How to Start Winter Composting

How to Start Winter Composting
By Jennifer Cantwell

As fall approaches, it is time for us to consider how we can compost our kitchen scraps all year long. For many, living in snowy areas of the world makes the thought of composting during the winter seem difficult at best. However, there are a few things you can do to reduce your landfill footprint year round while getting rich fertilizer ready for your gardening efforts next spring.

Here are a few different options for winter composting:

Compost indoors with worms
Compost outdoors with worms
Compost outdoors with traditional methods

Composting with worms indoors is, to me, the easiest option for the average household. However, many people have a reasonable sized piece of land to work with, and perhaps a lot of waste from the land itself. For those people it is possible to compost outdoors both with and without worms all year long with a little extra effort.

Let's look at the first option: Composting indoors with worms. To get started, the first thing you need is a bin for your worms to live in. There are many different types of worm bins you can build using nothing more than a rubbermaid bin and a drill. There are also many, many bins on the market from manufacturers such as the Can-O-Worms, Gusanito Worm Farm, Wriggly Wranch, and others. These pre-made bins are meant for indoor home use; they're nice to look at, relatively easy to harvest the worm castings from, and reasonably priced. I personally have my Gusanito bin in my pantry and my worms seem awfully happy.

If you choose to build your own indoor worm bin, here's a simple method for doing it. Choose a rubbermaid or similar bin that is opaque; worms don't like the light and they won't appreciate a see-through bin. Drill several holes along the bottom of your bin for drainage. You will use the lid of the bin to collect any extra liquid. Use small wood blocks or something similar to allow the bin to rest just an inch or two above the lid; this allows any extra liquid to easily flow out of the bin and into the lid. A worm bin consists of both bedding materials and food materials for the worms. After much experimentation I have found that coconut coir or peat moss are the best materials to use as bedding. These materials offer good airflow while helping to keep out flies, so they are my choice. You also may use shredded paper, but I recommend shredding it finely before use to also assist in keeping out pests.

So, now that you have your bin it's time to make a worm lasagna. You will add a few inches of moist bedding, dump in your worms in a nice pile, add another inch of moist bedding, add your kitchen scraps, then two or three more inches of moist bedding on top of that. I like the lasagna method because it encourages the upward migration of the worms towards the food and allows you to simply layer more food as you go. On the top of your top layer of bedding, generously sprinkle ground cinnamon. Cinnamon is a natural insecticide, and will be unattractive to flies. This bin I've just described is an open system, or a bin with no lid. I have found that it's easier to keep worms where they belong if your bins do not have lids. Worm bins with lids will often result in condensation along the interior walls, which means wandering worms. A bin with a lid also will have much less airflow for your little buddies, and they need to breathe, too!

To collect food for your worms, keep a small receptacle near the sink for daily use. Then it is wise to keep a larger receptacle in your freezer; this will keep flies away and also help to break down the food for the worms when it thaws. Then, weekly, toss the entire contents on the top layer of your bin, and layer again with 3-4 inches of dry bedding. If you want to combat the risk of flies even further, you can thaw the kitchen scraps on the counter and then blend them in a blender or cuisinart. This makes the waste both easier for the worms to process more quickly, and it is also difficult for flies to find a nice sticky spot to lay their eggs.

A well maintained worm bin should not be stinky. If you are getting some unpleasant odors it means that you are overfeeding the worms and they can't keep up. Stop feeding until the smells go away and it's clear that the worms are making good headway on the scraps they already have.

Now let's talk about outdoor worm composting. It may seem insane to think that worms can survive an arctic-like winter in the outdoors, but they certainly can if you give them what they need: warmth and food. First you need to find a spot on your property where you're going to build your worm compost pile. After you take a rough measurement you will need to find a good number of straw or hay bales to build the walls of your system (try craigslist). Stack them in twos along the border of your planned worm bed. Then it's time to build another worm lasagna. Start with cardboard along the ground to act as a false bottom to your "bin". Then start adding layers of yard clippings, leaves, food scraps, and manure. Manure is the key ingredient in an outdoor winter worm bed, as it generates a lot of heat as it decomposes. Again, check on craigslist in the garden section for horse or cow barns where you can go load up for free. Once you have the bed built up, add your worms. Once they have dived down into the materials, drape a black tarp over the entire thing. The tarp will both retain moisture and collect heat from the sun when it appears during the winter months.

