tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-971592249011373052024-03-05T10:10:23.625-05:00WormMaineaThis blog is a supplement to my website (WormMainea.com). The purpose of the blog is to share my vermicomposting experiences with others.WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-60226840461128310162015-10-07T18:14:00.000-04:002016-03-16T16:13:48.982-04:00Wood Chips and the Hidden Benefit of Thrift<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I was reading the latest issue of the <a href="http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/tabid/150/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Maine Organic Farmers and Gardener</a> and enjoyed the article on ramial wood chips. Celine Caron discussed the differences between traditional bagged wood chips used by many people as landscape mulch and ramial wood chips (derived from the branches of deciduous hardwood trees). While ramial wood chips are considered “wood chips”, these might be called “ramial wood prunings”, since they are commonly the byproduct of landscape or forest maintenance.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Celine’s article references her other writings on the benefits of using ramial wood, and briefly mentions their many advantages over traditional wood chips. These benefits include a better C:N ratio, higher nutrient levels, and preferential breakdown by Basidiomycetes. Basidiomycetes support soil organisms that lead to humic and fulvic acids (you need these in your soil fauna for healthy plants).</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you have concerns about these products robbing nitrogen during breakdown from your soil & therefore your plants, you can add nitrogen periodically (some advocate for dilute urine) to balance this or put down a nice thick layer of compost under your wood chips.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The other unmentioned benefit of using ramial wood for you is that this product can be obtained for free. So rather than paying a few hundred dollars (or more if you are buying bagged) for 4 cubic yards of chips, you can get these for free. The only downsides are timing and the potential for invasive or noxious weeds.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I will address weeds first. Like your farmer and compost providers, you should get to know your local arborist. This is more than networking with service providers who are important to your life and lifestyle. Arborists often pay to dump (or pay to haul) waste wood prunings. If they are working in your area they may be happy to give you what they have with a phone call. However, you should speak to the arborist to discuss what you’re doing and why. Part of this conversation should include a discussion that you do not want chips if they are from a yard with invasive species (bittersweet) and noxious weeds (poison ivy). A conversation is all that is needed.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">That brings me to the issue of timing. Your arborist may not be in your area when you need or want wood chips. I tell my arborist that I will take whatever he has and set extra wood chips aside in a pile near the compost pile to be used as needed in the future. Also, even if he is in your area, he won’t know until he is onsite whether there are invasive or noxious weeds. For this reason, you may have to wait a few weeks (or months) before chips are available.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I don’t mind waiting a few weeks or months for a great product that is free. In fact, like most good things, I think it is worth the wait.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cheers,</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mark</span></span></div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.comScarborough, ME 04074, USA43.6083314 -70.39763679999998743.4243119 -70.720360299999982 43.792350899999995 -70.074913299999992tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-29723770746114168972015-03-24T12:30:00.000-04:002015-03-24T13:02:29.629-04:00How Many Worms are in a Pound of Bed Run Worms?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">That seems like a really simple question, but it isn't.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My standard response is <strong>a couple of hundred </strong>which covers the range of ages that I expect in a delivery..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">However, I cannot tell you exactly how many you will receive because</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> the number of worms in a pound will vary widely depending on size of the worms in the bed run area where I
harvest them. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Consider if you will how many humans there are in
ten thousand pounds:</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 30 NFL linebackers<br />or </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 50 of me</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">or </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 100 teenagers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">or</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> 300 toddlers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">or </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"> 1000 infants</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">So there may be 30-1000 humans in ten thousand pounds of humans. While that seems a bit snarky, I think it illustrates my point. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">What you have in a bed run delivery is a mix of worms of all ages (including cocoons). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Also, it is not the number of worms, but their mass that is important for vermicomposting. It is their mass after all that determines how much food waste they can process into vermicompost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;"></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">If you wist to count worms, have at it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Cheers,</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia;">Mark</span> </div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-46701816388799391312013-08-31T12:54:00.001-04:002013-08-31T12:54:25.886-04:00It’s Planting Season: Considerations for Selecting Perennial Plants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The following summarizes the advice I’ve received concerning determining what perennial plants to use in your garden. I limit this to perennial plants because annuals don’t typically represent a big investment (they are temporary, so it doesn’t require as much thought).<br /><br />Once you’ve decided to add a perennial to your garden, consideration should be given to the following since these will influence the success or failure:<br /><br />Plant factors<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Choose plants that naturally grow in your area. Native plants are a great choice. They are already adapted to the amount of sun, rainfall, & temperature swings (as well as other climatological factors) in your area. Also, native plants are not likely to create problems for other plants or wildlife by crowding out native plants. </li>
<li>Select hardy plants that can thrive with intermittent or little care. Choose plants that can withstand variations in watering and fertilization schedules.</li>
<li>Select plants that are interesting or colorful and/or produce fruit for you or for wildlife. These plants will bring you enjoyment throughout the year. Also, consider plants that create habitat for butterflies, birds, and other native or migratory species.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Other factors</div>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Be aware of microclimate conditions of your planting site. For example, is it heavily shaded or does it get a lot of morning or afternoon sun? Does it stay wet or drain readily. While the sunlight issues may require relocation, you can amend the soil to address water issues.</li>
<li>Consider mulching or other weed suppression techniques to prevent your addition from becoming another source of work for you. Mulching has the added benefit of retaining moisture so you have to water less frequently.<br /> Plan to dig a planting hold that is sized appropriately for your plant (three times the width of the root ball/pot and no deeper than the root ball or pot).</li>
<li>Amend your soil to suit your plant and soil type. I have sandy soil, so unless plants like that soil type, I always add lots of compost and vermicompost to my planting holes. Some people recommend mycorrhiza additions to aide in root formation and growth.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Naturally, when you water your new addition, consider using vermicompost tea if it is not too late in the year (you don't want a burst of new growth before first frost).</div>
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I hope you find this discussion useful.<br /><br />Cheers,<br /><br />Mark</div>
</div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-37231970793221217472013-08-18T20:34:00.000-04:002013-08-18T20:34:00.645-04:00Show me your worm bin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is an opportunity to show the many varieties of worm bins htat people make.<br />
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There is no right or wrong way when it comes to vermicompost. I think of it like gardening-- whatever works for you is the "right way".<br />
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I plan to update this blog as I receive additional photos.<br />
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I received these photos from Alain. He explains his system as follows:<br />
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I reuse styrofoam salmon shipping boxes and amke a three-tiered bin:<br />
• bottom level collects drainage (worm bin leachate) <br />
• middle level has small drain holes<br />
• top level has no bottom.<br />
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Worms go in the middle level and food/newspaper is added. The one photo is labeled.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhyzYmTknjMVqFceDsyYWR8MIMVxlNcRDEv5G2H1n718KJd-aKh4A7usnLOQfUXxMapgImqvIYoKMzv7DY4seU8pxmV0t0M-BgFCxEZqCvlY8pbxDV5PEeVS8ENryD2_wLgAZI0a1YXA/s1600/Bottom-Level-Worm-bin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXhyzYmTknjMVqFceDsyYWR8MIMVxlNcRDEv5G2H1n718KJd-aKh4A7usnLOQfUXxMapgImqvIYoKMzv7DY4seU8pxmV0t0M-BgFCxEZqCvlY8pbxDV5PEeVS8ENryD2_wLgAZI0a1YXA/s320/Bottom-Level-Worm-bin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PfnVBXVW6VpXLmNwGs9KTnhWq8du5z-IAmvc6SwPEao8jqCqlfLFHfT-LQBFLi97YDts82mr7X9pJXtiln2twPq9B29_tm0gnCnu8v1BhhafJ9wlW6gC9rtBW01rljxO6aHMp2B50XI/s1600/Worm-bin-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0PfnVBXVW6VpXLmNwGs9KTnhWq8du5z-IAmvc6SwPEao8jqCqlfLFHfT-LQBFLi97YDts82mr7X9pJXtiln2twPq9B29_tm0gnCnu8v1BhhafJ9wlW6gC9rtBW01rljxO6aHMp2B50XI/s320/Worm-bin-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQTft0CH1SUudeuXmBDAiJg3ZsVwiSTEtdcoRGIj777KEu4Pq70ST1zvTidCYeCtXCsvfqyHnG7YaEeQD2Z7YAXo5AGzfidEKlqeqDhqD9PP__ujVZQfH7KZLSvD0qbVzJvlWo2jaOB0/s1600/Worm-bin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQTft0CH1SUudeuXmBDAiJg3ZsVwiSTEtdcoRGIj777KEu4Pq70ST1zvTidCYeCtXCsvfqyHnG7YaEeQD2Z7YAXo5AGzfidEKlqeqDhqD9PP__ujVZQfH7KZLSvD0qbVzJvlWo2jaOB0/s320/Worm-bin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Thanks for sharing Alain!</div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-20935051058729224772013-08-17T05:41:00.000-04:002013-08-17T05:41:00.672-04:00More on lawn seed-- adding mini clover<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">It is about that time of year when lawn patching should be done. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">I want to share my experience with a recent addition to my lawn seed mix: mini clover. Mini clover has all the benefits of white clover without some of the problems. I added mini clover to may lawn seed mix last year and I am very happy with the performance.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mixed with my usual blend of grasses (see below), mini clover grows among the grass
