"Organics Just as Toxic as Synthetics"

This is something I've been hearing recently. This blog also extends to discussions of requests for MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for organic products. First, let's be clear about what an MSDS is: this is an information sheet containing physical and chemical information on a particular substance. It quantifies that substance's risks, safety and impact on the environment. Everyone can use these sheets, although they are mainly designed to provide workers, transporters, and emergency personnel with procedures for handling and working with various substances in a safe manner. 

I feel that these arguments are nothing more than a smoke screen intended to confuse people. 

Yes, it is true that some organic products are toxic and even dangerous: organic biocides (herbicides and pesticides) are toxic. They have to be, since they are intended to kill something. We must all recognize that everything in our environment is potentially hazardous. "All substances are poisons; there is none which is not a poison. The right dose differentiates a poison from a remedy" -- Paracelsus (15th century father of toxicology). If a substance was designed or produced to kill something, it is not likely to be really good for you.

 

In my mind, the difference between synthetic and organic herbicides and pesticides is that many if not all of the commonly used organic products are based on chemicals that are produced by organisms (like your body). For the most part your body has systems in place to detoxify these because they are not novel agents. 

Also, the adverse effects of exposure to these are limited and not a big surprise: boiling water burns, vinegar is an acid, don't get dirt or compost or dust in your eyes and try not to inhale it because it can make you choke. DUH! These effects are far different from synthetic chemicals that can interfere with hormones in your body and result in endocrine disruption or cause DNA damage or hurt your nervous system and brain.

However, such discussions of product safety misses the point entirely. Organic lawn care should emphasize changing cultural practices to make the plants you want to grow more healthy. Organic practices choose the best plant for the situation and provide that plant with what it needs to thrive. Plants that are thriving will generally be less susceptible to disease, insect infestation, or competition from other plants.

To accomplish this you need to understanding what species and strain of plant will do well in your environment and giving it what it needs. Choose your plant species and strain based on what best suits your environment (light conditions, water availability, traffic, etc). In general, healthy soil leads to healthy plants. Start with understanding your current soil condition (what is the pH, nutrient and organic mater levels, etc.? how compacted is it? how wet/dry is it? loamy, sandy, clay?). Then determine how much it will cost (including labor) to get from where you are currently to where you need to be for your plant species/strain to thrive. Based on the resources required, do you want to rethink your plant species/strain?

The most commonly used product on an established organic lawn should be compost and compost tea. During transition and perhaps to deal with an occasional problem, a product may be necessary to address an infestation or issue (e.g., horticultural oil to smother insects). A MSDS for compost tea or compost is a silly request. My vermicompost tea is water, vermicompost, air, and molasses. Do you really expect an MSDS for dilute muddy water to be informative? Don't get it in your eyes and don't drink or breathe it. Wash your hands after use. DUH! 

By emphasizing that organic lawn care should emphasize practices to make plants healthy by addressing problems (not products that address signs and symptoms of problems), we can move beyond these discussions.

Cheers,

Mark

Organic Lawn Care — Spring

By request, I am compiling my organic lawn care recommendations in one place and starting a WormMainea YouTube channel.


In this video I show how to core aerate with the Yard Butler*

In this video I demonstrate overspreading compost

I also took a soil sample from the yard to see whether I am getting close to my target organic matter level and whether need to do anything else (calcium, etc.). I took a composite sample from 15 areas (5 front yard, 5 side yard, and 5 back yard). These approximately equal small samples were mixed in my soil tub and then placed in the box.

Collecting a soil sample for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Soil Test

Here are links to some of my earlier blogs related to lawn care

http://www.wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/04/natural-lawn-care-preparing-and-timing.html

http://www.wormmainea.blogspot.com/2011/04/integrated-pest-management.html

http://www.wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-well-does-organic-lawn-care-work.html

http://www.wormmainea.blogspot.com/2010/04/thoughts-on-weeds.html


*The Yard Butler D-6C Core Lawn Aerator is great for established lawns or lawns where a lot of activity takes place. Core aeration reduces compaction and thatch to let air, water and fertilizer down to the root zone. Core aeration also stimulates root growth by “pruning” the roots and deposits valuable micro-organisms on the lawn surface. I find this tool a lot easier to use than the gas-powered beast I rented from Home Depot a few years ago. And, because I have it available, I can use it to aerate compacted areas when someone drives on the lawn.

Cold frames

Ever considered building your own cold frame?


Making and operating your cold frame is easier than you probably think and MUCH cheaper than a greenhouse.

First a tip of the hat to Elliot Colman, who showed me how to keep my cold frame going. His excellent book contains information and suggestions to build cold frames. My simple wood and polygal cover is based on his recommendations. I use the garden carts to secure the lids (from both wind and squirrels).

Here are a few photos of my cold frame

As you can see it it pretty well buried in snow.

Photo from the front-- I keep the polygal clear to prevent collapse and let the sun in

A close looks shows just a hint of the greens grown on the left side

Here is a peek under the lid. 

That's claytonia growing. I sowed this in early November when the cold frame soil was still warm. It will cut and come again a little (VERY SLOWLY). I cut the right side and it is gone.

The lid is polygal and not attached to the frame. I keep it closed this time of year and will only begin to open it if the weather really warms and soil temps get above 65F. Usually, that doesn't happen until April (but who knows this year). Come May, I switch to a lighter lid that I can handle more easily and has more ventilation (only closing when we have a clear night with frost).

When the growing season starts (typically June), I put the covers away and refresh the soil in the cold frame with compost. I try to run a summer crop of something completely different to prevent pests. This year, I may sow some wild flowers-- I just have to be careful to cut them before they go to seed.