If you decide to try a winter worm bed, make sure that you have enough worms to process the materials. A good rule of thumb is 1 pound per square foot of surface area (though you could probably get away with less). You also need to be dedicated to periodically checking on your worms. Buy a compost thermometer or a remote sensor thermometer so that you can make sure that the temperature of the worm bed is between 55-77 degrees Fahrenheit. You can follow the same idea as with indoor worm composting and collect your food scraps in the freezer. Then take the container outside weekly and bury the contents in the existing worm bedding.

There is one commercial outdoor worm bin that I've seen, and I must admit that it's intriguing. It's called the Worm Wigwam. This unit is a flow-through system which allows the harvesting of castings from the bottom, and it also has a heater which makes it ideal for outdoor winter worm composting. Unfortunately, it is quite expensive at around $600. If the cost is not prohibitive to you, then by all means give this unit a try.

Outdoor winter composting without worms can work in much the same way as with worms. You can build the same sort of insulated pile, being sure to add plenty of manure to generate heat. The only difference is that you must aerate the pile frequently (whereas worms will do this naturally). This means that at least weekly you will need to get bundled up and head outside with your shovel to turn the contents of your pile manually. Oxygen is needed in the decomposition process, so this is a must-do if you choose to use this kind of pile.

With any kind of composting system, to succeed during the winter you must prepare during the summer/fall. Make sure you get your system built and up-and-running before the temperature dips too low. Otherwise, you may be tempted to just stay in your jammies all winter and forget about the whole composting thing until spring. But being green is a year-long affair, so be prepared in advance so you can continue to do your part for the environment and create the organic fertilizer you will need for next year.

Jen Cantwell is a mother of two, a worm farmer, a cake baker and middle-road environmentalist.
Please visit Mama's Worm Composting for more details about composting with worms.

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Compost and Garden at the Same Time: Lasagna Gardening
By Roberto D Celdran

Lasagna gardening is all about composting and planting in layers. The term is derived from the Italian meal 'Lasagna' where it is composed of layers of tomatoes, spices and pasta. Just like its meal namesake, lasagna gardening is an innovative gardening strategy which helps in creating a hassle-free, till-free, dig-free garden.This method of gardening benefits mostly home owners who are living in a cramped downtown area--where space is virtually next to none! Those who are living on rocky or severely clay ground also benefit much from this gardening method.

Making a lasagna garden is just similar to what you would do when it comes to piling up compost. The only difference is that you can already start planting in the layers you made as opposed to waiting for the compost to decompose before doing any planting.

The Procedure

Start by collecting old newspapers or corrugated cartons or card boards. Lay them on top of the soil that you plan to establish your lasagna garden on. At least three layers of newspapers are enough to cover the whole area (this is a great way to put your recyclable materials to good use!). Water the papers and the card boards adequately to jump-start the decomposition process. Never mind about any weeds growing on the soil beneath--they will be smothered by the [layers] and eventually rot.

The next layer you can put is a layer made up of greens like kitchen scraps or refuse (I do not advice on using leftover meats or fish for it will attract rodents). I suggest using ground coffee wastes, lemon or orange peels, crushed eggshells, and vegetable clippings. Alternate it with brown debris like grass clippings, dried leaves (crushed leaves rot faster), peat moss, and wood shavings.

Keep on adding up layers of green and brown materials until you reach the maximum height of 2 feet (2 ft.)or less depending on your preference. See to it that you make more layers filled with 'brown materials.' This is composed of the organic chemical carbon, which when decomposed, it provides the organic planting medium. When 'green materials' break down, it release nitrogen thereby supplying a slow-release of nutrients to the plants. The whole 'cooking down' process will be complete in a matter of around five to six months.

When sowing seeds, it is better to put a little bit of soil to hold them in place. When transplanting, dig some inches wider than the root ball of the plant to be transplanted to allow more space for its roots to grow.