plants (forming small leaves when cut), feeding the lawn nitrogen, and aerating with deep roots. The nitrogen is released into the
soil throughout the growing season (until the first frost). Thus, nitrogen
is available when and where it is needed, and so there is no risk of runoff or burning. Because </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">nitrogen is continually and slowly available during the growing
season there is a reduced presence of disease like powdery mildew, rusts, and smut that can appear due to an overabundance of nitrogen (see http://www.uri.edu/ce/factsheets/sheets/turffungaldis.html). </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Traffic tolerance
of turf containing mini clover will be superior to traditional turf or traditional white clover. Like other clover, mini clover fertilizes and improves wear tolerance in general. Also, because it is shorter, it does not suffer from being chopped to the stolon during mowing (which can make traditional clover can be
difficult to retain when it exceeds mowing height).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">Additionally, mini clover is semi-aggressive species (</span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">not as aggressive as White Dutch Clover</span></span>),
filling in </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">bare spots where traditional grass may not repair for months. Mini clover</span></span> competes well with weeds, thus reducing the need
for herbicides. Note that broad-leaf herbicides
will also kill mini clover so be careful with your weed control. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">You can rad more and purchase mini clover at <a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/clover-seed/miniclover.html" target="_blank">Outside Pride</a>.<a href="http://www.outsidepride.com/seed/clover-seed/miniclover.html"></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><u><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My grass seed mix*:</span></u><br clear="none" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">40% F</span><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">escue</span><br clear="none" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">30% Perennial rye</span><br clear="none" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">20% Kentucky Bluegrass</span><br clear="none" style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;" /><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">10% Mini clover</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">*Note that the first four in the list are found in <a href="http://www.allensterlinglothrop.com/products/yardscaping-bayscaping-mix" target="_blank">Allen Sterling and Lothrop's Bayscaper Mix</a>.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">--I received no compensation for this review.--</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Cheers,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Mark</span></span></span></div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-4144796407080059802013-08-07T06:33:00.000-04:002013-08-07T06:33:00.637-04:00Celebrating 5 Years!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I am amazed that my WormMainea blog is 5 years old. I've written almost 100 blogs in that time on topics ranging from vermicomposting to organic gardening to energy efficiency (with some nature and adventure blogs inserted here and there).</span></span></div>
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When I look
back at my posts and I see the number of views and comments, I see that
you, my readers, have wide ranging interests as I do—vermicomposting and
organic/natural approaches to energy efficiency
and posts about nature. I will continue to post on these topics and
others.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I hope you, my readers, find my blog interesting and informative, but mostly I hope you enjoy reading it (at least as much as I enjoy writing). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Coming up: I am planning future blogs on the following topics:</span></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> other people's worm bin pics. If
you have a bin that you’d like to show, please send me a photo and
brief description. There are many varieties of
worm bins and I’d like to show that breadth on my blog for others to
consider. </span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">homemade Christmas gifts</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">outdoor composting</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">vermicompost separation (or sorting) with accompanying video</span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">shingles</span></span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let me know if you have any questions or would like me to blog about any other vermicomposting topics. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Also, if you have not already, please <a href="https://m.facebook.com/pages/WormMainea/458373614202339" target="_blank">LIKE WormMainea on Facebook</a>.<span style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); color: #385487; font-family: '.HelveticaNeueUI'; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; white-space: nowrap;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cheers and thank you for reading.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mark</span></span></div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-5314031937438292692013-08-02T09:40:00.002-04:002013-08-02T09:40:38.678-04:00How long do I have to wait before I can harvest compost from my worm bin? <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This is a question that I receive very frequently. The answer is... it depends (everyone loves that!). </div>
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In this case, it really depends on a number of factors: 1) what you feed your worms (that is, the type of food) 2) whether you put the food in whole or chop it up and 3.) how warm the soil is. Note that these are all factors that you can control. I will describe the factors in greater detail below and tell you how to speed up the process (assuming that is what you want to do).</div>
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1. Type of food that you feed your worms</div>
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This may or may not be obvious, but the types of food you regularly feed make a big difference on how quickly your vermicompost will be ready to harvest. Consider strawberries and potatoes left out on the kitchen counter. In 3-5 days the strawberries will turn to mush and be covered in a grey, fuzzy mold. In that time the potatoes have only gotten in the way and even after a few months all that will happen is that they may turn a bit green and sprout from a few of the eyes. The same thing in your worm bin-- some foods (like tree fruit) decompose really quickly. Whereas other foods (ground contact veggies and fibrous food) breakdown very slowly. Every family will have a different mix of food that breaks down at different rates, so only you can estimate how quickly the foods that you typically add will decompose. If you want to make things go very quickly, add more foods that break down quickly.</div>
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2. Surface area of the food</div>
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If you chop/grate/mash/slice or otherwise make your food smaller (more easily accessible for decomposition), it will breakdown more quickly. For some foods, this includes freezing or heating the food to break the cell walls prior to placing it in the worm bin. For example, squash breaks down more quickly when cooked and leafy greens turn to mush after freezing. In general, if you juice your food (everything going into your bin is pulp), your worm bin can be ready to harvest in as little as 60 days. If you want to make things go very quickly, increase the surface area or break the cell walls using a food processor/blender and/or heat/freeze before adding to your worm bin.</div>
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3. Soil temperature</div>
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Soil temperature dictates the activity of the worms as well as the other organisms that assist in the decomposition of the food. In general, warmer temps make the process go more quickly. I recommend your soil temp remain between 65-75F to prevent problems. Temps above 75F can rapidly move into the 90+F range which will most likely kill your worms. I recommend a soil thermometer and a gentle warming method (like a root heater for seedlings). If you want to make things go very quickly, warm your worm bin soil up to 70-75F.</div>
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So if you want to speed things up, now you know what to do. </div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark</div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-62351282422506881152013-06-16T12:43:00.000-04:002013-06-16T12:43:51.585-04:00Acceptable damage: patience and the organic method<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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With the organic approach you have to be patient and allow nature time to work. This is difficult for me (if you know me, you understand), but I try. A good example of patience is aphids and our plum trees.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqN1e4hP1oEN77wACcmPAQNf7l6vBrn1h_qQb68zG0MkH259jMFYJOlmcbzobb7IEmEsbNepuVachAUxRtmKmrzCUN402KHTIn5wJMa2qOwR0_MUJwXCXV5Px68nMTmRGmwqpOAzi2_A8/s1600/tree.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqN1e4hP1oEN77wACcmPAQNf7l6vBrn1h_qQb68zG0MkH259jMFYJOlmcbzobb7IEmEsbNepuVachAUxRtmKmrzCUN402KHTIn5wJMa2qOwR0_MUJwXCXV5Px68nMTmRGmwqpOAzi2_A8/s320/tree.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plum (Stanley) tree.</td></tr>
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I love these plum trees. We planted them in the hope that eventually they would produce enough plums to make a pie (but I digress).<br />
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A large part of the organic approach is surveying your property. That means walking around and looking at plants to see what's going on. Last week I noticed that there were aphids on the new growth, and that they were starting to make the leaves curl. Some would respond with a spray of poison, but I know better than that. I wanted to grab the hose and spray them all down with a strong stream of water (aphids are weak and many would die with just a strong stream of water knocking them from the leaves).<br />
