I hope that every one had a great weekend! And GO LAKERS!!!

Today’s Blog will be about “The Sifter”. This little garden assistant works wonders when getting soil from your compost pile. The purpose of it is pretty simple- to keep the larger particles of soil on top of the screen and allow the smaller ones to fall into your bucket or other carrying device. It is very important to have a very fine soil composition for certain vegetables like carrots which can be easily sidetracked when they grow. I have seen many a crooked carrot in my day because the gardener did not take the time to sift the soil. You can make a sifter easily and cheaply and it saves a ton of time.

How to Make “The Sifter”

I use a sheet of diamond lath (available @ The Home Depot) or any good garden supply store. They have different thicknesses of the lath, but the cheapest one (about $5.00) will work just fine. It measures 2′ x 6′ and you can just frame it out with 2 x 4 lumber in any size that you want. If you want a higher sifter, then use 2 x 6 lumber. This sheet can makes two 2′ x 3′ “sifters” if you know a friend that needs one. OR, you can just put the sheet of lath on 2 piles of dirt, put a bucket underneath the center and shovel the soil on top of the lath. Use your hands (I wear gloves as the lath is a bit sharp) and rub the soil through the “diamond” shaped holes. Now you have a fine soil that is good for germinating seeds, transplanting, or for vegetables that need a fine, sifted soil

Aloha,

Jamie