In Love with new garden tool

When I first started gardening, way back then in late 1980's it didn't take long before I came across my good old Newspaper Pot Maker. I never liked the Jiffy Pots, I think they kill more vegetables then they grow for you and plastic pots, back then, weren't recycled, also I didn't want to waste our money on buying plastic pots to grow vegetables. So when I came across the Paper Pot Maker it was Love at first site.
What couldn't you love on that thing? It forced you to recycle the newspaper! Back then they didn't even recycle Newspaper where we lived, nope there was no recycle pick up at our town. You could get the best soil mix you could get your hand on, or make your own instead having to rely on whatever they put into those Jiffy pots. Okay, you could do that with plastic pots also, but........no more messed up roots when you transplant, since you plant the whole pot and all. What is not to love!
For a few years I lost my way, I admit, I got lazy, I got plastic pots and filled them with dirt. I tried all the newest growing pots, growing systems trying to find the one that just might be the best growing system ever invented.
I never found it, I think it doesn't exist or maybe I just had it all along. Paper pot!
Nevertheless I think I have to retire my good old paper pot maker.
No, not what you think...no, I didn't fall of the wagon.

It is just simple, I found the best new Tool for growing my vegetables..........A better Paper-pot Maker!

It is much simpler to use then the older model and makes pots about 7.5 x 7cm wide instead 5.5 x 5.5 cm as the old one that are also much more solidly built. I tweaked the instruction a bit because it was easier with less cutting involved and made for even sturdier pots.

start out with a half page of newspaper

                                                  Fold about 2/3 over lengthwise

fold a edge over about 3/4 to 1 inch on the folded edge, with the last third cut in so it is not folded over

 roll the paper pot along the edge, but keep
 the open edge loose

like you see in this picture

This is probably the most tricky part. You grasp the paper at the bottom
and twist it together and push it into the hole at the bottom of the pot

Like that. Now push the paper pot, with the pot maker in it
down on a surface, to seal and flatten the bottom nicely

                                                                                Almost done!

Twist the wooden pot maker out of the paper
and fold the edge that sticks out on top to the inside, that is
what makes the pot sturdier and holding together better then the old.

                         Voila! You just made yourself a paper pot

You can get the Paper pot maker here, it comes in two sizes
http://www.seedandgarden.com/shop/products/NViroPotter-Paper-Pot-Making-Tool.html

Searching for a better seedling growing method

Last year I went on a search for a better plant growing system.

Over the years I have used a variety of planters and peat products to start my seedlings. I used recycled yogurt tubs, those small six pack planters, then I used the small 2 1/2" square planters, since most plants outgrew them to fast and I constantly had to replant the seedlings I went to the larger and deeper planters. These at least I did not have to re-pot as quick the drawback to all these little planters, to use them you have to wash them and sterilize in bleach water. Since I have to do it in my kitchen-sink and I don't like to clean dirty pots in the kitchen-sink I later might want to wash my lettuce in and it is quite a bit of work many times I just would use the dirty pots and sometimes my plants would damp off. Not sure if it was the dirty pots fault or just by chance but dirty pots can carry pathogens from last years crop.

Then I used the 'APS' (Accelerated Propagation System) Styrofoam seedling trays from the Gardener Supply company, they work with capillary mats. These worked nicely for growing plants since the ground is always nicely moist, just perfect for little seeds to sprout and grow and you did not have to water so often. Since they come in different sizes I was able to grow most of the plants without having to re- pot them, at least not as often. Their drawback was the cleaning part. Since they are Styrofoam trying to clean the dirt off them was somewhat a struggle. Dirt likes to stick to Styrofoam, a lot. And trying to clean them without breaking them, was almost impossible. Styrofoam in most regions of the US is not recycled and in the end I decided if I have to throw them away after a couple of seasons and buy new they do not fit into my picture of sustainability and not wasting resources.

Last year I came across the 'Compact Plant Trainer System' made in Sweden by 'Agralan' in the Jung Seed catalog. They looked real sturdy and you can wash the trays in the dishwasher. Reusable without breaking easily and being able to not have to hand wash sounded really good.