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My plum trees are healthy and can survive a little damage. And, I know that if I leave them (and don't spray poison), the predators will come (and not be killed by the poison). The predators will feed on the aphids and then multiply to make more predators.<br />
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Aphids are at the bottom of the food chain, and are prey to a bunch of wonderful beneficial predators (lady bug beetles, predatory wasps, etc.). So, against my nature, I decided to do nothing and let nature work (the population of prey should serve as a magnet for their predators).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI7J29FZx3oSlZ_SSZS_qv0muBsq0aCLPEmtf8k3QzPmmzDUeV1jjGIFjSJICuVTEP_tBOtfiXWaJOGP7V8EYoFrl9JYhxI_FesDaxU-vnqOL_v1SFIKkAS0d7PaYAOtumFGpDhbx-78/s1600/aphids.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI7J29FZx3oSlZ_SSZS_qv0muBsq0aCLPEmtf8k3QzPmmzDUeV1jjGIFjSJICuVTEP_tBOtfiXWaJOGP7V8EYoFrl9JYhxI_FesDaxU-vnqOL_v1SFIKkAS0d7PaYAOtumFGpDhbx-78/s320/aphids.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The magnet!</td></tr>
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One week later, and here are the results-- HOORAY!!! The predators are here.<br />
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(You may need to click on the photos and enlarge to see the subjects in the following photos.)<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmEjl5jPY-TEI4rgLrcSrsJTjfSQMKQDi9oOV4NU41LleKPnS2EZjyA7D4hFgXsDeUM6k7mTa6uaue4TOD-ZPnaOlC0eKMQ-yurriCUIGozOy8uVZPa9sBkMWcZIxYWxqzc3UltpZbxE/s1600/assassin+bug.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFmEjl5jPY-TEI4rgLrcSrsJTjfSQMKQDi9oOV4NU41LleKPnS2EZjyA7D4hFgXsDeUM6k7mTa6uaue4TOD-ZPnaOlC0eKMQ-yurriCUIGozOy8uVZPa9sBkMWcZIxYWxqzc3UltpZbxE/s320/assassin+bug.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look closely-- that's an Assassin bug-- SO COOL! They control a wide range of pests. </td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CqKeX9_gMSZoG6TTXIl3yiXPWzqbRMMK8O3JUAtg96kc5k24yfKxSK4BQj-JovCeym7oPiYMV7MI2aBaRwJq2d6O3HRUWlnxuR-SY5e1v3so6_jjVlSXiS1XmAL7-FGK35ayFhPuq2I/s1600/aphids+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CqKeX9_gMSZoG6TTXIl3yiXPWzqbRMMK8O3JUAtg96kc5k24yfKxSK4BQj-JovCeym7oPiYMV7MI2aBaRwJq2d6O3HRUWlnxuR-SY5e1v3so6_jjVlSXiS1XmAL7-FGK35ayFhPuq2I/s320/aphids+2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lady bug beetles. The adults and nymphs eat aphids like grapes.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSMKqBLLPhbDPNZndHQkZwJFYEjS_axizwKyu0kkeaxJkXVKyWOOeoHaKooKHWS1IBDBh2MQqp3SH_hq_APFAly5UasEz5TBHEac6UK8smFJvtDDZBvAb7tk0x_RevabmE8eCOtJJpFE/s1600/eggs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMSMKqBLLPhbDPNZndHQkZwJFYEjS_axizwKyu0kkeaxJkXVKyWOOeoHaKooKHWS1IBDBh2MQqp3SH_hq_APFAly5UasEz5TBHEac6UK8smFJvtDDZBvAb7tk0x_RevabmE8eCOtJJpFE/s320/eggs.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eggs of something. (If you know what these are, send me an e-mail.)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eYpcVclhyphenhyphenIxkCE2gtVq4gDOUjAozIOWa7RhyphenhyphenZj_HL9A36BES5h9B77AFP7wpgsQRQqalH8maSNFTrrU3IPmA5Kk5A70Jusg_T0_wZ9GjfM5CBZDqPq6bRgVpzJTTXhy-aXVH3FKKoOQ/s1600/pred+wasp+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_eYpcVclhyphenhyphenIxkCE2gtVq4gDOUjAozIOWa7RhyphenhyphenZj_HL9A36BES5h9B77AFP7wpgsQRQqalH8maSNFTrrU3IPmA5Kk5A70Jusg_T0_wZ9GjfM5CBZDqPq6bRgVpzJTTXhy-aXVH3FKKoOQ/s320/pred+wasp+1.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Predatory wasp.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_l8RjsnsHkX2Eyy9KNC-vgbtM_Qb2iOjsMdV32y3px9_4FDUFyP1_AZ939cc9oEF2n7H5inTV0AMPzHaHxe9YsgDAQbTuilAmK3A9UQp2Fj9t9yeju00HoIC8cJJVjXbBcmLxkOViMw/s1600/wasp+working.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_l8RjsnsHkX2Eyy9KNC-vgbtM_Qb2iOjsMdV32y3px9_4FDUFyP1_AZ939cc9oEF2n7H5inTV0AMPzHaHxe9YsgDAQbTuilAmK3A9UQp2Fj9t9yeju00HoIC8cJJVjXbBcmLxkOViMw/s320/wasp+working.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A different predatory wasp doing his thing (laying eggs inside the aphids). Just one o'clock from center.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Aphids after the predators-- the black aphids show that the predatory wasps have been there and more wasps are on the way.</td></tr>
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The predators responded to the bloom of the aphid population and, because my trees are not coated with poison) they are controlling the outbreak. The predators will multiply and thrive in my yard and surroundings to control future outbreaks (I'm pesticide free, so there is nothing to harm the natural predators-- who control many pests). More importantly, the damage to my trees was very minimal, and I have another reminder as to the many benefits of the organic approach and giving nature time to work.<br />
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My next step for these plants is a band of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BWY3AA?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B000BWY3AA&linkCode=xm2&tag=wormm-20" target="_blank">Tanglefoot </a>(on the lower trunk of the trees) keep the ant and caterpillar population down.<br />
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I should be enjoying some plums in early September. YUM!<br />
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Cheers,<br />
<br />
Mark<br />
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-2897134992279263472013-04-12T15:45:00.005-04:002013-04-12T15:49:25.570-04:00The Joys of Teaching Vermicomposting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I truly enjoy teaching about vermicomposting.</div>
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These photos are from a class I taught in Scarborough in February through the Adult Ed program.</div>
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That evening was quite snowy. Despite the weather more than a dozen people turned out to learn about indoor vermicpomposting.</div>
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The photos below show some of the highlights of the class.</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark </div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-55078775976753041362013-03-09T16:32:00.000-05:002013-03-09T16:32:25.094-05:00Juicing and worms-- a perfect combination<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">That is, juicing fruit and vegetables and feeding the pulp to the worms, NOT juicing worms! :)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In many ways, <span style="font-size: small;">j<span style="font-size: small;">uicing and keeping a worm bin</span></span> is a wonderful<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>cycle:</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1. You harvest fruit and veggies from your garden that is fertilized by your vermicompost.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2. You make juice from the fruit and veggies.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3. You take the leftover pulp and feed your worms.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4. You harvest vermicompost and fertilize your garden</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We like the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000KHPFFI?ie=UTF8&creativeASIN=B000KHPFFI&linkCode=xm2&tag=wormm-20">Omega J8004 juicer</a>. </span></span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPo_0GIZ1PyK2YX26x-ZSWrilzK7jtYvjuunkWhZyRI_-B3xFYn-iq5aOdJh-7MTQ_yLh-CAHcvPk-frvIQSk8EJBddCzUcsYPzPXqYxydK0HkI77IfVCYIu2NFzIr4Ia2a_O-46XS7w/s1600/Omega.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPo_0GIZ1PyK2YX26x-ZSWrilzK7jtYvjuunkWhZyRI_-B3xFYn-iq5aOdJh-7MTQ_yLh-CAHcvPk-frvIQSk8EJBddCzUcsYPzPXqYxydK0HkI77IfVCYIu2NFzIr4Ia2a_O-46XS7w/s320/Omega.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Omega J8004 Juicer with all the parts</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It is relatively small, yet reasonably powerful, and easy to clean. It
was a little more expensive than other models, but it feels really
durable and the assembly/disassembly of the parts makes sense. I am very
happy with the juice it makes, too! The only concern some have is that
you have to cut the food into pretty small pieces. It is true, but that
doesn't trouble me.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here is a recipe for a lunchtime juice for 2 people</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> <u>Ingredients:</u></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">3 small apples</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">4 carrots</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 celery stalks</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 large beet</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 radishes</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Small handful wheat grass</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">¾ cup chopped cabbage</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 knuckle ginger</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">2 peeled clementines</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">1 baby cucumber</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ten cups of a variety of fruit and veggies makes juice for two</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Chop it all up to ½ inch pieces and feed into juicer.</span></span><div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5c5Lj_aw0vLJD0_GmQdssCigIytGLnA6bOXpfL7Ffvg9plY3yBQMKOaXoQkXHb7cHu8L7QWMFGkDQcdL7CIqV7zmLlVUGG7_QuWWz78kz3t0_07YCrigiogND4M9yg4EnHfYy0GSQgs/s1600/loaded.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp5c5Lj_aw0vLJD0_GmQdssCigIytGLnA6bOXpfL7Ffvg9plY3yBQMKOaXoQkXHb7cHu8L7QWMFGkDQcdL7CIqV7zmLlVUGG7_QuWWz78kz3t0_07YCrigiogND4M9yg4EnHfYy0GSQgs/s320/loaded.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice small pieces work best</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuiJ6QFcmT_dDEPUlh-QJsf-zY8f5C941kVulxoIRVKQGd7aiIpsYOYg7SM0SFMMuQh7BoiFtedT0yiMYhPNYk4JIpxfAdelsQkKtAExOvipTnOVP7N8UyzuRHWCC3NXibB0J8I6iwPY/s1600/tamp+the+veg.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyuiJ6QFcmT_dDEPUlh-QJsf-zY8f5C941kVulxoIRVKQGd7aiIpsYOYg7SM0SFMMuQh7BoiFtedT0yiMYhPNYk4JIpxfAdelsQkKtAExOvipTnOVP7N8UyzuRHWCC3NXibB0J8I6iwPY/s320/tamp+the+veg.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use tamper (GENTLY!) to push veggies into the feeder tube</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt0v0aiRqx5VmOtx3Y0rfVoDM7K2XvVqXETcRKF1cL0XrcefTc8kL8bCSbdxT2fm7i76eIsPGVqS2Tpo6CsDA9kb5KdmXS6eFIx9YHORth84cGk5OVh9K5cQ71WN3027a6WcoxaNMRqk/s1600/making+juice.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIt0v0aiRqx5VmOtx3Y0rfVoDM7K2XvVqXETcRKF1cL0XrcefTc8kL8bCSbdxT2fm7i76eIsPGVqS2Tpo6CsDA9kb5KdmXS6eFIx9YHORth84cGk5OVh9K5cQ71WN3027a6WcoxaNMRqk/s320/making+juice.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The juice falls out of the bottom and the waste pulp goes to the left</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">T<span style="font-size: small;">he <span style="font-size: small;">dry pulp goes into your worm bin-- it breaks down really <span style="font-size: small;">quickly for </span>the worms </span></span>to eat.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUphql3oBju9FP6C5hJx6M4MSHl-eZeDWGC4_hhWsECE1Ak8SeUe2xVlAUMoBQTp1YMw-1dTwDvfyWe5E6AAgy9Msr1rhLw3WBu7QMiLbcJnnNTXfnryTmchFGeWhUm7_tdsRG5L_MHmk/s1600/2+containers.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUphql3oBju9FP6C5hJx6M4MSHl-eZeDWGC4_hhWsECE1Ak8SeUe2xVlAUMoBQTp1YMw-1dTwDvfyWe5E6AAgy9Msr1rhLw3WBu7QMiLbcJnnNTXfnryTmchFGeWhUm7_tdsRG5L_MHmk/s320/2+containers.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The juice is almost done!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This makes 2 pints of juice—a perfect lunch for two! In general 10 cups of chopped material makes 2 pints of juice.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cheers<span style="font-size: small;">,</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mark</span></span></div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-56761811667665543412013-02-01T07:11:00.000-05:002013-04-12T15:26:02.604-04:00Making Sauerkraut<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b>Making Sauerkraut</b></div>
