Cedar Compost System Joins Magnificent Urban Homestead

Anne Carter Smith’s property nestles alongside the fairway of Charlotte Country Club like a Southern Belle with a trackside view of the Kentucky Derby.

A massive hedgerow along the front of the property creates the impression of a dreamy, private wonderland, while out back, oak trees old enough to recall golfers stroll by in knickers, shade their home from hot afternoons.

To the right of the house, sits a delightful organic garden complete with pea gravel pathways, and  a painted wood fence. A tree laden with plump brown figs sits just outside one of the garden’s three ornamental gates, while one of the city's most magnificent chicken coops lies just a stone’s throw down a gravel pathway.

In fact, the property had just about everything the family of homesteaders needed except a place to put all those garden trimmings, dry leaves, grass clippings, used coop bedding, coffee grinds, and apple cores.  Of course, composting in a backyard setting is really just a controlled version of the same decomposition process that happens naturally in any forest, and a simple pile of material in a corner of the garden could have done the job.

Anne Carter Smith's Cedar Compost System from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

But the magnificent landscape had set the bar very high, and the situation called for an elegant, sturdy compost system design that could process a large amount of material while enhancing the property's visual appeal at the same time.

Our two-bin cedar compost station fit the bill, and we placed it alongside a gravel pathway, just behind the family’s organic garden. This location will mean easy access with a wheelbarrow, and a short trip to and from the garden. The compost station measures 8’ long, 4’ wide, and 4’ high, and the system is divided evenly into two compartments so that compost piles can be staggered. This will create a more consistent supply of premium homemade compost for their garden.

A simple design of slats drop into grooves at the front of each bin, providing both a strong system of keeping heavy piles of material in place and an uncomplicated way to access finished compost. The 64 cubic feet of volume in each bin allows for a pile with enough mass to help accelerate the decomposition process, while still small enough to be turned with a hand tool.

Interested in a one, two, or three bin cedar compost system for your own urban homestead? CLICK HERE or write us at hello@microfarmgardens.com to get started!

Companion Planting, Mushroom Cultivation and Vertical Gardening Segments on Charlotte Today

Cultivating Gourmet Mushrooms from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Companion Planting from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Vertical Gardening from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

Threaded Fasteners for Outdoor Projects

Choosing the right fastener for your outdoor project can mean the difference between an attractive looking enhancement to your property and a rickety, rusty eyesore….or worse , a dangerous liability. While hand driven nails once reigned as the fastener of choice for outdoor structure, and the unmistakable pop of the pneumatic nail gun can still be heard on construction sites everywhere, the selection of premium quality threaded exterior bolts and screws available to the outdoor builder make it possible to not only build much stronger, but also more attractive structures.

While nails are fine for securing smaller pieces of wood to a structure, threaded fasteners offer much greater strength, are easy to install without damaging the wood surface and remove or adjust if needed.  Galvanized fasteners, which have been hot dipped in molten zinc, and stainless steel fasteners offer the most corrosion resistance from weather and the naturally alkaline chemicals present in rot resistant wood species like red cedar. While all metal exposed to the elements will eventually rust or corrode, investing in these premium grade fasteners will reduce the amount of streaking and staining of the wood over time. 

Lag Screws

These threaded fasteners are used along with a washer to join large structural pieces of lumber like a post to beam on a pergola, for example. Common sizes for outdoor projects are 5/16”, 3/8” and ½”, which represents the thickness of the shank, not the head. Pre-drill the hole with a bit one size smaller than the shank, and drive it in with a socket wrench.

Carriage  Bolt  

Like lag screws, carriage bolts are also used to create a strong face to face joint between structural lumber, like posts and rails on a fence. The design features a plain oval head that doesn’t require the use of a washer between the bolt's head and the wood. Carriage bolts have a square shoulder that digs into the wood when tightening, preventing slippage, and are fastened by a washer and nut secured to the threaded end that typically protrudes about an inch on the opposite side of the second structural piece.

Common shank sizes are 5/16”, 3’8”, and ½”, and a hole matching the size of the shank must first be drilled completely through the two pieces of lumber. Use a hammer to drive the bolt completely through both pieces of wood, sinking the square shoulder so that the oval head sits flush with the outer piece of wood. Place the washer and nut over the protruding portion of the bolt on the opposite side, then tighten the nut with a ratchet.