 Those also were supposed to have a capillary action, drawing the water to the roots from a bottom tray. I only used them for one planting last year, since I got them toward the end of my indoor seeding season. I had a bit of a struggle last year to get the seedlings out of them without disturbing the roots much. The bottom tray has these pegs which you use to push the seed plugs out when you are ready to transplant, the problem was it did not push them out far enough and since the tray is rather small and the seed plugs are close together it was difficult to grab the plugs without breaking stems of seedlings. The dirt did not hold tight enough and so I ended up with a huge mess, many broken stems and disturbed roots. I also thought the capillary action could have been better. The bottom of the root plug was too wet but then the top level, where the seeds need the moisture was to dry and I constantly had to be on the watch to moisten the top. Last year I thought maybe my potting seedling mix was not a good fit for the trays, too loose maybe. So this year I added a bit more compost and garden soil for it too be able to suck more water up, but still I had the same problem. Too wet on the bottom, to dry on the top. Many of the seedlings had trouble sprouting and again I lost too many seedlings by crushing them trying to get them out of the tray.

So now I came back to my old friend I had for a long time. I don't know why I neglected him so much in the last years since he is sustainable, lasts a life time, I never have to clean him, and there is nothing to clean up after. My dear old 'Newspaper pot maker'

It is so easy to use and by cutting wider newspaper strips you can make deeper pots. So this year I am growing almost all my seedlings in newspaper pots. My plants are growing so nicely and when I transplant them into the garden. I can plant them pot and all.
My first pots I made this year, seemed to disintegrate quicker then I remembered from a few years ago, when I used it heavily and I think that maybe the newspaper paper used today must be thinner then back then.
So my second batch I used my newspaper double and this seems to work much better.
I have been collecting the lettuce plastic bins, they sell the mixed, washed lettuce in the grocery store in, I put the dirt filled, seeded paper pots in these bins and with the lid on it made perfect little green houses. The taller pots I put into some old refrigerator door bins I kept, the lettuce bins fit perfectly on top.
Everything stayed nicely moist in the bins, I hardly had to water and with the help of my home made warming trays it all stayed toasty for the seeds to sprout.

When I had to re-pot my tomatoes I just made some higher pots by cutting wider strips of paper and I think I might not have to re-pot them again before transplanting them out.

All in all my good old Newspaper pot is coming out to be my best system to grow my plants with. Sometimes the simplest thing is all one needs. To top it off it is easy to use, costs very little money, recycles my newspaper and therefore fits in with trying to be more sustainable.

Paper pot Wins!

Taking care of your worm bin

 The only worms you should use for the worm bin are the 'Red Wiggler' worms or also called 'Eisenia fetida' which are native European worms, all the other worms will not eat your garbage.
Red Wigglers thrive in organic waste and because they live close to the surface in their natural environment they can't really take colder then 40° F and not hotter weather then 90° F.
You still probably should try to avoid adding the Red Wigglers to the outdoor environment or compost pile, even the possibility of them surviving outside is rather rare but in mild winter areas there is a slight possibility they could survive in compost bins.
The worms are actually a bit sensitive to the cold or heat and you should take them into the house or garage if the outdoor temperature drops below 40° F or you might loose them. They also will stop feeding if they are too cold or hot, so keep them in the shade during the summer.

There are many places you can get Red Wiggler worms, you probably can even find a local person raising worms near where you live, the best time to get your worms are supposed to be spring or fall, but where I live we have cooler summers and I got mine in early summer and had no problems.

Before you put your worms in your newly built bin, you need to prepare your bedding. You need enough bedding to fill your bin 3/4 full with bedding, leaving the 1" louvered vents exposed.
Worms need damp but not wet bedding, a good and cheap worm bedding is a mixture of shredded newspaper and wood shavings. You will get less of crawling/flying critters that way. Stay away from Cedar bedding, which is toxic to many animals and it is advisable not to use colored print paper or office paper, because those inks are often toxic. Newspaper nowadays is printed with soybean based ink which shouldn't cause problems. I even would stay away from bleached paper I just don't think that will be good for the worms. Other bedding possibilities are sawdust, cardboard, straw (chopped into small pieces), shredded fall leaves, compost or aged manure or a combination of those. A variety of bedding material will give the worms more different nutrients, but they will be fine just with newspaper shreds and wood chips.

