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Home My WebLink AboutThe 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 Don't let your dream become a nightmare 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. CAAIADIAAIA Professional Turf Tractor , THE ARTICULATOR • 12 H.P. engine — 1/C • 5 Speed Transmission • Power Shut-off • 2 Year Warranty • Front Mounted Mower • Cuts your grass before you drive over It ‘3495. LESS *200. REBATE ’3295 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 We Also have Canadiana ... starting at *185. Riding Mowers and Tractors .. starting at $ 1700. Push Mowers • We accept trades Give Us A Call • We service all the units we sell and more > HANK'S SMALL ENGINES SALES AND SERVICE F "Our service and experience make a difference” 523-9202 Hwy. No. 4, LONDESBORO, ONTARIO 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. tm ciaMixiaos are wall-to-wall values! X^Call Now for Spring w WEED CONTROL j You'll wonder where the yellow went!<"^*® CALL THE DANDI-LINE... BUT... ’ YOU'LL THINK IT'S MAGIC THE WAY WE CLEAN UP AND BEAUTIFY YOUR LAWN! I ■ WE GUARANTEE RESULTS Get great grass from WE'RE NOT MAGICIANS