Timber Lok

These high strength steel fasteners claim to be stronger than a 3/8” lag screw, and while that's up up for debate, there’s no question that Timber Lok fasteners are really strong and easy to work with. While they’re designed to drive right into pressure treated landscape timbers, we’ve found that when working with red cedar, a pilot hole must first be drilled. The built in washer helps the screw create a very solid joint, and this is our go to fastener for making the 4x4 Cedar Timbers raised bed design, or in structural applications like securing a greenhouse wall to a timber base, for example.

Deck Screws

While they take a little longer to install than using a nail gun, exterior screws create a much stronger connection, and are easy to remove if a structure ever needs to be taken apart and moved, repaired, etc. 

Using exterior screws instead of nails to fasten boards to a structure also means there won’t be any marks left on the project by hammer blows, and the lightweight, battery powered drill & driver sets on the market make installation almost as fast as a hammer and nails. Polymer coated designs are made to drive in easy and resist corrosion even in cedar and redwood, while stainless steel is the pinnacle of rust resistant outdoor durability. 

Roofing Screws

Whether securing metal roof panels to a chicken coop, or polycarbonate glazing to a greenhouse, special wood screws that include a rubber washer are needed to create a watertight seal and prevent leaks. Typically the roofing or siding manufacturer will offer screws designed to be used along with their roofing and siding products.

Poultry Net Staples

Nothing like what’s in the stapler on your desk, these ¾” hot dip galvanized fasteners are ideal for securely fastening hardware cloth to chicken coops or wildlife barrier fencing. For most projects, space poultry net staples about 6-8” apart, and a simple 16oz hammer will do the job. Always remember to wear safety glasses when hammering poultry net staples, or hammering anything for that matter.

You Say Squash, I Say Pumpkin

Is it a pumpkin or winter squash?  Consider your response carefully, because depending on which corner of the world you call home, your choice of words might describe an orange colored fruit of the finest texture prized for both beauty and flavor, perfect fried, boiled, roasted or baked, or for all manner of soups, cakes, puddings.

Or it could be a disdainful reference to a lowly vine grown for cattle fodder.

Adding to the confusion are the prefixes ‘summer’ and ‘winter’, which, when paired with the term squash, do not actually refer to the season in which the plant is grown, but are simply terms which along with depictions of size and shape, are used to describe a particular variety.

While they do vary widely in appearance and certainly uses, summer squash, winter squash and pumpkin  are all closely related cultivars from the genus Cucurbita , including C. moschata , C. pepo , and C. ficifolia , all three of which originate in Central America, and C. maxima , which comes from South America.

C. moschata has been in cultivation for over 5500 years, and includes varieties we would likely describe as both winter squash and pumpkin here in the United States. C. moscata varieties have sweet flavored flesh which is eaten raw, or prepared in pies, cakes, etc.  Included in this group are popular varieties including ‘Waltham’ butternut squash, ‘Pawpaw’ pumpkin, and ‘Tahitian Melon Squash’.  Though bush types do exist, most cultivars from this group grow as a long trailing vine with large leaves.

C. pepo  can take much of the blame for all the confusion in terminology. This group includes popular ‘summer squash’ cultivars that are normally harvested when the fruits are immature like ‘Yellow Crookneck’, and various zucchini and scallop squash types like ‘Costata Romanesco’ and ‘Golden Bush Scallop’.

But also within the C.pepo group are ‘winter squash’ varieties including acorn types like ‘Table Queen’ , as well as turban shaped varieties including ‘Buttercup’,  and ‘Delicata’ – the sweet potato squash.

For those Interested in growing the family’s  jack-o-lantern or a jaw dropping 600 lb. pumpkin, C.maxima  includes the cultivars that we think of as pumpkins here in the US. Varieties from this group, like the monster ‘Atlantic Giant’, grow as vigorous trailer-climber vines with huge round leaves.

