It’s worm composting week here on The Greenists!

Stop by every day this week to learn about different aspects of worm composting from building your own to harvesting the results- but first, an introduction!

For those of you unfamiliar with the idea, worm composting uses live worms to turn food waste into high-nutrient compost, also called worm castings.  Worm castings are highly valued by gardeners because not only does it include the nutrients you get from other forms of compost, but it also includes all kinds of microbes from the worm’s digestive tract that keep the soil healthy, help prevent many plant diseases, and store more water to help plants through dryer times.  Read more…

Didn’t get a garden in the ground this year?  Get some containers and set up some simple salad bowl gardens on your patio!

Please welcome today’s guest poster, Alban Smith.

When it comes to being both frugal and environmentally friendly, you need to look at ways to make a difference in every aspect of your life, rather than just saving money on fuel or just making your own cleaning products. That is why making your own compost is such an important endeavour — you’re combining frugal kitchen and eating habits with an environmentally friendly disposal system, which saves you money again in the garden.

To achieve a successful compost heap, you’ll need to make sure you have the following elements in place:   Read more…

It’s that time of year again when it’s not entirely crazy to start thinking about summer gardening! Are you planning to start seeds indoors this year?

Ask many people about the idea of raising chickens in an urban or suburban setting and you’re likely to get the following responses. “Isn’t that illegal?” “They’re too noisy!” “They’re too stinky!” “That’s just weird.”

I can’t say much about that last concern. After all, keeping chickens in large population centers is not all that common. By definition that would be weird. However, if you make your decisions based solely on whether something is normal or not, well, I’ve lost a little respect for you. That’s right. I don’t even know you and I’m already judging you. Read more…

This past weekend, my husband and I took our sons apple picking for the first time! I will never forget the expression on my two year old’s face as we walked into the orchard, wagon in tow, as he viewed endless rows of beautiful trees, just dripping with brightly colored fruit. “Yes, apples grow on trees Colin,” I said, answering the question on his face. We picked together and filled our bags quickly. Colin raced around, searching for apples dangling like ornaments from low branches to yank with paired hands. “Gently,” reminded my husband, as Colin excitedly dropped an apple into the bag sitting in the wagon. Read more…

One bonuses of participating in any CSA is the availability and access to seeds that are not genetically modified or altered. Thus, I have been seeding some of the bounty from my CSA. So far I have two types of tomato (above), yellow watermelon, honeydew melon, and a couple different types of squash and peppers. All were locally and organically grown here in New Hampshire. I also have all the seeds I ordered earlier this year but didn’t plant because of The Move to Boston.

Seeding the vegetables and fruits is an excellent way to preserve harvests, genetic diversity, and to save some money.

To seed a vegetable isn’t particularly difficult. Most times all one has to do is put seeds aside — making sure each seed is devoid of any vegetable matter — when cutting one open. Tomatoes, however, can pose a particular challenge for first time seeders. It took me a while to learn the process. I share it with you my fellow Greenists because I’m awesome (and contrite =)

First, cut open the tomato(es) and scoop out the seeds. Pull as much of the goo away from the seeds as possible. Then take the seeds and put them in a glass jar (plastic would work but then you get the plastic chemicals leeching problem…) with some water. Let the seeds sit in the sun for a week or two until the goo pulls away from the seeds and the seeds sink to the bottom. Go ahead and agitate the jar on occasion. Once the seeds have separated from the goo, carefully pour out the water and place the seeds on a towel to dry out. Once dry, put them in a bag for the next year after labeling the seeds. If you have more than one variety you are seeding this is very important unless you like surprises.

Knowing Wolf and I are moving from our beloved Howling Hill to the urban jungle makes my soul cringe. I am not a city person but I will adapt as I have to other changes. I am, after all, human. And humans adapt. And so do plants. We all adapt quite well, actually. I assume that’s why we (plants, animals, and everything else) are alive today: because we adapted to the changes and made the best of present conditions. To bring part of my CSA with me is a comfort. To know I can grow some of the lushness of the food I ate this summer is a fantastic way to bring Howling Hill to Boston. It connects me to the land, connects me to Mother Earth, and connects me to the CSA.

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On a completely unrelated note, our well went dry. Follow our waterless journey at Howling Hill.

I am always amazed by what can be created with patience, talent, skill, and the simplest of materials. Chuck Eblacker creates dry stone wall structures using what already exists in nature: stone, and nothing more. No mortar is used in the creation of a dry stone wall.

From an article by Building Green:
“Cement production is one of the most energy intensive of all industrial manufacturing processes. Including direct fuel use for mining and transporting raw materials, cement production takes about six million Btus for every ton of cement. The industry’s heavy reliance on coal leads to especially high emission levels of CO 2, nitrous oxide, and sulphur, among other pollutants. A sizeable portion of the electricity used is also generated from coal.”

And, according to the article the chemical process that occurs in Portland cement is “responsible for roughly 1/2 ton of CO 2 per ton of cement.”

So, creating stone walls without cement is a markedly greener practice. It’s also an art form. Dry stone walling is said to be the world’s oldest craft. There are only a handful of people in the United States certified to build dry stone walls.  If properly built, the way in which the stones are laid creates gravity and friction enough to create a wall that can stand for 100 years or more. Read more…

This time of year it’s very easy for me to get bogged down in the blahs of winter, this is especially true this year when here in Maryland we’ve had 53+ inches of snow in the past two weeks. Give me 4 or 5 inches at a time and I’m a complete snow person, but give me snow taller than my daughter, and well not so much! But with the return of the sun, despite the fact that more snow and ice are in the forecast for this week, I’m starting to think about spring planting and growing my own food! It all started when a seed catalog arrived in my mailbox.

Read more…

Plantable Photo Greeting Card Set w/ Parsley Herb Seed Paper from Greetings that Grow

I’m sure many of you are already way ahead of the card-sending, gift-giving game, but I’m only just beginning! When you wait this late to start your holiday giving routine, it’s easy to feel rushed and ignore your green tendencies when gift-wrapping and sending cards and gifts. I’ve been fortunate to find several tools that make your holiday giving routine greener — and without much extra effort.

Read more…