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Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 | Author: admin

There is a lot of information out there about composting and a lot of it states that you shouldn’t use products like meats or eggshells in your compost because they would attract all sorts of unwanted animal attention and might turn your compost pile into a snacking ground for the area animals. There have been those complaining about bears being drawn to compost bins and other smaller animals as well. However, eggshells can also be a good source of nutrients for your garden, and can also have other uses, so composting them can prove to be quite beneficial if you follow a few golden rules.

The first thing you should know is that eggshells can host salmonella on their surface, and as such, if you don’t want to spread that around to your garden, it’s best to wash the eggshells before composting them. There are those who also like to put the eggshells in a tray in the oven for 20 minutes or so to make sure to kill all the bacteria, and this might not be a bad idea since the procedure would not destroy the Calcium in the shell, which is what the plants will most require out of the eggshells in the first place.

Egg shellsAnother thing you could do is to grind the shells into very small pieces. This helps in more than one way. For one thing, the smaller the eggshell bits, the quicker the break down process (and in the case of eggshells, this process will take quite a while so you want to do whatever you can to hasten it). For another, scattering the small pieces of eggshell around plants will keep slugs and other pests away from them.

Spreading the ground up eggshells onto the ground or in the areas where you feed birds or chicken can also be useful, as the birds can take back a lot of much needed nutrients from the shells. If you are going to feed them to chicken, it’s advisable to put the shells into the oven for a few minutes, as feeding the chicken raw shells might encourage them to also pick at the freshly laid eggs that are yet to be collected.

While composting eggshells can be beneficial for your plants and birds and is therefore not discouraged, it would be good to avoid composting other egg parts, as it would not only be a surefire way to attract animals to your compost pile but it would also ensure that your compost would give away a smell that you would not be thrilled to have around. All in all, if you take some precautions, there is no reason why you shouldn’t compost your eggshells.

Tuesday, July 07th, 2009 | Author: admin

worm compostingWe are living in a time where recycling and making the best use of everything, including organic wastes is of utmost importance. With the depleting natural resources, worm composting is one of the most successful steps taken in the right direction. The process of worm composting is also commonly known as ‘Vermiculture.’ Worm composting is a method of using worms to recycle food waste and other organic material into a valuable soil conditioner called worm compost.

Vermiculture is a scientific process which involves the artificial rearing of worms not only provides manure for plants but also keeps the environment healthy. The worms eat food scraps, cow-dung, farm wastes, municipal wastes, household garbage and non-toxic industrial waste and convert them to compost. The process is straightforward and can be done by with the use of simple equipments. The required materials are worm bin, worms, bedding and wastes. The worm bin is decided depending upon the kind of worms being used. Bedding requires few shredded newspapers, corrugated cardboard and leaves.

Ideally, the worms used for worm composting are Redworms as they thrive on organic wastes such as food scraps, cow-dung. Redworms, which are scientifically named as Eisenia foetida and Lumbricus rubellus ar found in aged manure and existing compost bins. The standard proportion of food waste to the amount of worms that needs to be used to form worm compost is 1:2. For every one pound of food waste used per day, two pounds of worms are required. Two pounds of worms roughly approximates to 2,000 worms. The population will increase depending upon the room to breed and the availability of food.

Part One of our Worm Q&A: What Do Worms Eat?

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in comments and we will answer them as soon as possible.

Monday, June 29th, 2009 | Author: admin

Tilted Earth Compost BinMost ecologically aware persons have learned about the benefits of compost and are having fun turning some of the organic residue of their household into nutrient for their plants. However, there are some limitations to what you can compost and many are, with good reason, careful about what they add to their compost pile. However, you might be avoiding some of the things that would work very well as compost, so here are a few of the things you had no idea you could compost.

If you have pets, you might do your compost bin a favor and feed it some of the waste your pets leave behind, such as fur, claw clippings and pet food. Be careful about composting your pets’ fecal matter though, as it’s not advisable to compost feline feces because of their high content in toxins and germs, and dog feces require special measures when composting.

Leather goods can also make for good compost bin material. If you have old leather clothing, shoes, wallets or bags that you are sure can’t be used anymore, you can try composting them. Because of the processing, it’s likely that leather will take some time to break down fully, but it really won’t take as long as you might think looking at it.

vacuum cleaner dustUnbelievable as it may sound, the dust in your vacuum bin can make for a great compost ingredient. If you think about it, the composition of dust mostly particles of dead skin, lint, and various other small pieces of organic materials, aside from a few non organic ones, for good measure. You can either get paper bags for your vacuum cleaner, which you can compost as well, or buy a vacuum cleaner which uses a bin instead of bags and just empty the bin into the compost pile.