While the variety of names may confuse, cultivation of Cucurbita varieties is the same whether you’re growing a giant pumpkin or patty pan squash. Some bush types can be grown in areas with short seasons, but the majority of Cucurbita  cultivars grow as long, trailing vines which require 4-5 months of warm weather. A sunny location, warm fertile soil enriched with compost, and plenty of water are the basic requirements, and planting  seeds or seedlings in hills that are about 2’ in diameter and 12” high improves drainage and helps prevent moisture related problems.  To maximize space in the typical backyard garden, vines can be trained to climb on structures like fences, sheds, pergolas, etc. It’s tough to weed once Cucurbita varieties get established and quickly cover a large area, so it’s helpful to place a layer of mulch around the area before the plant really takes off. Watering established vine canopies in the morning is always preferable to evening watering as the sun will quickly dry the leaves, which are prone to mildew.  

Cucurbita plants have both male and female flowers, and a swollen ovary beneath the petals clearly distinguishes the female flower.  While pollination is normally carried out by insects, it can also be done by hand. Simply cut off a male flower, and transfer some of the pollen into the top of the protruding stigma in the center of the female flower.

Charming, Functional, and Sturdy : Charlotte Country Day School's 8'x12' Greenhouse

Charlotte Country Day School science teacher Taryn Page’s organic gardening program is impressive.  Rows of irrigated raised beds are thoughtfully placed like a feng shui  army formation, with plenty of space for students to navigate between them. The garden sits in an open space, unfettered by overhanging trees, and reels in hours and hours of direct sunlight even in the winter months.  Compost tumblers wait patiently nearby, ready to receive garden waste, while a hutch keeps careful watch over  the garden program’s shovels, hoes and rakes.

Yet, despite the well planned garden and sunny location, the Country Day School’s garden program was still confined to the frost free growing season between spring and fall.  

Charlotte Country Day School's 8'x12' Greenhouse _ exterior from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

A greenhouse was the answer, of course, but Taryn had more options to sort through than Baker Creek’s Heirloom Seed Catalog.

It doesn’t take long to see that the market is loaded with greenhouse options ranging from inexpensive kits framed with plastic or aluminum frames and covered with thin plastic glazing, to heavier gauge aluminum and steel, or wood frames glazed with high performance multi pane polycarbonate or glass.

Charlotte Country Day's 8'x12' Greenhouse _ Interior from Microfarm Organic Gardens on Vimeo.

While their low price points will grab the attention of many gardeners, many prefabricated greenhouse kits are notoriously flimsy, and often rack or even collapse under even modest wind, snow, and ice loads.

And while no one could deny the beauty and elegance of a high end hobby greenhouse placed on a stone knee wall, and loaded with high performance options like triple paned, low E glass, evaporative cooling, gas heat,  an automatic misting system, supplemental lighting, and double doors at each end, these come with a price tag that can rival that of a well  equipped BMW, and  well outside the allowance that Country Day dedicated for this project.

So with budget considerations, and more importantly the safety of dozens of young gardeners in mind, Taryn quickly whittled down the options.

Ultimately she selected a classic, sturdy gable greenhouse design made by Microfarm Organic Gardens, with durable red cedar lumber and shatter-resistant polycarbonate glazing. The Country Day School greenhouse measures 8’x12’ and about 9’ high at the peak.  

The structure was framed with red cedar 2x4 lumber, and studs and rafters are spaced 24” on center to ensure the greenhouse can support  the heaviest wind, snow and ice loads, or even the weight of a person maneuvering along the roof for maintenance.  

The red cedar framework was securely fastened to a level base made with 4”x4” red cedar timbers, and the greenhouse floor was filled with #67 gravel, which provides both good drainage and traction.  

The Charlotte Country Day School greenhouse was glazed with 6mm twin wall polycarbonate material, which has much better insulation value than single pane glass or polycarbonate, and features a special UV protective coating on the exterior.  Polycarbonate is nearly indestructible, and will not shatter like glass, and unlike acrylic or plexiglass, polycarbonate will not turn cloudy or hazy over time. The material even comes with a 10 year performance guarantee from the manufacturer,  Charlotte based Polygal.

In order to help Taryn maintain an optimum grow environment with good air exchange, two manually operated roof vent windows were placed on each side of the greenhouse.

Interested in a similar greenhouse, or perhaps a smaller or larger version for your home or organization? Microfarm will happily build this gable design to any size specifications - as small as 8’x8’, and up to 12’ x’24’.

CLICK HERE to schedule a consultation, or simply email hello@microfarmgardens.com