Maintain your lasagna garden by adding mulch on top once in a while when plants are actively growing. It is essential to maintain adequate water content in all the layers, for lasagna gardening is pretty much the same as straw bale's--where water tends to dry out rapidly than usual.As the breakdown process is completed, you can enliven the garden by adding fresh layers on top of the old.

Learn more about gardening tips and ideas by clicking http://handy-gardening-tips.blogspot.com

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Uses for Vinegar

Uses for Vinegar
By Tiffany Atwood

Vinegar is used for cleaning and other applications, since ancient Sumerian times. It is a very useful and affordable product. Vinegar is often used as an acidic agent in cooking, because it is food safe and very sour. What a lot of people don't know is that this natural green friendly product has seemingly endless uses around the house. You can find vinegar in the cleaning or baking aisles at the grocery store.

Most of the cures call for white vinegar, unless otherwise specified. A few of the recipes may call for apple cider vinegar, mainly because it is easier to swallow. Both the white vinegar and apple cider vinegar will carry out the same goals. You should play around with the recipes, test things out, and see what works for you. With vinegar the possibilities are endless.

Health and Beauty

Appetite Suppression: Mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar with 1 (8 ounce) glass of water. Drink this mixture before a meal and it will suppress your appetite, allowing you to eat less.

Arthritis Relief: Mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to 1 (8 ounce) glass of water. Drink the mix before meals to relieve arthritis.

Bee and Jelly Fish Stings: The stinging sensation will lessen or disappear if you apply the affected area with pure vinegar.

Bug Bites: You can relieve the itchy feeling from bug bites if you dab the affected area with pure vinegar.

Chest Colds: Add a half cup of vinegar to your vaporizer and you will feel some relief from chest colds and sinus infections.

Cough suppression: Mix a half cup of apple cider vinegar, a half cup of water, and 4 teaspoons of honey. Every time your cough appears take 1 tablespoon and also take 1 tablespoon before bedtime. Coughing will subside.

Dry Itchy Skin: Naturally soothe And rejuvenate your skin by adding 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your bath water and soak as normal.

Hair and Dandruff: Mix one-fourth cup of vinegar to 2 cups warm water. Rinse your hair with this mixture after shampooing. Not only will you fight your dandruff, it will remove the soap scum and extra sebum left on your hair. You will not smell the vinegar, but you will notice the softness that the mixture provides.

Hiccups: You can stop your hiccups if you swallow 1 tablespoon of pure vinegar

Shore Throat: Mix 1 teaspoon of vinegar in 1 (8 ounce) glass of water. Gargle with this solution, until none remains. Your throat will feel better and the vinegar will kill the bacteria in your throat/

Sunburn: You can relieve the burning sensation, caused by sunburn, by dabbing the affected area with pure vinegar.

Upset stomach: Mix 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 1 (8 ounce) cup of water, plus a couple teaspoons of honey (optional), if you want to make the mixture sweeter to swallow. Drink the mixture for quick relief of upset stomach.

Laundry and Clothes

Cigarette Smoke: Add 1 cup of vinegar to a bathtub full of hot water. Hang your clothes above the hot water to remove the smell of smoke from your clothes.

Color Runs: Colors will not run if you soak them in pure vinegar, and then wash as normal. Do not surpass 10 minutes soak time.

Deodorant and antiperspirants stains: Massage the affected area with pure vinegar, and then wash as normal. This will remove the stain and will also increase the life of your shirts.

Iron: Mix equal parts vinegar and water and pour it into the water chamber. Turn the iron on steam. Let it run for 5 minutes in the upright position. The calcium and other deposits will diminish, once you empty the chamber.

Lint: By adding a half cup of vinegar to each washing load will stop lint from sticking to your clothes.

Stains: You can get rid of a coffee, tea, mustard, wine, and fruit stains, by soaking affected area with vinegar and rubbing gently. With a clean cloth, blot area dry, and the wash as normal. The stain will no longer be there.

Kitchen

Coffee Maker: To clean your drip coffee maker of its calcium deposits, fill the tank with straight vinegar and run one cycle. Do not inhale vinegar fumes. Then run a second cycle with just water. The calcium deposits will then be washed away.