Speaking of paper bags, paper can make for a great compost ingredient. You can use all sorts of paper in your composter, except, of course, paper that has been laminated or the kind of gift wrapping that usually comes with a thin plastic layer on top. Aside from that, you can go crazy and compost anything from cardboard boxes to old newspapers and other kinds of paper that end up building up around the house.

You can also compost cotton balls, strange as it may seem. Cotton is organic, and as such, cotton balls should have no problem breaking down in your compost pile. Just make sure to check the packaging on the cotton balls you buy, because if they are made from synthetic fibers, composting them would be useless.

As you can see, there are plenty of things you can compost that you might not have thought were up to the task. All that’s left now is for you to have fun composting.

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009 | Author: admin

Rain barrel is a very easy way to extend the benefits of a rainfall. A lot of water that is consumed goes for watering gardens and lawns. This potable water can be saved if one could use an alternate source for watering the gardens. A rain barrel is usually made from 50-gallon food drums. And an average rainfall of one fourth of an inch is sufficient to fill the 50- gallon drum using the roof and the gutter system.

The Rain Catcher Rain BarrelIf one is living in the country, main rain barrels can be installed at various places to collect rainwater and in a city, water collected from the roof can be used to water the plants and the lawn as well as reduce water bills. Apart from the monetary benefits, you will also be helping maintain the municipal water grid and hence help the environment. When you harvest the rain water you are not just saving water you are also reducing the amount of chemicals that run into the water bodies. When rainwater runs on the ground, it collects harmful chemicals like agricultural pesticides, herbicides, petro- chemicals like oil and gasoline, pollution, etc. This water then runs in the gutters and joins the rivers and lakes hence polluting them. When we harvest the rain water, we reduce the quantity of running water to some extent hence protecting the environment and erosion.

The rain water that gets into the water treatment plant is treated with chlorine and other chemicals before it is sent back to us. Therefore by using the rain barrel, we consume pure water, free of chemicals and we also reduce the work done on the water hence conserving energy. Healthy vegetables can be grown with this water. So your savings will not just be because of the reduced water bill.

The Shower Saver Rain Barrel

Plastic, food grade rain barrels are the ones you should choose. The barrels that were used to hold chemicals or wax should be avoided as the chemicals found in the residue may harm the plants and the environment.

Some simple tips can be followed to make the best of the rain barrel.

  • A hose can be connected to the bottom of the barrel to take out water.
  • It should be kept on a flat surface to avoid it tipping over when full.
  • It should be secured using a stick or a rope so that it doesn’t blow away when empty.

An estimate was done and it was reported that 1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq. ft. roof would yield 623 gallons of water. Imagine the amount of water you could collect over a rainy season.

Tuesday, March 17th, 2009 | Author: admin


If you peep into any normal American household during the weekend, you would find over 50 millions of them are attacking their lawns with their gasoline mowers. But they are not aware of the effect which the greenhouse gases emitted from these mowers cause.

· The gasoline products are exhaustible resources and thus, as the supply of the resources are getting thinner and thinner, the cost of the gasoline products are getting higher by the day.

· When most of the American households get out to attack their lawns at the same time with their gas mowers, it is quite disturbing for the neighbors. But on the other hand, the electric lawn mower produces less sound, thus cutting down on the noise pollution.

· As an alternative, we are resorting to inexhaustible resources such as electricity etc. These are restorable and are not limited, and this is what is used by the electric lawn mowers. Many companies and firms are developing these electric yard devices instead of gas mowers. Electric weed removers have been here for quite some time and now the electric lawn mower has started to prove its value to the people.

RoboMower Electric Lawn Mower· The cost of the electric lawn mowers might scare you at first but if you give it a thought and do some calculations, you would understand the benefit of an electric mower over the gas mowers. The cost of running an electric lawn mower is less than half the cost of running one gas mower. The gas mowers can hold just around one gallon of gas. And when the rising price of gas is reaching two dollars per gallon mark, it is quite easy to calculate the cost of mowing the garden for just one summer. On the other hand, running the electric grass mower just takes a few cents of power for one battery charge. So, it can be easily seen how much you can save in the long run with the electric grass mower or electric lawn sweeper.

· We should also keep the environment aspect in mind especially when we are facing severe hazards due to global warming. The gas mowers emit harmful greenhouse gases and are quite a cause for the small particle pollution.