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From a bit of online research I learned that British explorer and navigator Captain James Cook was given the Copley medal by the Royal Society in 1776 for demonstrating that eating sauerkraut could prevent scurvy in sailors during long sea voyages. Scurvy, a disease that results from vitamin C deficiency, was a common disease for sailors in the 18th century. Sailors often had no access to fresh food while at sea for an extended period, and sauerkraut is high in vitamin C.</div>
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Sauerkraut, German for "sour cabbage", is made by chopping cabbage and soaking it in brine to ferment through the action of lactic acid bacteria. Sauerkraut is a common condiment throughout eastern Europe. </div>
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Here is my recipe for making sauerkraut with photos of the steps.</div>
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<u>Equipment:</u></div>
Ceramic crock or food-grade plastic bucket, one-gallon capacity or greater (my crock is 5 liters, but I typically only fill 1/2 to 2/3 of the way)<br />
Plate or weights that fits inside crock or bucket<br />
Cloth cover (like a napkin or towel)</div>
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Optional (lid for crock)<br />
Food processor, grater, mandolin, or knife</div>
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I clean everything thoroughly and give it all a dilute vinegar rinse (acid conditions are what you're going for, so this is good).</div>
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I'm using a <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20/detail/B001QFGZ2U" target="_blank">Gairtopf fermentation crock</a> that is ideally suited for fermenting, but you don't need this to be successful.<br />
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<u>Ingredients:</u><br />
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Sauerkraut and sea salt (or canning salt). Don't use table salt which contains iodine.</div>
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11 pounds of fresh cabbage (red or green). You're shooting for about a 5% brine solution (the water will come from the cabbage-- I will explain later) which is approximately 6 Tablespoons of salt for 10 pounds of cabbage. If you start with 11 pounds of cabbage, you'll end up with closer to 10# after cleaning (removing outer leaves and the hearts).</div>
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If you need to make more brine to cover your cabbage (unlikely). You just make more 5% salt solution (3 Tablespoons of salt per quart of water).</div>
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<u>Making Sauerkraut:</u><br />
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Chop or grate cabbage (without hearts) finely or coarsely (however you want your final sauerkraut to be). I find that using a knife is both really messy and takes a long time.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPGUM1bxVMiEp0OSyp8QOpdtl7hASJcOV9iStGO4siURa12TspGqod2cNXF5mMaNsMb2FJ2TqNeNDIE1OwhpTUhse1mvuAHvWE-5cLUNKCn-IBhKJeNJdGEwYuIa2HLEaw-Z7iBFFy2w/s1600/Prep+cabbage.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBPGUM1bxVMiEp0OSyp8QOpdtl7hASJcOV9iStGO4siURa12TspGqod2cNXF5mMaNsMb2FJ2TqNeNDIE1OwhpTUhse1mvuAHvWE-5cLUNKCn-IBhKJeNJdGEwYuIa2HLEaw-Z7iBFFy2w/s320/Prep+cabbage.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
A few years ago I stopped using a mandolin for making sauerkraut after an accident that resulted in a trip to the ER, several stitches, and a reattached (though now numb) tip of the little finger on my right hand. I now use the grater attachment of out Kitchen Aid mixer. Though noisy, it makes less mess and is pretty quick. Put the shredded cabbage in a large bowl as you chop it.</div>
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Pack into crock and add a sprinkle salt on the cabbage as you go.<br />
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The salt extracts water from the cabbage and creates the brine. The salt also prevents the cabbage from getting mushy.<br />
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Although I'm just making cabbage sauerkraut in the photos, you can add other vegetables (grated carrots), fruit (apples), and herbs/spices (dill or celery seeds, juniper berries). It's your sauerkraut so make what you like. You want to pack just a bit into the crock at a time and tamp it down hard with your fists or a potato masher. I like the wooden tamper that came with the Kitchen Aid mixer. This prevents air bubbles in the crock and bruises the sauerkraut to help release the water. Put a clean plate or the crock weights on the sauerkraut and press down firmly.</div>
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You won't get enough water out of the cabbage right away, so you need to wait. Cover kraut with a cloth and press down on the plate or weights every few hours.<br />
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By the next morning, enough time has passed that the water is drawn out of the cabbage so that the cabbage and weights are submerged beneath the brine. Cover with the crock lid and fill the water ring. <span style="text-align: -webkit-auto;">If the brine does not rise above the plate level by the next day, you can add your own brine solution to cover. You must keep the weight and cabbage submerged to get good sauerkraut!</span></div>
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Now leave it a few weeks to ferment. The fermentation is slower in cool weather, so try it in 2-3 weeks in summer and 3-4 weeks in winter. We like our sauerkraut pretty stinky (in a good way!) and it is cold this time of year, so I'll probably let this sit for a month. Taste your sauerkraut by removing the lid and weights and dipping into the fermenting cabbage with a clean fork. If it's not ready, then smooth the surface of the cabbage and press down on the weights to submerge and let it ferment longer. When the sauerkraut is how you like it, put in jars and refrigerate with a tight lid (you do not need to heat process can it). When you open the jars, the kraut will begin fermenting again (albeit slowly in the fridge). This is how we learned that we like our sauerkraut a bit more fermented than we originally thought.</div>
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Although less common in the Gairtopf crock (because the water ring results in a good seal), sometimes you'll get mold on the surface of the brine. Don't freak out. Skim what you can off of the surface (a dry paper towel followed by a measuring cup work really well); though you will probably not be able to remove all of it. Rinse off the weight and taste the kraut. </div>
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Bert loves our homemade sauerkraut and eats it most mornings with her eggs. It has a nice tangy taste with a decent crunch. So much better than the canned stuff in stores!</div>
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If you're interested in making your own sauerkraut, I'd suggest some reading. Sandor Katz has a great book <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20/detail/1931498237" target="_blank"><i>Wild Fermentation</i></a> that is both a resource for recipes and a source for inspiration.</div>
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Other links of interest:</div>
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sauerkraut</div>
http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/sauerkraut.htm<br />
http://www.herbs2000.com/articles/08-05-22_sauerkraut.htm<br />
http://www.wildfermentation.com/resources.php?page=sauerkraut<br />
<a href="http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ1091.html">http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ1091.html</a></div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark<br />
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<b>UPDATE April 6, 2013 </b><br />
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And two months later the finished product is ready to put in jars. You know it's finished when the taste is just tangy enough. It will mellow a bit once you put it in the jars and store in the fridge.<br />
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The eleven pounds of cabbage made 5 full large mason jars and a little extra.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbZN6wlQsKBHj7apx1bYmNBdD1YO4qPItxcBd3KGNZ78aLk8jfpjlEDrIiESvdxYPM_DV4Xg15_mv_CwmKQ2SNJfnsIFD6BHRjEgLBK9i85nyLSl5yak8qlfwt58m8nUi8PCfkoC3PpI/s1600/IMG_0144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbZN6wlQsKBHj7apx1bYmNBdD1YO4qPItxcBd3KGNZ78aLk8jfpjlEDrIiESvdxYPM_DV4Xg15_mv_CwmKQ2SNJfnsIFD6BHRjEgLBK9i85nyLSl5yak8qlfwt58m8nUi8PCfkoC3PpI/s320/IMG_0144.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sauerkraut ready to eat and store in the fridge. ENJOY!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Enough to get us through to cabbage harvest.<br />
<br />
Cheers,<br />
<br />
Mark<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-14311136070862052132013-01-25T06:39:00.000-05:002013-01-25T06:39:00.281-05:00Different Worm Species- Why red wigglers?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Different Worm Species: Why do I recommend red wigglers for indoor composting?</b></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I get th<span style="font-size: small;">is</span> question pretty regularly<span style="font-size: small;">, <span style="font-size: small;">or one of the</span></span> related question<span style="font-size: small;">s:</span> </span></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can I mix different worm species?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Can I use wild caught worms from my yard or compost pile?</span></span></li>
</ul>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best way to begin this <span style="font-size: small;">is to <span style="font-size: small;">consider the </span></span></span>conditions <span style="font-size: small;">various worm species </span>require to thrive. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The earthworm species most often used for composting are red wigglers (<i>Eisenia foetida</i> or <i>Eisenia andrei</i>).