Cutting Boards: Wipe wooden cutting board with pure vinegar, to clean and disinfect. You don't need to rinse.

Deodorize Drain: Once a week, pour 1 cup of vinegar down the drain to deodorize. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then rinse with cold water.

Dishwasher: To clean the dishwasher, add 1 cup of vinegar to the dishwasher and run a full cycle. This will remove that soap scum and calcium deposits that can prevent your dishes from getting clean.

Eggs: Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the water before boiling and it will prevent the eggs from cracking.

Meat: You can tenderize meat by soaking it overnight in vinegar. Use one-fourth cup for every two pounds of meat. This method will tenderize the meat, by breaking down the tough muscle and will also kill the bacteria.

Jars: If you want keep and reuse jars, you ca clean and deodorize them by using a little bit of pure vinegar. This will remove the smell and residue from the jars.

Bathroom

Germs: You can eradicate the germs on the floor, toilet sink, and fixtures by spraying a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water. Let it sit for one minute and then wipe the surface clean.

Toilet Bowl: Add 3 cups of vinegar to the bowl once a week, to freshen the toilet bowl. Let it sit for 30 minutes and then flush.

These are just a few uses for vinegar around the house. There are many other uses for this very versatile product. I have used vinegar for years and I'm always finding new ways to use it. Vinegar is nature's solution to just about anything that is difficult to clean. So I hope that you have gained some knowledge on how you may use this product around you household.

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The Problem with Goals

The Problem With Goals
By Mark Sanborn

There are problems with goals. Suggesting that is heresy to many.

Goal setting has been such an important concept in the vernacular of success that some have come to view it as sacred.

Goals are good, but there are some often ignored downsides. Technology is good but can be used for bad. Food is good, but eat too much of even the best foods and you'll experience problems. Once you know about the risks, you can deal with them.

Just as Socrates said that the unexamined life isn't worth living, the unexamined use of goals can prevent us from achieving the success we desire.

Let's start with a look at the positive aspects of goals. They give us something to aim for. Assuming what we're aiming for is worth hitting, that much is good. Goals bring focus and structure to business and life. They allow us to benchmark progress or regress, and increase the odds of achieving success intentionally rather than accidentally.

Goals should guide us, but they should never control us. That's one potential problem with goals. It is possible to go from goal-oriented to goal-obsessed. Rather than controlling our goals, our goals control us. When we become fixated, we risk paying too much to achieve a goal, or even lose sight of the reason behind the objective.

One benefit of goal-setting is what we become in the process, whether or not we achieve the goal. I would argue we often learn more from failed attempts than successes.

I believe goals can and sometimes should evolve. While I'm not an advocate of purposeless activity, I do believe, as the old saying goes, that luck favors momentum. I think it better to be in the ocean splashing around than sitting on the beach planning a swim.

Many of the best things that have happened in my life have evolved. I have always been goal-directed, but never goal obsessed. On the few instances where I wanted a goal too much, I found myself disheartened and bitter when I didn't achieve it. Oddly, once I relaxed my grip on that type of goal, I often achieved it at a later-and better-time. And the goals I didn't achieve I often found to be far less important than I had imagined.

Another problem with goals is that they really don't motivate us. The purpose of the aspiration is what powers us; the motivation is in the reason for the goal.

I could give you a goal to earn a million dollars in the next 12 months and it would have little power in your life unless you had a compelling reason to do so.

If, however, you had a son or daughter who needed a life-saving medical procedure not covered by insurance that cost $1 million, you would suddenly and surely be motivated to achieve that objective.

We need to make sure that the reasons for setting a goal are sufficient to motivate us. Compelling reasons result in completed goals.

Can goals hinder performance?

Consider this: what happens if you achieve your goals for the year by the middle of the year? What do you do for the rest of the year? There is something about the security of the achieved goal and human nature that causes us to relax a bit and lift off the gas pedal of achievement. In that funny way, goals can limit our achievement: we stop at goal achievement without achieving our true potential.

If we don't set them high enough, we achieve them too easily and too soon. As a result we miss achieving more and learning more through the process.

