

Mentioned above, the Frog pond is intended for creating a Frog habitat. Frogs will eat the mosquitoes and other bugs around the gardens to prevent bugs from snacking on plants or me!

As always, continue to follow Vegans Living Off the Land for future Garden updates, and simply scroll down the page or click "older posts" for previous Garden updates. These updates are meant to be used as a guide, what vegetables should I grow at the beginning of April; or what vegetables need to be started indoors, etc. Explore this blog for your gardening concerns and answers!