· Gas mowers are also harmful to the person who uses it, causing serious health implications like asthma, heart disease and other serious respiratory infections. But the electric lawn mowers emit less than a percent of the harmful gases like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, etc, thus resulting in a great difference in the environment.

· Some of the electric mowers offer extra features like handling, trimming and edging, etc apart from the regular features like mulching, height-adjustment, grass collecting bags and such, for easy transfer to your compost bin.

So use the electric green mowers and feel the difference.

Category: Articles, General, How-to, Tips  | 4 Comments
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 | Author: admin

http://flickr.com/photos/rickharris/2734202140/

If you have been searching for a way to exercise your “green” thumb jump into this fun and unique world of “vermiculture.” or “vermicompost” is an organic gardening process of natural composting using earthworms, known as the Red Wriggler (Eisenia fetida). The Wrigglers transform food scraps into rich compost and liquid fertilizer. It is the perfect hobby to support the “cradle-to-cradle” return of organic matter to its origin, mother earth.

It is also perfect for small spaces. The worms only need about 1 square foot of surface area to digest each pound of waste material generated per week. Supply your worms with a container, some bedding material, food scraps, and the worms do the rest.

They consume food scraps, hair, and dust reducing organic waste by 25% in about 60 days; and produce worm castings, which contain the richest form of fertilizer known to man. Concentrated worm castings are very potent fertilizers and must be mixed with potting soil or water to dilute the concentration. Worm castings promote higher than average growth in plants and are rich in phosphorus, nitrogen, and trace minerals.

To start your new worm venture you will need the following supplies:

· Compost Bin (DIY or commercially available)

· Compost Scrap Keeper (Holds food scraps, ceramic or stainless steel)

· Bedding Materials

· Food Scraps

· Worms (Red Wrigglers or Nigh Crawlers)

Compost Bins

You could make your own DIY worm compost bins but to keep things, clean, easy and well-organized, I would suggest investing in a commercially produced vermin-culture compost bin. They are well worth the money spent.

Vermiculture Compost Bins automatically separate food scraps from finished compost, and most-importantly, does not need to be emptied or restarted like some DIY bins. Some recommended vermin-culture compost bins include:

· The Expandable Worm Tower

· Worm Condo

· Worm Bungalow

· Down Under Farm Worm Compost Bin

· Pet Poo Converter and Worm Compost Bin

· Friendly Habitat Worm Compost Bin

· Advanced Biosafe BioSystem

Other helpful accessories to look for are worm bedding (good if you are new vermiculture), a compost scrap keeper (ceramic or stainless steel), soil moisture & pH meter, compressed coir fiber bricks (bedding) and the “Compost and Worm Reference Wheel”

Worms

Oh and of course, don’t forget the worms, Red Wrigglers or Red Worms (tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions) and/or Night Crawlers (feed on deeper parts of the bin) will do the job. A mixture of the two will create rich and abundant worm castings.

Bedding

After you have made or purchased a compost bin, you can fill it with bedding. The worms prefer a cool, moist, but well-ventilated, dark environment between 50 and 80 degrees. Worms shun light and are photophobic—they shun both sun and artificial light, burrowing as deep as they can to flee the light. Heat and sunlight will dehydrate the little Wrigglers and all you’ll end up are “fried” worms.

The bedding material can be peat moss, aged manure, sawdust, dried grass clippings, hay, garden loam, coir (coconut fiber), straw, damp newspaper, Hessian, cotton rags, aged horse/cow manure (fresh manure heats up) shredded cardboard, newspaper, grocery bags, and most types of shredded leaves. Oak and other highly acidic leaves are not recommended since these worms don’t like an acidic environment. Stay clear of inked and glossy papers, since they contain toxic substances which can exterminate your Wrigglers.

Keep in mind the worms have a hearty appetite and will eat whatever is put in front of them, including the bedding.

Feeding

Worms will eat ½ their weight of food each day. Be careful to not overfeed your worms. Like you feed your family, only feed them once they have partly eaten their previous food. This means no desert before dinner. Worms lack teeth and prefer their food mashed, chopped or pureed.

Worms need a variety of foods, and greatly appreciate a well-rounded diet. Worms will happily consume fruit and vegetable scraps/peels (except citrus fruit, onion, garlic and chilies), tea bags/tea leaves, coffee grounds and filters, crushed eggshells, newspaper, cardboard, egg cartons and shredded/soaked pizza boxes, old flowers and small amounts of garden waste, pasta, rice, wet bread & cereal, hair and small amounts of dust from vacuum cleaner. Avoid onions, garlic, citrus, dairy products, seafood, meat, oil, and pet droppings, or the wrigglers will run for the hills.

