Retreating snow uncovers presents from neighborhood dogs

It never fails. With the retreating snow, frozen dog poo is revealed in my yard near the sidewalk. You'll find this also at the beach. I understand this is not always controllable and forgive the owners who forgot to bring a bag. I don't have a dog, but I sympathize with owners who have to clear the yard in the spring. The typical dog produces more than 200 pounds of waste each year, according to the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service.

What to do with it?

There is a solution, and I don't mean entombing the poo in a plastic shopping bag. Of course, the solution involves worms!

When it comes time to pick up after your pet, plastic shopping bags are bad options. If you choose plastic, you are wrapping something that degrades quickly in something that takes decades to break down.

Instead, use sturdy paper, or plant-based biodegradable bags. The corn-based BioBags, for example, are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute to break down in a matter of days (in industrial landfills; probably longer in a home compost pile).

If you chose to compost your pet waste,you should have a separate compost pile for pet waste, and you should not use the resulting soil on anything edible. As always, you want the compost pile to be HOT. The best practice is to ensure optimum temperatures is through layering and turning.

Or you can use worms...
The best solution (in my opinion) is to collect the poo in a bag (paper or biodegradable) or with a shovel and use it to fertilize your lawn (ensuring it is never used for food).

Essentially you are vermicomposting dog poo outside in the ground outside with a fancy cover.



My website shows how you can make your own a poo-doo vermicomposter to put on your lawn (http://www.wormmainea.com/Projects.html). You dig a hole in your lawn and insert a roll-top garbage can with the bottom cut out. Fill the hole half way with bedrun worms and it is ready to go. Be sure to place it away from low-lying areas of the lawn.

When it is nearly full, dig another hole, remove the garbage can and start again. You can cover the old hole with the sod you dug for the new hole or new grass seed. Like the grass near the septic tank, it will be a lush spot in your lawn.

The response on this has been great from people using it. It makes so much more sense than sending it to the landfill.

If you have worms, you can do this in about an hour with a cash outlay of <$20 to buy a container with a cover (like the Rubbermaid bullet 2 gallon roll top can) that will last for years.

Try this in your yard and let me know how it goes.

Cheers,

Mark

The Magic of Craigslist OR One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure

If you read my solar hot air blog (that sounds funny!), you may have noticed that we replaced the siding and windows on our home. We needed to replace the windows (to more energy efficient models), repair some water damage, and replace some of the damaged siding. Unable to match the color, we elected to replace all of it. When we got our quote, it included dump fees for disposing of the old windows and siding.

I am frugal by nature, so I had an idea: maybe someone would want some the windows and some of the siding. I thought this would avoid sending it to a landfill, and save both me and the recipient a few bucks.

So I listed these for free on Craigslist. It took me all of 15 minutes to post what I had. The response was INCREDIBLE.

The windows were snapped up within a day or two of removing them. And the siding is now gone, too.

Instead of going to a landfill, ALL of it is being reused or re-purposed . The people who came have been happy to get it for nothing and I am happy to have it gone (without sending it to the dump).

Before you throw something away, consider listing it for free on Craigslist. You may be surprised how many people want it.

Cheers,

Mark

QUESTION: What do I do with worm castings in March?!

I realize that some of you who purchased in the fall processed last weekend when temps in Maine were spring-like. My garden is still under about 2 feet of snow. Many contacted me to ask: what do I do with 15+ gallons of worm castings in March?

Worm castings can be stored in a container like a worm bin. Keep them moist and let the castings breathe (remember that the castings are alive!). You don't want to let the casting dry out if you're going to make great tea (active organisms plus nutrients). Most recipes for tea call for about a pound of castings in 5 gallons of water (dilute to 10 gallons to use).

Castings stored this way will keep for several months-- just in time for real spring! In the interim, use what you have to make tea for your houseplants or soil amendments for seed starters. Just remember that your vermicompost may be full of viable seeds!

Tip of the hat to Bruce Deuley for his valuable contributions to the procedure. You can get the brewed vermicompost tea directions FREE on my website.

Cheers,

Mark

Sourcing food for my herd and dreams of a composter for every home, restaurant, and grocery

When you first begin vermicomposting (with a pound of worms), it may seem as though the worms will never eat the food waste you produce. Then, as the worms multiply, you develop a nice balance and the worms keep pace with your input.

When you have as many worms as I do (18 bins with 4-15 pounds), my family of cannot produce enough to keep them all fed and multiplying. So, I utilize the waste from my local organic grocer (Lois’ Natural Marketplace in Scarborough). Mary and Chris (the chefs at Lois’ deli) kindly set aside coffee grounds and food scraps when I request it.