Red wigglers are ideally suited to the indoor compost bin: they prefer
soil temperatures that are in the same range as<span style="font-size: small;"> th<span style="font-size: small;">e air temperatures where we ar<span style="font-size: small;">e comfortable</span></span></span> (65-75F), tolerate mixing and
lots of food in their environment, reproduce rapidly, and consume a lot
of food relative to their size. <i>Eisenia</i> worms can be found in old manure piles, but are not commonly found in yards in the northern US. Personally, I wou<span style="font-size: small;">ld</span> not want to pick a pound of red wigglers out <span style="font-size: small;">of a manure pile<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">(and hope that I didn't grab any other critters) </span></span></span></span> to start an indoor bin<span style="font-size: small;">, but it co<span style="font-size: small;">uld </span>be done.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Although common nightcrawlers (<i>Lumbricus terrestris</i>) and field worms (<i>Diplocardia or </i><em>Octolasion</em>)
may be easily found in your yard, they are not recommended for indoor
worm bin operations. These worms burrow deeper than most bins allow and
generally require cooler temperatures than typical for the indoor
environment. Also, because they build burrows, they do not tolerate
mixing (surface feeding is recommended) and may require dietary
supplementation of corn meal or other foods to thrive. Indoor vermicomposting with nightcrawlers is a method that others use with success. If
you're interested in trying night crawlers, I can refer you to experts
who can help you on your way.</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Because
different worm species have different requirements, I do not suggest
mixing worm species in your worm bin. If conditions become unsuitable
for one species, they may die or leave your bin. </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In general, I recommend
red wigglers for people interested in vermicomposting indoors. You really can't go wron<span style="font-size: small;">g with a simp<span style="font-size: small;">le bin and a pound of bed run red wigglers.<span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cheers,</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mark</span></span></div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="color: black; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-43749235576050107342013-01-22T20:53:00.000-05:002013-01-22T20:53:00.525-05:00Permaculture- What is it and why it is important<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My definition of permaculture is "<i>Integrating natural energy flow and tendencies into your home, yard, and garden to make them more sustainable, efficient, and productive</i>".</span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Permaculture is a more thoughtful, not necessarily more labor intensive, way of gardening. Although more effort may be needed initially, a properly designed permaculture garden will be much less resource intensive (both in labor and monetary inputs) over time.</span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Designing for low input means low input of anything: money, time, labor, water, soil, fertilizer, pesticides, etc. The goal of permaculture is to design systems so they are in balance and need no or little input to be sustainable.Low input should not be considered lazy design. If it requires less labor in the long run because your design is more creative, observant, and thoughtful, how is this bad?</span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This often means being flexible to adapt to failures and changing conditions. If a type of plant is not working in that location (soil type, light, moisture, then you can work to change the conditions or use a different plant there. This is a common theme for my yard and garden-- trial and error to learn what works best where. I am constantly moving plants (and losing some) as I learn the microclimates and microsoil conditions of my own yard. I consider these to be minor tweaks to the system and part of the natural process. Eve<span style="font-size: small;">ntually, I will find the opti<span style="font-size: small;">mal <span style="font-size: small;">location</span> for a </span></span>plant and the<span style="font-size: small;">re <span style="font-size: small;">it will </span>stay<span style="font-size: small;">. If a plant is not happy where <span style="font-size: small;">you <span style="font-size: small;">have it-- do some inve<span style="font-size: small;">sti<span style="font-size: small;">gating and <span style="font-size: small;">move it<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The bottom line is that we should be working with nature rather than against it, and Looking to nature for lessons. </span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Check your local adult education office for courses on permaculture (http://www.maineadulted.org/).</span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cheers,</span></span></div>
<div style="color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mark</span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-44162651356284268762012-12-20T06:41:00.000-05:002012-12-20T06:41:00.441-05:00Worm Bin for Christmas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">(A reprise of a past blog)</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR95jwyyIg12Y5HQiug37q1n6B9tnrrqhd0mH_s6kfDrdUixfEEboYe9nxGCTpUA1TzomkdTY7Ra364I3odHBX-xP1IJK9kYnF4WnBregYNgwu17CPjBaZQCazPrL-dn71qvtfpAvwRP0/s1600/100_1336.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR95jwyyIg12Y5HQiug37q1n6B9tnrrqhd0mH_s6kfDrdUixfEEboYe9nxGCTpUA1TzomkdTY7Ra364I3odHBX-xP1IJK9kYnF4WnBregYNgwu17CPjBaZQCazPrL-dn71qvtfpAvwRP0/s320/100_1336.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">A
story that I heard a while back told of a worm bin and pound of worms
as the hot item at a Yankee swap Christmas party.I believe that a worm bin and pound of worms make a great gift at any time of year. </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> The more people we have
vermicomposting the better.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span">Worm
bins need not be expensive or complicated. I think a simple bin is
really a lot easier to use (and certainly easier to build<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', sans-serif;"> for the gift giver</span></span>!). <span style="font-size: small;">The so<span style="font-size: small;">l<span style="font-size: small;">i</span>d bottom</span></span> bin style will never leak, and <span style="font-size: small;">if you do not rel<span style="font-size: small;">y o<span style="font-size: small;">n bottom drainage, you cannot drown your worms (wh<span style="font-size: small;">ich can happen on bottom draini<span style="font-size: small;">ng styles if the drain hol<span style="font-size: small;">e becomes clogged).</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">If you're not ready to commit <span style="font-size: small;">just <span style="font-size: small;">yet, </span></span>I offer gift certificates on my website (see </span><a href="http://www.wormmainea.com/Gifts.html">http://www.wormmainea.com/Gifts.html</a><span class="Apple-style-span">) </span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span">In my mind, the perfect gift would be a book on vermicomposting (like Mary Appelhof's book</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Worms-Eat-My-Garbage-Composting/dp/0977804518?ie=UTF8&tag=wormm-20&link_code=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969" target="_blank">Worms Eat My Garbage: How to Set Up and Maintain a Worm Composting System</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=wormm-20&l=btl&camp=213689&creative=392969&o=1&a=0977804518" style="border: medium none ! important; margin: 0px ! important; padding: 0px ! important;" width="1" /><span class="Apple-style-span">), a pound of worms and a new bin (or a WormMainea gift certificate for these). </span><span class="Apple-style-span">If
you are already vermicomposting, you can provide the worms and make the
bin. If you're an experienced vermicomposter, you can provide vermiconsultation and skip the book<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-size: small;">Worm<span style="font-size: small;">Mainea also </span></span>has t-s<span style="font-size: small;">hi<span style="font-size: small;">rts for sale (<span style="font-size: small;">variety of s<span style="font-size: small;">izes for old and young). All are printed on organic cotton<span style="font-size: small;">. C</span>ontact m</span></span></span></span></span></span></span>e if you are interested<span style="font-size: small;">.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYRX3pCI6sdTZaAfx0QBOZgIRRWbnRqt3pXP-GKBE_eMnkcwHw2DTWs4z0Y1o_p6H4LvDj1RhKw61ChsGZf8ueZk-udNZpbP2s1mWG5aZ0FJlxCMp4dmK7614OLx4WX_-isM9Fkx_gGU/s1600/2012-11-20T17-29-23_48.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicYRX3pCI6sdTZaAfx0QBOZgIRRWbnRqt3pXP-GKBE_eMnkcwHw2DTWs4z0Y1o_p6H4LvDj1RhKw61ChsGZf8ueZk-udNZpbP2s1mWG5aZ0FJlxCMp4dmK7614OLx4WX_-isM9Fkx_gGU/s320/2012-11-20T17-29-23_48.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">If
you are looking for other gift ideas, I recently <span style="font-size: small;">updated the </span>Amazon lists
of my recommended vermicomposting supplies, as well as favorite garden
