HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-05-17, Page 28PAGE 28. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 17, 1989.
Composting, killing two birds with one stone
The success of recycling of tin,
glass and newsprint in many area
municipalities has shown many
people are interested in protecting
the environment and prolonging
the life of their local landfill site as
well. Another good habit, compost
ing, can take recycling one step
further and help the home garden
as well.
Almost any family can develop a
compost pile that also offers envir
onmental advantages. Starting and
maintaining one is not complicated.
There are special attractive,
sophisticated bins made for this
purpose but really all you need is a
bottomless receptacle of boards or
chicken wire in which to collect
material.
The size of the bin will depend on
the size of yoilr garden, with an
average dimension of about 2x2
metres. It can be hidden behind
trees, at the edge of the garden, or
near an outbuilding.
One compost bin is fashioned of
heavy wire with six sides which
help support tomato plants that are
fed nutrients by the pile’s contents.
Rather than adding to a com
munity’s waste disposal burden,
composted refuse becomes valu
able fertilizer and soil conditioner.
Apply it to the garden at a rate of at
least a pailful to the square metre
each year. Mix the compost thor
oughly with the topsoil to a depth of
15 to 25 centimetres (six to 10
inches), or apply it as a mulch on
the soil surface.
Compost not only improves soil
texture, it adds beneficial micro
organisms that manufacture plant
nutrients and help fight soil diseas
es.
Frequent questions about com
post and answers:
'Does compost have any value as
a fertilizer?
Yes, if it is made from materials
that contain essential plant nutri
ents. Animal manures and green
wastes such as grass clippings and
green leaves are a source of
nitrogen; bone meal and rock
phosphate are a source of phos
phorus, and wood ashes (in limited
quanitites) are an excellent source
of potash. Compost also conditions
soil, improves the moisture
holding capacity of sandy soils and
breaks up sticky, cold clay soils.
•What materials are best for
composting?
From the house: fruit and vege
table peelings, shredded newspap
er, eggshells, coffee grounds, tea
bags, wood ashes, cotton and wool
rags. From the garden: grass
clippings, hedge trimmings,
weeds, shredded leaves, animal
manures, including poultry. Leaves
and fibrous weed roots are best
shredded with a lawn mower to
speed decomposition.
•How long does it take to make
compost?
That depends on the method
used and time of year. Warm
temperatures hasten decomposi
tion. With a compost bin, which
prevents waste materials from
drying out or becoming waterlogg
ed, it’s possible to have useful
compost within six weeks.
•Do compost heaps need turn
ing?
With an exposed compost pile
the sides have a tendency to dry out
and so turning the heap will ensure
thorough decomposition. Turning
an exposed heap also aids aeration.
With an enclosed bin, ventilation
from below and along the sides
provides adequate aeration without
the need for turning. Also, the
protection provided by a bin ex
tends fermentation to all areas of
the heap.
•Can compost feed lawns?
Yes, and the time to apply it is in
fall. Spread it evenly over lawn
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areas and during winter the com
post will work its way into the
existing soil. By spring it will be
gone, absorbed into the upper soil
surface helping the grass to grow
thick and healthy.
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You have a golden opportunity to
purchase a lovely house in the
perfect neighbourhood. Can you
afford it?
The only way to determine this is
to sit down with a piece of paper
and calculate your monthly expen
ses. You will often hear the formula
that you can afford to spend 25 per
cent to 30 per cent of your gross
(before taxes) monthly income on
mortgage payments. Like many
general guidelines, this is a bit too
broad to be useful in specific cases.
MAKE AN EXPENSE LIST
Once you have figured out how
much you can offer as a down
payment - and, hence, how much
you must borrow - you can find out
from mortgage lenders what your
monthly payment would be. Write
that down.
Then list all the monthly pay
ments you will be making as the
proud owner of a new home -
heating, electricity, city taxes,
water, repairs and so on. Talk to a
home owning friend in the same
town about how bills tend to run; if
possible, talk to the owners of your
prospective home about how much
they pay on regular bills.
Check on insurance costs for that
particuar house.
Ask the municipality about tax
es.
Amortize yearly charges over 12
months.
Make sure that the figures you
are using here are factual, not your
own estimates. There is, alas, a
tendency to be too optimistic about
these “secondary” costs which
can, in fact, amount to a very hefty
sum.
One way to cut mortgage pay
ments of course, is to make the
biggest down payment you can
afford. However, you must be
careful to have funds left over for
moving expenses - legal fees,
moving company charges, new
furniture and appliances you may
have to purchase, renovations and
so on.
You must also allow a cushion for
unexpected expenses, such as the
drain that doesn’t fit your washing
machine. You should take care not
to exhaust your savings to purchase
the house.
SCRIMPING, NOT POVERTY
Once you have calculated all
these costs, you know how much
your new house will cost you. How
does this fit into your new budget?
A new home purchase almost
always means scrimping and elimi
nating some luxuries, but do not
over-estimate your pain threshold.
Money management, psycholo
gists say, is an important source of
family tension. If you have put
yourself in a position where you
and your family are constantly
anxious about money and must
forego many pleasures in order to
live in your “dream house”, you
will bitterly regret your decision.
It is better to take a hard,
calculating look now than to make a
mistake on what is likely to be the
biggest financial deal of your
lifetime
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Tips about heating
Continued from page 27
Air conditioners may be of
different types - small individual
window type units which will cool
one room; a through the wall unit
which is larger and will cool the
wall unit which is larger and will
cool a large open space; to central
air conditioning systems which
attach to your heating system using
its duct work and fan to move the
cool air to all areas of your
property.
Last but not least we have the
heat pump. It is a heating system
which takes heat from the outside
air or heat from the ground or
ground water. It is also an air
conditioning system.
Some require a back up heating
system because they will not
provide sufficient heat at low
temperatures. They are relatively
expensive to install. They, how
ever, cost less than some other
furnaces with central air. In this
area, this heating system runs
about 10 per cent less to operate
than the best of the other systems.
There are many other questions
which I have not answered due to
space limitations.
When dealing with heating and
cooling problems or inquiries it is
my advice to contact a professional
who will be able to answer your
questions about all types of equip
ment available on the market
today. When it comes to heating or
cooling an area your options are
many.
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