Worms

The Red Wrigglers are the hardiest, fastest reproducers of the vermin culture world they efficiently gobble up waste and create worm castings. Well-fed worms reproduce even faster, at an alarming rate. They double there population in 3-4 months. Young red worms are a shade of white but turn red at maturity.

Harvesting Worm Castings

Harvesting the compost is easy, just push the bedding and worms to one end of the box and fill the other end with fresh bedding and table scraps. Within a few weeks, the worms will munch their way over to the fresh food and you can scoop out the compost from the deserted side of the bin.

With commercial vermi culture compost bins, the work is done for you; just collect worm casts from the bottom trays, and fill the top trays with food.

If you find that cultivating worms and worm castings are not your thing, you could always take the day off and hang a sign on the worm bin that says “Gone Fishin!”

Category: Articles, How-to  | 16 Comments
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008 | Author: admin


Reduce

Purchase durable, long-lasting goods and make them last longer by repairing them instead of throwing them out and buying something new

Related link: Upgrading My Vintage Ipod

Patching Ripped Blue Jeans

Buy products that use less packaging. Excess and unnecessary packing is filling out landfills!

Related link: Packaging Diva

Use washable mugs at work or school instead of paper cups. Use a thermos for beverages, reusable containers for snacks, a washable bag or plastic container for sandwiches and a cloth napkin. Pack it all in a reusable cloth bag or lunchbox.

Related link: CoolLunchBags.com

Reusable Bags

Stop junk mail. Direct mail – catalogs, flyers, credit card offers, memberships to clubs and organizations of all kinds .

Related link: StopJunkMail.org

DMAConsumers

Buy concentrates, returnables, economy-sized containers or products in bulk

Related link: Costco

Sam’s Club

Select energy-efficient appliances and electronic equipment with good warranties and service contracts.

Related link: ACEE: Consumer’s Guide For An Energy Efficient Home

Buy products made from renewable resources.

Related link: GreenCulture

If you buy only one or two items and did not bring your own bag, carry your purchases without a bag.

Re-use

Send products and materials that still have some life in them to your local thrift store.

Related link: Goodwill

Salvation Army

California Materials Exchange

Reuse paper and plastic bags, boxes, containers and twist ties.

Related link: Plastic Bag Crochet

Reuse scrap paper. Staple together sheets of scrap paper to make note pads and shopping lists.

Save and reuse gift boxes, ribbons, tissue paper and larger pieces of wrapping paper.

Related link: ThriftyFun Tip

Making giftwrap and bows out of scrap paper

Share newspapers and magazines. Bring them to work or offer them to your doctor’s office.

Borrow, rent or share things you use infrequently.

Recycle

Hazardous Waste

Electronics, oils and fuels and batteries all qualify.

Related Link: Hazardous Waste Recycling (California)

Composting

Use a compost bin and worm house to reduce food and kitchen waste to mere dirt.

Related link: Composters.Com

Compost Tumblr

163 Things You Can Compost

Paper

Related link: Tips on recycling paper

Bill Nye’s Paper Recycling Factory

Cans and metals

Related link: Aluminum Can Recycling

EZ Can Crusher & Recycler

Plastic

Related link: Plastic Recycling Wiki

Category: Articles, General, How-to, Tips  | One Comment
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 | Author: admin

We always have ton of food scraps, or leftover around the kitchen that we just throw them away. Sometimes we just leave them in the refrigerator until it rotten. If you’re tired or too lazy of making trips to your compost bin, especially in the winter time, this scrap keeper will be a great solution for you. Its unique design will help store all the kitchen waste and easy to transfer to the compost bin. It comes in 2 attractive designs: stainless steel and ceramic; which you can leave it on the kitchen counter anywhere in your kitchen. The tightly fitting and filtered lid will keep the food odor inside the container.
Stainless Steel Scrap KeeperCeramic Scrap Keeper

Here’s what you can compost:
All vegetable, fruit waste (even though they’re moldy), old bread, rice, tea bags, and coffee grounds are great source for composting. Egg shells are also good but they will take a long time to break down; therefore, for better result you need to crush them before hand.

What you can’t compost:
Meat, fish, bones, fat or oily food supply, and dairy product (cheese, butter, etc.) usually are not good supply to compost. Do not compost food that may have inert chemical compounds because they don’t break down completely.

How to store food:
Cut all the scraps into pieces for faster decomposing.
Cover the waste with wet towel or newspaper right under the lid.

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 | Author: admin

Here is a step-by-step video on how to assemble a Garden Gourmet compost bin with some valuable tips on composting.