tools and books.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"> Purchas<span style="font-size: small;">ing throug<span style="font-size: small;">h my Amazon store costs you nothing and <span style="font-size: small;">benefits <span style="font-size: small;">maintenance of <span style="font-size: small;">the WormMainea website.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span">You can view my Amazon st<span style="font-size: small;">ore<span style="font-size: small;"> categor<span style="font-size: small;">ies </span></span></span>at:</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=1" style="text-decoration: underline;">WormMainea vermicomposting tools and supplies.</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><br />
</span><br />
<div id="kgpk">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=2" style="text-decoration: underline;">WormMainea gardening tools.</a></span></span></div>
<div id="kgpk">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div id="kgpk">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=3" style="text-decoration: underline;">WormMainea gardening book recommendations.</a></span></span></div>
<div id="fdzj">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cheers,<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mark</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-10370980503416110392012-12-15T06:24:00.000-05:002012-12-24T11:11:11.853-05:00The many benefits of vermicomposting<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Let's review many benefits of vermicomposting</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM0eUITZERqDKckxataEexnKUROuFOwHH01ccL_TZ3mrEofWSefXW6fuEr38yR8jQY9nr2CT-fNfB1NBiPQ8oy8efPuDyYnazi4l2DsPm0l9Np2AJ_7PVs9v0Qt7e6pDvmrx0liCN9EU/s1600/Lily+of+the+valley+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDM0eUITZERqDKckxataEexnKUROuFOwHH01ccL_TZ3mrEofWSefXW6fuEr38yR8jQY9nr2CT-fNfB1NBiPQ8oy8efPuDyYnazi4l2DsPm0l9Np2AJ_7PVs9v0Qt7e6pDvmrx0liCN9EU/s320/Lily+of+the+valley+photo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Benefits in your Home</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">
<li>Reduce the amount of organic matter in your trash</li>
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">fewer bags</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">less stinky!</span></li>
</ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Provides free soil amendment and fertilizer</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Great fun for children</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You are recycling nutrients into your yard</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BxFPIAjv9NdLpzx8b23PnNxZ12CHnG8Z_CDaqyLI8dxA8WInxfYlBeTWawqWLLOGpvFiN8Mf6EkXqfzYjvKhyphenhyphenLfHOpcaH5a2P9A9pyns8hJHkkR6cd4NAcu34kkkLIIrS2MqducpulY/s1600/Poppy+photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BxFPIAjv9NdLpzx8b23PnNxZ12CHnG8Z_CDaqyLI8dxA8WInxfYlBeTWawqWLLOGpvFiN8Mf6EkXqfzYjvKhyphenhyphenLfHOpcaH5a2P9A9pyns8hJHkkR6cd4NAcu34kkkLIIrS2MqducpulY/s320/Poppy+photo.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Economic Benefits (Micro and Macro)</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Saves you money</span></li>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">you don't have to buy fertili<span style="font-size: large;">z</span>er</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">directly save money if you have pay-per-bag for trash</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Saves your town money</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">less trash= less diesel to haul trash</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">less trash= lower tipping fees at landfill</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If your town uses trash-to-steam, organic wastes is not an efficient source of energy</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWS_tvpmE-YiVSl3cv5ugFoOpDl4RsdvIuy9-A28DTmx_6J3eauzbesXfSdWKETAA1FMyy9JSrzurZjcfsnTK6W7IlWSx9xOopG82LO6oxPFOv1LOwI7vYp75qqJ51RHmoejuTICEQk/s1600/2012-11-20T17-29-23_39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGoWS_tvpmE-YiVSl3cv5ugFoOpDl4RsdvIuy9-A28DTmx_6J3eauzbesXfSdWKETAA1FMyy9JSrzurZjcfsnTK6W7IlWSx9xOopG82LO6oxPFOv1LOwI7vYp75qqJ51RHmoejuTICEQk/s320/2012-11-20T17-29-23_39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Benefits to Soil (when vermicompost is used outside)</span></div>
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Improves its physical structure or tilth</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Establishes and supports soil micro-organisms</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Improves water holding capacity</span></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0HhgUMss8uf0VoB5zB5BeyQbTyzgHHthinU9RNrIVzer34m7pOCWd1VBgXwdzylcdhDrsZZGbJgs_3bcGQ-vBlMO0bC_emSPNpVK2pFvYa4ydFFd7cx58aOIK0dnBP-d91mlViNLcdE/s1600/peony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0HhgUMss8uf0VoB5zB5BeyQbTyzgHHthinU9RNrIVzer34m7pOCWd1VBgXwdzylcdhDrsZZGbJgs_3bcGQ-vBlMO0bC_emSPNpVK2pFvYa4ydFFd7cx58aOIK0dnBP-d91mlViNLcdE/s320/peony.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Benefits to Plants</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Improves plant health</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Enhances germination & growth</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Improves root growth and structure</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Enhances uptake of nutrients and micronutrients</span></li>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wSLWax8pKMYd__Nswd7pSHgdbAE_uhtAR6vASjLpOuakuiiobTXY9N0715jFB607klYE0W0qXgqBQRBCg_fuIhFDU51XM1me9NvE2oKo0qZOd0v-0FwskAyS0QT0Pa4hjabNOB8C32w/s1600/2012-11-20T17-29-23_32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7wSLWax8pKMYd__Nswd7pSHgdbAE_uhtAR6vASjLpOuakuiiobTXY9N0715jFB607klYE0W0qXgqBQRBCg_fuIhFDU51XM1me9NvE2oKo0qZOd0v-0FwskAyS0QT0Pa4hjabNOB8C32w/s320/2012-11-20T17-29-23_32.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Environmental Benefits</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Most of the above are great for the environment</span></li>
<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">less diesel to transport waste</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">recycling waste on-site</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">reducing the need to produce fertilizer</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Improving soil structure leads to healthier plants</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">need less water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">need fewer pesticides</span></li>
</ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">Improving soil in your yard= </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">less runoff</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">If you're not vermicomposting, why not start today. If you already have a worm bin, consider giving a bin and some of your worms as a gift. Just make a bin and give a half gallon worms and vermicompost (bed run) from an active area of your bin<span style="font-size: large;"> t<span style="font-size: large;">o a friend or family member. They will th<span style="font-size: large;">ank you!</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Cheers,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Mark</span></div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-21038701136836805362012-12-09T19:45:00.000-05:002012-12-09T19:45:00.293-05:00Time to Bring in Your Bee Boxes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're in southern Maine, it is time to bring in your <a href="http://www.wormmainea.com/Bees.html" target="_blank">bee box</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RRQC4FcZ5ooVeGH6nztmHyEtdjWmSZGm3B_jZqQ9ibbzSP5YsWuZez9byFYffmAW5jdoQuCo8GNmeFFHQRoSp9GhI0-0wAyDyAQt-2Mlqn_WasdcpjPpTf_zn88Q1a4Pklk9e0OMyTg/s1600/New+bee+box+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8RRQC4FcZ5ooVeGH6nztmHyEtdjWmSZGm3B_jZqQ9ibbzSP5YsWuZez9byFYffmAW5jdoQuCo8GNmeFFHQRoSp9GhI0-0wAyDyAQt-2Mlqn_WasdcpjPpTf_zn88Q1a4Pklk9e0OMyTg/s320/New+bee+box+2.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We brought ours in today. A bit later than usual, but everything was late this year (or so it seemed).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Place your bee box in the garage or shed (don't bring indoors!) and store it until spring.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I put ours out again in late March as soon as the ground thaws enough for me to stand them up in the ground.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheers,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mark</span><br />
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-48055420510496463212012-12-08T18:34:00.002-05:002012-12-08T18:34:28.977-05:00N-P-K Value of Vermicompost<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One question I often get concerns the N-P-K of worm castings.
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The first thing I want to discuss is the difference between worm castings and vermicompost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Worm castings are literally worm poop. The processed material that has been eaten by worms and been excreted. If you have worm castings then you have worm poop. This is nearly virtually impossible to achieve in a home vermicompost system since the worms will run out of food and die before you achieve this.