I am writing about this not to tell you how to feed a few hundred pounds of worms, but to encourage a grass roots movement. Think of this as an alternative recycling opportunity where everyone wins.

Everyone wins because:

My worms benefit from having nice organic veggies,

I benefit because I have a free supply of food and I can trust them to put only worm food in the bags,

Lois’ benefits from having less food waste in their dumpster, and

In the larger scheme of things, society benefits.

That’s right, society benefits. By having less waste go to the dump (or in this case the trash-to-steam incinerator), society benefits because less food waste equals less weight equals less fuel used to truck it around. Also, I learned from Chris of EcoMaine (the company who runs the incinerator) that organics such as food waste are a poor source of energy in the trash-to-steam process. They would rather not collect food waste.

I know I haven’t made a big difference but my little contribution fits the “think globally, act locally” concept.

In the course of a year, I probably keep a thousand pounds of food and yard waste out of the waste stream (both from my home and collections from Lois’). Scale that up a few-fold, and by outdoor composting in the summer and vermicomposting in the winter, we can all make a difference.

This makes me think: can we all reach out to grocers or restaurants in our community to see if they would be willing to set aside food waste for pickup during the spring, summer, and autumn for addition to our outdoor compost piles? Can we bring a 5-gallon bucket with us when we shop to pick up some waste veggies? Can we encourage our fellow gardeners, others in community gardens or garden clubs to do the same?

There is enough sun for everyone-- the proof!

We purchased a solar hot air system (Solarsheat) from Maine Green Building Supply back in August and got a 25% rebate from the state. I had been doing research on solar since May 2008 and had learned that solar hot air was the best option for my home (location, slope of roof, position of gable end, etc.). I blogged about this back in June.

We bought a Solarsheat 1500GS/G dual panel system back in August. We completed the installation shortly after January 1. We delayed the installation to change windows and siding at the same time.

We've been AMAZED at how well this system works.

It was sunny and cold yesterday, so I decided to document how well it works. Check out the attached photos. I can only post a few, but I can share a bunch more showing details of the expert installation (thank you to Vanier Construction!) and detailed performance.

You can see that yesterday (cold, but bright and sunny) the Solarsheat blew 150° F air into our home and heated the area to 75° F.

Maine is continuing to offer a 25% rebate on the solar hot air panels. I think every home in Maine should get one. When the sun is out, my boiler does not need to heat my house. I am saving oil every sunny day!

I would encourage everyone in Maine to investigate this.

Cheers,

Mark

Here are some links:

Solarsheat: www.yoursolarhome.com/

Maine Green Building Supply: www.mainegreenbuilding.com

Maine Solar Rebates from Efficiency Maine: www.efficiencymaine.com/renewable_programs_solar.htm

Expert installation by Vanier Construction: 885-9389

Trial and error

I've posted new worm bin instructions.

I have posted new instructions for making a worm bin. Earlier this year, I had an accident when drilling in the side of bins, and I am now recommending you make holes in the top of your bins.

I was drilling holes in the side and the drill slipped off the plastic and hit me in the leg. Fortunately, I was wearing pants and I didn't hurt myself.

This scared me and made me think. Why drill holes in the sides?

The worms don't care where the holes are, and the sides are sloped and flex when you try to drill the holes (both of which make it harder than it needs to be).

Holes in the nice flat top would be so much easier. So I tried it and viola! Works just as well and it is much easier.

My revised worm bin instructions have been posted to my website: www.wormmainea.com/Worm_Bin_Instructions.pdf.

Cheers,

Mark

Vermicomposting is EASY!

Getting started is a simple process:

The key to getting started and keeping your worm bin trouble free is to follow four simple rules:

1. always bury the food under the worms and the bedding,

2. only feed in corners (alternating every week),

3. keep at least 3 inches of shredded newspaper on top (the newspaper should not be wet, moist like a wrung our sponge is OK. If it is dry, that is OK) and

4. don't over feed them.

Rule 1: burying food prevents fruit flies from finding the food in your bin.

Rule 2: feeding in corners prevents overfeeding because you can observe how much food is left from previous feedings. Corner feeding also allows worms to flee if something is wrong with the food (pH, temperature, etc.).

Rule 3: a nice think layer of bedding keeps your bin from getting too wet and also helps prevent fruit flies.

Rule 4: overfeeding is a source of problems (moisture, smell, fruit flies, etc.). Feeding too little is preferable to feeding too much. Start slowly and ramp up over time.

If you have not already started, I would encourage you to download instructions to build your own bin and get started now.

It is not too late to begin.

Cheers,

Mark