Cold season seed recommendations for Maine:

Claytonia-- this is VERY forgiving and quite tasty in salads-- even on it's own. It is my favorite for my cold frame.

Mache (Corn salad) also works well, and I will sow this next weekend on the right (vacant) side after adding some aged vermicompost. It is as forgiving as claytonia, but because you harvest nearly the whole plant when cutting and it doesn't come again. For me, it is perfect for sowing in early March for a late April & May harvest. The last crop before turning the cold frame over for the summer planting.

Spinach works OK. I have had mixed success overwintering spinach. I mostly plant it early (before I start the claytonia)

Cheers,

Mark


2013 Cold Frame Update

Here is how my cold frame looked last weekend-- overfull and ready to harvest.


 

I've been battling a case of shingles, and my harvest was a bid delayed.

I switched to my non-insulating cover (ripple plastic instead of the polygal).

Come early May, I will remove the cover completely and clean it all out for the summer plants.

Cheers,

Mark

More thoughts on large scale vermicomposting

A few weeks ago I had an e-mail conversation with a person from Mt. Abrams ski mountain. She was interested in using vermicomposting to help achieve conservation goals.

I shared the following information and considerations. I thought I would open this discussion to share with others and solicit additional information.

In general, vermicomposting could be used to save $$ on solid waste disposal and be good for the environment. However, there are some limitations and challenges that should be considered.

I have a related blog about that somewhat relates to these situations and presents some of my earlier thoughts (http://wormmainea.blogspot.com/2009/03/sourcing-food-for-my-herd-and-dreams-of.html).

I think your best bet is to partner with someone who is already making compost (either a farm or facility). Here is a list of compost facilities I found on the DEP website: http://www.maine.gov/dep/maps-data/documents/compostfacil.pdf

Second best option would be to set up your own on-site outdoor composting (knowing that without a lot of effort it will be mostly dormant during winter). The obvious drawbacks here are staff hours to maintain, the possible need for permits, and then the possibility of attracting pests (large and small).

The tricky part for vermicomposting on your scale will be sizing your herd that allows for reasonable processing of the compostable waste. I suspect your additions will be seasonal (obviously). This can be tricky for vermicomposting, because you're better to scale too big than too small to be able to process the maximum additions so you don't have problems (bad smells, etc). However, that can be expensive and difficult to maintain (food supply must be consistent for a stable population). Look at my situation, I import compostables to feed my herd to maintain a population that permits me to sell or donate (on average) about 1 pound of worms per week.

Perhaps that is another viable solution: can you get enough staff/coworkers to set up worm bins at home who may be willing to bring a bucket home for their worms? A decentralized system like this can work, but you have to have enough people to make it work. This may not be reasonable for you, but it is part of the discussion that should be mentioned. It can work and provide staff with a great source of vermicompost.

A final consideration for vermicomposting is managing the waste prior to addition. Vermicomposting is a bit more restrictive (in terms of what can be added) than outdoor hot compossting. Salt and oil in particular must be limited. This can present challenges (problems) during collection, and will require education of all involved.

In all honesty, I think your best solution is to find a local farm or compost facility to take your waste. Like solid waste disposal, there will be costs associated with this, but the costs should be less than landfilling (since the receiver is able to make & sell a product). I think we need more compost facilities in Maine to provide solutions to business and compost for Maine citizens. Until Maine businesses demonstrate a need for these as a service, the growth of these operations is slow. I am very please to learn that Mt Abram is moving in this direction.

I don't want to discourage you, but I want you to benefit from the many discussions I have had with schools and businesses looking to incorporate vermicomposting into their waste stream.

Cheers,

Mark

Composting Surprises

There has been some recent press about composting, including an article on surprising items that can be composted: http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/surprising-compost-items.html

This list (compiled by PlanetGreen) has good information on OUTDOOR composting. While you could try some of those items in your worm bin, I generally recommend that you stick to the basics shown in the figure on the second page of my welcome to vermicomposting handout: http://db.tt/GS5flJD9.

Cheers,

Mark

Local oatmeal

Our pre-Holiday CSA share box included a bag of best oatmeal I've eaten.

It was from Aurora Mills (Linnaeus ME).

I eat oatmeal almost every morning in the winter (I LOVE IT!). And when I remember, I use the presoak (overnight) method to make it more digestible and cook faster in the morning.

I find the Aurora Mills product to be superior to any other oatmeal (Irish, steel-cut, etc.). it just tastes great.

If you're intersted you can reach them at Auroramills@myfairpoint.net

Here's their label

Cheers,

Mark

A great product that solves a problem

The Right Mat (www.gomlf.org) Especially, http://www.gomlf.org

One of the results of the new federal whale rule mandating the use of sinking groundlines is the new abundance of unusable floating groundline.  GOMLF has been buying back floating groundline from lobstermen since May of 2007 as part of the Bottom Line Project and during that timeframe, clever individuals and companies have found a unique way to re-use the float rope without any possibility of entangling a whale:  woven doormats.

In March 2009, GOMLF made over 150,000 pounds of the float rope available to doormat makers in the Waldoboro (Maine) area.  Since then, other enterprises throughout the state and region have also been cropping up, and float-rope doormats are beginning to appear on some of the finest porches in New England.  Our groundline buy-back program continues, and more than a million pounds of lobstermen’s rope may be used to make doormats!

Their doormats make a great gifts. Mail a check for $40 + $10 shipping ($17.50 shipping for two) and you can get one for yourself. No two mats are alike and each features the colorful rope used by Maine lobstermen – stripes or solids – often complete with barnacles, which aid in boot-scraping!  Mats are best for outdoor use and should not be placed on slick surfaces.

Here is a picture of ours.

Cheers,


Mark