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vermicompost is more accurate. Vermicompost is what I produce (and most other vermicomposters produce). Vermicompost is a mixture of worm castings, partially composted wastes, and any resistant materials that won’t readily break down. Really high quality vermicompost should have a high percentage of worm castings, but will also contain some other material (my vermicompost often has some egg shells, coffee grounds, and some small pieces of bedding). These are not contaminants, as they don't harm anything when used to make tea, start seeds, or as top dressing (things I commonly do with my vermicompost.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">
</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I will use the term vermicompost in this discussion to be accurate. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">When I've had my vermicompost tested the results have sometime come back high (once as 2-1-1), but more commonly much lower (1-0.5-0 or 0.5-0-0) typically with high calcium (these probably differ depending on what I've fed the worms).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.0078125);">Do these numbers seem low to you? They would if you were to compare them with commercial fertilizer. However, t</span>he value of vermicompost (or worm castings) is more significant than a standard N-P-K fertilizer scale would suggest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The N-P-K fertilizer scale was developed to give consumers information about hat hey were purchasing in commercially bagged fertilizer-- it tells you what's in the bag so you know how to apply it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Vermicompost is </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">far more complex than chemical fertilizer, and it contains many other substances (biological and chemical that improve soil and support healthy plants. Some of these include </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">humus, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">worm mucus, </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">and </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">plant growth promoters like cytokinins. In addition, vermicompost commonly contains ten times as much microorganism activity as plain soil (microscopic bacteria and fungi). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">All of these support a healthy</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> soil food web. The microorganisms in the soil are able to provide the plant with everything it needs to be healthy. Because the so</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">il is a living system there is no excess fertilizer to run off. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Healthy soil makes for healthy plants.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The humus and worm mucus in the vermicompost helps the soil hold more water, retain its structure (or tilth), and stay aerated, while also providing binding sites for micronutrients that would otherwise wash out of soil during heavy rains. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">So, as you tend to your worm bin this winter think about the great soil amendment that your worms are making and how wonderful your garden will be next year...</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cheers,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Mark</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-59877055963223445362012-11-20T15:33:00.001-05:002012-11-20T15:33:35.590-05:00Next Steps<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">I've been asked about the next steps after your bin is up and running. How long does it take to fill a bin...</span><div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
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<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;">The next steps and speed you need to employ them really depend on you.</span></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">How warm is soil? Food breaks down more quickly and the worms reproduce more rapidly in warmer soil. Soil temps are cool if 45-60F. 60F and higher is considered warm. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;">What kind if food do you put in? Some food breaks down more quickly than other types. Think about a potato and a strawberry on your counter. The potato is good for months, but the strawberry turns to mush and gets grayish mold in a matter of days. The same thing happens in your bin. Remember the worms need to food to break down before they eat it. Some food is almost immediately available for the worms to eat, and other types of food takes much longer (stalks of Brussels sprouts, ends of asparagus, broccoli stems, etc.)</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;">How large are the pieces of food? Food breaks down faster in smaller pieces (larger surface area). </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: Helvetica;">All of these determine how fast the worms reproduce (typically 10-12 weeks), but that difference adds up in a few generations. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">So, I typically respond to this question as follows: an 18 gallon bin with a pound of worms will be filled by a family 4 in 3-6 months (filled as in the bin will be 2/3 full and ready to harvest). Closer to 3 months if the bin is in a warm area and the family juices weekly. (If you juice you're putting in a pound or more fruit and veggie pulp which breaks down in days). Closer to 6 moths if the bin is in a cooler area and larger pieces are added.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">All that said, most people will find that they can harvest once yearly and be fine. You can harvest sooner, but you do not need to. I recommend harvesting at least annually.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Remember that Christmas is coming. If you're bin is a bit full, consider giving a pound and a bin as a gift this year. Scoop a half gallon of worm castings and worms from an active area of your bin (under the bedding). This is bed run. That is just what the new bin needs to get off to a great start.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Regards,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Mark</span></div>
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WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-38413982630294207892012-07-08T17:42:00.000-04:002012-07-08T17:42:09.889-04:00Intellicon: great product with excellent warranty<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black;">After </span>several years of service and savings (see my <a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2009/06/big-savings-from-small-investment-can.html" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">blog from 2009</span></a>), our Intellicon had an issue in late 2011. The unit had a sensor fault (see below photos from early in the fault). Average savings of 24.3% for ET 3417.7 hours. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTFLjHD-aT0vqCdLA-NWwtshPb7dLOLRio1faBULptRi2W0oDpH8QPcBZQClSIN6WvE1xXQpHicyiMipcLC-QQYlDhdD5p8F3tM0gEp0J5qtPUjlLfg1UwOTezsrD0qnZMQzRlPYpv66I/s1600/Intellicon+ET.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDO-_pJJF5Iu1yyn1WRu2DSFFcqzVsqkd723bcyjhKN-ijRrBsq-Bp-N1MjHAc2qMM7N57wsBpsGKBpKqLyiZbGtCefgKTr_GeD3SXInj3zbeQLXkrx5gZvQ0t6tv7z3B6WTi8bEIkKZU/s1600/Intellicon+Average.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDO-_pJJF5Iu1yyn1WRu2DSFFcqzVsqkd723bcyjhKN-ijRrBsq-Bp-N1MjHAc2qMM7N57wsBpsGKBpKqLyiZbGtCefgKTr_GeD3SXInj3zbeQLXkrx5gZvQ0t6tv7z3B6WTi8bEIkKZU/s320/Intellicon+Average.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nNkxc8AM1z_XagzNE692YyAx1pMKi6z8Sq0jOV5uMjb9S7gX0pLSKIwUE-6mK5oAot4Nsj5j-01yHGcqdQxceLEAMmoCMddAgd_4w6XQgYYp1_UYA9mlIH0xNLjfmgd8mVVWwWCTAV0/s1600/Intellicon+ET.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0nNkxc8AM1z_XagzNE692YyAx1pMKi6z8Sq0jOV5uMjb9S7gX0pLSKIwUE-6mK5oAot4Nsj5j-01yHGcqdQxceLEAMmoCMddAgd_4w6XQgYYp1_UYA9mlIH0xNLjfmgd8mVVWwWCTAV0/s320/Intellicon+ET.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br style="background-color: white;" />I contacted Intellidyne (manufacturer) with my serial number, installation date, name of installer and reported error.</div>
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<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">Michelle Arroyo</span> answered my call and sent me out a new sensor at no charge. </div>
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<br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;">The part arrived (with instructions) and I installed it over lunch. It was so easy!</span><br style="background-color: white;" /><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">This kind of service is remarkable. Intellidyne makes a great product and stands behind it.</span></div>
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If you have an oil boiler, look into adding one of their retrofit units.</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark<br />
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</div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-39103640344380619832012-06-17T06:42:00.000-04:002012-06-17T06:42:00.850-04:00Make your own compost tea!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Come on, it's easy!!</span><br />
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Here's my recipe for vermicompost tea: <a href="http://www.wormmainea.com/Compost_tea.pdf">http://www.wormmainea.com/Compost_tea.pdf</a></span></div>
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<span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-size: small; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Tip of my hat to my collaborator Bruce Deuly from Texas of Deuly's Own Organics for helping me scale the recipe down to 5 gallon bucket size.</span></span></div>
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You can substitute any compost for my vermicompost.</div>
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By the way, I now routinely add 1T <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wormm-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001RE9YZ0%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">Neptune's Harvest</a> and/or 1-2T <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ciframe%20src=%22http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=wormm-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B000FQBBHK%22%20style=%22width:120px;height:240px;%22%20scrolling=%22no%22%20marginwidth=%220%22%20marginheight=%220%22%20frameborder=%220%22%3E%3C/iframe%3E" target="_blank">seaweed </a>(dried & pulverized by putting in a bag and running over with my car) from Scarborough beach along with unsulfured molasses or barley malt syrup. </div>
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More information on making and using compost tea or vermicompost tea can be found here:</div>
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<a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2008/06/seasonality-of-worm-compost-tea.html">http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2008/06/seasonality-of-worm-compost-tea.html</a><br />
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<a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2009/04/effect-of-worm-compost-tea-on-amaryllis.html#links">http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2009/04/effect-of-worm-compost-tea-on-amaryllis.html</a><br />
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<a href="https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=125" target="_blank">https://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=125</a></div>
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All the supplies you need for making tea can be found in <a href="http://astore.amazon.com/wormm-20" target="_blank">my Amazon store</a>. Every view and purchase made supports WormMainea. Thank you!</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark</div>
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</div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-57290557712435629582012-06-16T19:28:00.000-04:002012-06-16T19:28:00.062-04:00My reluctance to scaling up vermicomposting operations<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">In the past year or so I have had many people ask me one of the following questions:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Why can't you sell me worms this week (how can you be out of worms until next week)?"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Can you supply me with 10# next week or tomorrow?"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>"Why don't you make this your business?"</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">The specific answers to these questions differs, but they all have a common element: vermicomposting is my hobby. I do it when I want and spend only as long as I want on it. That way it is still enjoyable to me. My low-pressure attitude does take a few hits as I must keep my herd fed and plan for my annual trip to the <a href="http://www.mofga.org/" target="_blank">Common Ground Fair</a>, but otherwise I tell people that my scale of operations (FMI see<a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/12/virtual-tour-of-wormmainea-worm-farm.html" target="_blank"> Virtual Tour of WormMainea</a>) only permits me to sell so many pounds per week (a number that varies depending on how much I did a few months ago and how much I was selling in the past few weeks). </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">My personal reasons for not “expanding my worm operation” is deeply rooted in my desire to retain this as an enjoyable hobby. To expand to a commercial level operation (or to consider this as my business) would require changes in the way I grow, because as it stands I don't really track my labor by it can't be more than minimum wage. I would also need more space which would come at a price either outside the home [rent $] or taking over more of the basement [peace in my home life]. Also, to be commercially viable I would probably need to exploit efficiencies of scale (to make my time investment worthwhile) by investing in better equipment: a food shredder, grow mats or heated tables, etc. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">For me to operate WormMainea as a hobby limits my production to 3-6 pounds of worms per week (as I said earlier temperature, previous sales, and past attentiveness influence this). With sufficient notice I can supply perhaps as much as 10#, but when I sell more to a single person, I have to compromise and sell to fewer individuals. This generally works out and customers are typically very understanding and reasonable. But this brings me to my point: a better alternative to scaling up is for me to continue to encourage other growers in Maine (and elsewhere) to replicate my operation. No, I don't feel that it is necessary for me to ship worms outside of New England</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="border-collapse: separate; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Some people are naturally inclined towards business, and vermicomposting is a hobby with potential. If you like growing worms and have the space to accommodate multiple bins, why not give some to your friends and/or put some up for sale on Craigslist (or elsewhere)? The compromises one would have to make to sell on an economically viable scale may not be major obstacles for everyone. I suggest you start small and figure out if you want to expand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Cheers,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Mark</span></div>