Of course if you set a goal too high, you'll be demoralized. When you realize your goal is unrealistic and unattainable, you'll simply quit trying. The hardest part of goal setting is balancing stretch with attainability.

One way to avoid the let-down of goals realized too early or too easily is to simultaneously pursue your potential while going after your goals. Instead of just asking yourself how good you've become, ask yourself how good you could be.

And if you get audacious aspirations-that you aren't quite sure you're capable of achieving-then include some short-term goals that will give you quick and consistent victories. These smaller goals will help you build momentum to go after the big, audacious ones.

Like any good tool used well, goals and goal-setting can enrich your personal and professional life. But the process isn't perfect and the potential problems I've outlined can help you both avoid the downsides and make better use of how you effectively use goals in your life.

Mark Sanborn, CSP, CPAE is president of Sanborn & Associates, Inc., an idea studio for leadership development. He is an award-winning speaker and the author of the bestselling books, "The Fred Factor: How Passion In Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary Into the Extraordinary," "You Don't Need a Title to be a Leader: How Anyone Anywhere Can Make a Positive Difference" and "The Encore Effect: How to Achieve Remarkable Performance in Anything You Do." His book "Up, Down or Sideways: How to Succeed When Times are Good, Bad or In Between" was released October 2011. Visit Mark Sanborn's YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/markhsanborn to watch his videos about how you can develop as a leader in business and life. To obtain additional information (including free articles) for growing yourself, your people and your business, visit http://www.marksanborn.com.

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Tips to Improve Your IQ

Tips to Improve Your IQ

By Trevor Johnson

We all want to be a little smarter, know a little more and figure things out a little faster. But with today's innovations and forms of entertainment, it is a little harder to accomplish. However, if you are looking for a way to improve your IQ, know that you are not alone and that there are many things you can do to achieve this. Just like a muscle you want to develop, the brain needs a work out as well if you want your IQ to improve.

Read more

I was definitely one of those who grew up with adults advising me to constantly read. What you may not realize, especially with distractions such as television, reading is a great exercise for your brain. Not only are you able to use your imagination as you go through a story, but you also develop a strong vocabulary. Dictionaries and thesauruses are available online to help you look up a word you are not familiar with. But reading is a definite way to help increase your IQ.

Exercise

Physical activity is another sure way to help you get the IQ you want. By exercising, you are allowing your body to clear your head. This will allow you more energy to think of new ideas and concentrate on other things more easily.

Do puzzles

Whether it be a jigsaw puzzle, crosswords or sudoku, puzzles will help exercise your brain logically and analytically. You will be stimulating your mind a little more and improving your IQ in no time!

Write whenever you can

Because of today's technologies, we no longer do much writing. Try writing a letter or note instead of sending an email or text message. Switch up your writing hand as well to increase activity on the opposite side of your brain.

Listen to classical music

There is a theory called the Mozart effect that basically states that the more you listen to classical music, such as Beethoven, Chopin or Mozart, the more you are able to develop spatial temporary reasoning.

Get plenty of rest

Little to no rest is a great way to damage you mental powers to think clearly or concentrate. Be sure that you are getting plenty of rest every night. The recommended number of hours to sleep is 8 hours. If this is something you can't do, be sure to give yourself power naps when you are tired. A good 10 to 15 minutes worth of rest should help you to reboot your brain.

Keep the television off

Television can hinder you from getting the IQ you desire because it will not allow you to use your mind much. You are already given images and you are informed about the things going on by the shows dialog. You should avoid becoming a television watcher since it will only increase your chances of becoming a coach potato. You can also help boost your IQ by eating right. Involve yourself in activities that will make use of your brain.

Eat right

Did you know that there are food for the brain? Fish is a great source of brain food. Also, by adding Omega 3 to your diet, you will be helping yourself improve your IQ.

Get more help to improve your IQ amd check out this Guaranteed IQ review.

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About me

Hi, this is Katee Mileau, I am a grandmother of 3 and with a background in Naturopathy, the mind-body connection, organic farming and animals I naturally want to write about these topics and share my knowledge and experiences with you. In to-days society, we have lost a lot of the art of managing a home using products that you can create yourself from basic ingredients.