</div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-32587635870099117262012-06-10T19:39:00.000-04:002012-06-10T19:39:00.058-04:00Air source heat pump<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Our energy auditor saw this on <a href="http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/" target="_blank">Green Building Advisor</a> and forwarded it to me (Thanks <a href="http://www.freeenergymaine.com/" target="_blank">Erik</a>!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The article discusses using solar electric and grid-tied air source heat pumps (like our <a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/10/water-heater-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">GeoSpring</a>) for hot water supply.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Read the article at http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/musings/solar-thermal-dead</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Cheers,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mark </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"></span></div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-14843658198628672772012-06-09T06:04:00.000-04:002012-06-09T06:04:00.242-04:00Taking Soil Samples for Soil Test<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Since I posted my blog on <a href="http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2012/06/soil-testing-results-and-interpretation.html" target="_blank">interpreting soil sample results</a>, several people have asked me about collecting soil samples. </div>
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Collecting soil samples for your soil test is easy. Here is how I do it.<br />
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Make sure that you follow the directions exactly included with either type of test kits as it will affect the results of the test. Always make sure to use clean tools and bucket.<br />
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When you take the sample, make sure the soil is not too wet from any recent rain or prolonged watering. To get the best results take the sample before any fertilizer has been applied or at least not recently applied.</div>
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To begin you will need a clean pail or mixing container. Unless it is brand new then make sure that is well cleaned (rinsed out & dry). By not washing the pail out carefully any remnants of prior use could register in the soil test.<br />
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Use a shovel to dig a small hole 3 to 6 inches deep. With the shovel, after the hole is dug, take a sample of the turf and soil plug from top to bottom. I shoot for a sample that is about 1" down from green part of the grass (where the dirt is). That is the sample you will use for the test. Once you have the sample, place it into the pail.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNW_BIoNa5dc3dQblp51lNrFUmsPTOrJqp8_twtSt8YcT7xJgLs2SVCJsL0yR3edP8v2rZEmzFtoQjcRiLe99tyK_d_0kab7AdNSs5sj73IW-m9_GXDy_-xr3FuW4OeepnU_OwS8qtro/s1600/Taking+samples.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNW_BIoNa5dc3dQblp51lNrFUmsPTOrJqp8_twtSt8YcT7xJgLs2SVCJsL0yR3edP8v2rZEmzFtoQjcRiLe99tyK_d_0kab7AdNSs5sj73IW-m9_GXDy_-xr3FuW4OeepnU_OwS8qtro/s320/Taking+samples.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking a soil sample from the 3-6" depth of a soil plug</td></tr>
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To make a composite sample that is representative of the whole yard (or area you want to have analyzed), take samples from various parts of the yard. You want a total of 30 samples (this year I collected 15 from front and 15 from rear). I use my rake (shown in the photo above on the left) to take samples every 1.5 meters in a crisscross pattern. From each area try to put approximately the same amount of soil into the bucket.</div>
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Avoid areas that are near the drip line (especially if you have lead-based paint). If the soil is not dry, then put the pail aside in a sheltered, dry location and let the
soil dry overnight.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqngTSwHGVWWoTpoT-KObZImZjS9gQffq0jp_UcKy4OhkVdN9Wh0zwjOLgZW1fl4PzfqLC2JGAZR2KF3Y3YemyKeXOdMZHGEErLrI3Ftph36ZISzNUbRXFa4VeJOL43fiR0_At0TBMqJI/s1600/Soil+test+boxing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqngTSwHGVWWoTpoT-KObZImZjS9gQffq0jp_UcKy4OhkVdN9Wh0zwjOLgZW1fl4PzfqLC2JGAZR2KF3Y3YemyKeXOdMZHGEErLrI3Ftph36ZISzNUbRXFa4VeJOL43fiR0_At0TBMqJI/s320/Soil+test+boxing.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boxing up my dry mixed soil sample</td></tr>
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Combine the soil thoroughly in the pail and remove the amount the lab requires for the test. Put the sample in the container approved for the test and mail it as directed or return it to the testing office. By mixing the soil you will be providing a typical sample. This way the sample is representative of the areas sampled and the corrective measures recommended (e.g., fertilizer) can be done evenly over all those areas the yard.</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark</div>
</div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-48047269721009310012012-06-08T19:13:00.000-04:002012-06-08T19:13:00.216-04:00Gypsum for Lawns<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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If you have a lot of dandelions (often an indicator of imbalance in magnesium-calcium ratio) or if your soil test (see related blog entry) suggests your lawn needs more calcium (in our area this is probably likely), one of the best ways to correct the imbalance it is by spreading gypsum on your lawn. Correcting the calcium-magnesium balance also helps to prevent soil compaction.</div>
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Gypsum (instead of lime) also increases pH (in 2010 my soil test told me my pH is still a bit to acidic for the grasses I was growing.</div>
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According to the results of my soil test and the recommended target calcium level for soil, I applied 5# of pelleted gypsum per 1000 square feet (about half what I estimated I would need to add per year for 3 years) . For my approx 5000 square feet of turf lawn area that meant I'd use a little more than half a bag each application and need a bag a year for 3 years. Will use the last of my bag this fall and should be finished with gypsum amendments.</div>
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In the past I purchased my gypsum at ACE or Broadway (I prefer the Organic Traditions brand), depending on where I have a coupon. It comes in 40# bags, and I prefer pelleted gypsum because it is easy for me to spread it by hand (I don't own a drop spreader).</div>
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FMI see related posts: </div>
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http://www.wormmainea.blogspot.com/2012/06/soil-testing-results-and-interpretation.html</div>
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http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/04/natural-lawn-care-preparing-and-timing.html</div>
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Cheers,</div>
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Mark </div>
</div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97159224901137305.post-43161000406384871692012-06-05T06:11:00.000-04:002012-06-05T06:11:00.489-04:00Soil Testing: results and interpretation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The image below shows the results of my spring 2012 soil test for my lawn areas. This was the $33 test from University of Maine Cooperative Extension. While the test may seem a bit expensive, the information provided is well worth the price.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYF_dwvSZjsBWtlINmfeE_HgrdInIDISRAXTWFA73MQW4ogL7BwCTm7cCcg-3lnzJtbgPtyUvE2BuaBEHhl82ZoPHlGXNSRKOYZl9uYCC-yDk5N0Cy0XpmNhfN9VezXhA1JURq8L12GU/s1600/2012+Soil+Test.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQYF_dwvSZjsBWtlINmfeE_HgrdInIDISRAXTWFA73MQW4ogL7BwCTm7cCcg-3lnzJtbgPtyUvE2BuaBEHhl82ZoPHlGXNSRKOYZl9uYCC-yDk5N0Cy0XpmNhfN9VezXhA1JURq8L12GU/s640/2012+Soil+Test.jpg" width="492" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">2012 Soil Test Results</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Previous years' tests had suggested I needed to add more compost (hence my earlier blog showing overspreading compost), and this test shows that I can still use a bit more compost. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My calcium and pH levels are shown as above optimal, but the levels shown better suit my grass strain (see photo below). I achieved these higher levels through the addition of gypsum (gypsum raises pH, makes soil nitrogen more available, and prevents compaction and salt damage) over a four-year period (I used approximately 80 pounds per year on my lawn area). I will have a blog later this month devoted entirely to gypsum.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIKq6CQH8YZLY2DiRX9L9DU0TfouI-DxowNIch71HadKGlUtKajMOIAu19NDT1Ucl4egH0rZnCT0TCS6ReXjSzgcdqP9Oi8fxXfakvm4e532gSSek8Pc47_1h2PFwkYUdBkG2H5jq8KE/s1600/yard+2012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuIKq6CQH8YZLY2DiRX9L9DU0TfouI-DxowNIch71HadKGlUtKajMOIAu19NDT1Ucl4egH0rZnCT0TCS6ReXjSzgcdqP9Oi8fxXfakvm4e532gSSek8Pc47_1h2PFwkYUdBkG2H5jq8KE/s640/yard+2012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of lawn-- look at that beautiful clover!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Interpretation of Soil Test Results</u></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Macronutrients (N-P-K)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> These are all in the reasonable range. Some may say that my nitrogen level is low. I would not argue that the reading is low, but I expected as much. This is before any work on my lawn and my addition of compost and vermicompost tea will get the microorganisms fired up to start making nitrogen available. Also, I have clover in my lawn to pull nitrogen out of the air and fix it in the soil. I will not “fertilize” my lawn with nitrogen based fertilizer because it is not really needed. If you read the fine print, I would use 2 pounds of nitrogen per 1000 square feet, but only ½ that in late August (because I mulch my clippings) and because of organic program I would use only ½ of that. That takes me to ¼ pound of nitrogen per 1000 square feet. My compost overspreading this spring should supply my needed nitrogen as well as any sulfur and potash.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Soil Life (Microorganisms)</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My microbial biomass index is 44ppm, which is on a 1-100 scale. I am trying to get closer to 60ppm (optimal range). As I add more compost to the lawn (recall that I took these samples before my spring 2012 compost overspreading) the level will increase.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Micronutrients</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The decrease in micronutrient availability to plants as pH increases is not a great concern to me because it is a balancing act (given my increased pH and additions of humus-rich compost to the yard). Also, I plan to supplement my vermicompost tea with sea weed this year to boost the level of micronutrients that are available to the grass plants.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><u>Long View</u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My long-term goal is to have no external inputs to my lawn (just aeration, overseeding as needed, and vermicompost tea), so everything I do is a step in that direction. It is important to remember that small steps are the best approach. Make sure your additions are based on the recommendations in the soil test. You don’t want to overshoot—that would waste both money and time. Remember that I am mulching my lawn clippings, so there is no net loss of anything (macro or micronutrients).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Early in your organic switch, you should test your soil annually to check your additions. After that you can back off to once every three to five years-- preventive lawn maintenance. If lawn problems develop more frequent testing may be necessary. </span></div>WormMaineahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15200788882704268740noreply@blogger.com0