You have to soak the wood chips overnight in a bucket of water to make sure they can take up the water. Shred the paper into 1/2"-1" strips, put it into a 5 gallon bucket or garden tub and carefully wet the paper, turning it frequently until it is moist but not dripping wet. Then mix the drained wood chips with the paper and fill your bin #2 (the one with the drainage holes), to below the vents with the mixture making sure not to cover the vents. The worms need the air in the bin. Don't pack the bedding in, fill it loosely to add air spaces for the worms it also helps control the odor.
If you think your bedding got a bit to wet, you might want to let it drain for a few hours before you add your worms to it.
It is beneficial for the worms digestive system to add a hand-full of garden dirt or sand. Now you are ready to add your worms. Just spread them with the dirt they came in over your bedding, they will crawl in on their own.
So now your worms are in the bin you need to feed them, but you do not want to feed them too much or you will get a huge smelly mess and the worms might die.
The formula to figure out the pounds of food per week you size bin can handle is:

Width of bin x length of bin (sqft) is equal to pounds of food per week.

So if you have a bin that measures 1' wide by 1 1/2' long it can handle about   1 1/2 lbs of food per week.
When you add the food try to create a pattern by burying the food in a new place every 4-6 times. Avoid disturbing the bedding when you bury it, because it might make it heat up like compost in your compost bin and the worms will have no place to escape the heat.

What can you feed the worms? If it is vegetative matter you pretty much can add it all. Potato peels, vegetable scraps, fruit scraps and peels (including from citrus peels in small amounts), coffee grounds (paper filter included) or tea leaves/bags, and pulverized egg shells. You should not add meats, dairy, fatty food. Some say no grain, because of problem with flies or rodents, but I don't think a bit of old bread, Corn meal or oat meal here and there causes much problem, just don't add too much.

Drain the compost tea liquid often, check it daily after you add new bedding, less frequent later. You can pick up both bins and shake them back and forth, if you hear a sloshing sound you should drain some of the liquid. I use mine mixed half with water to water my house plant, but you could also use it full strength to give it to your vegetable plants outside. If the liquid smells foul, like very rotten food don't use it and flush it down the toilet.

As the materials in the bin break down into compost, you need to add more fresh bedding on top. You need to be able to bury your food under the bedding, so it is important to keep adding as it decomposes.

You can harvest your compost when the bin material looks brown and crumbly, similar to coffee grounds. It should smell like nice forest floor. It probably will take about six months from the time of bin set-up until you can harvest the worm castings
To harvest you can empty the contents of the bin on a plastic sheet or tarp (you need to drain all the compost liquid first) remove all visible food scraps which you set aside to add later to the new bedding. Worms avoid light so they always will burrow down into the compost. To separate them  from the bedding you just have to wait a short time, then remove the 3"  top layer of the compost without the worms. Wait again until they burrow down and repeat the same every 5 - 10 minutes. In the end you have very little compost with a pile of worms. Re-bed Bin #2, add worms with the little compost to the bin, reassemble the bin setup and bury the leftover food scraps inside the new bedding.

You also can gently move the worm compost to one side of the bin, fill the other half with the fresh bedding and wait a day or two until the worms have moved to the new bedding, then remove the worm compost and fill the bin up with more of the new bedding. This does work much better if you have a larger bin, but it still is worth a try for the much easier and less messier technique.

Now you can use the harvested compost in your vegetable garden, or add it to your house plants as fertilizer.

If you have a problem with little flies inside your bin, which might be fruit flies, this can be prevented by laying a piece of cardboard over the bedding, inside the bin. Fruit flies don't like to lay their eggs on the smooth surface of the cardboard so this breaks their life cycle.
You might have Fungus gnats which are attracted to moist organic matter, like found in worm bins. They don't respond to the same technique as with fruit flies but can be trapped with a sticky trap made for gnats inside the bin. Sometimes if you get gnats in your house plants putting sand on top of the soil is supposed to prevent them laying their eggs, the same might work in the worm bin.

What could cause your worms death?
1)Bedding too dry, which leaves no moisture for the worms can cause them to die. Bedding needs to be moist like a wrung out sponge.
2)Too much water, causes them to drown. Use the spigot to drain the liquid more often. A layer of coco peat fiber at the bottom of the bin can absorb excess moisture.
3) Not enough air, will suffocate the worms. Keep the bedding fluffy and keep vents clear of bedding.
4)Too much acid is toxic and can burn the delicate skin of worms. Avoid adding too much citrus scraps.
5) Digging to much around in the bin will cause the food and bedding to heat up like a compost pile, heat will kill the worms.
6) Sun will heat up the box and kill the worms. Keep the box out of the sun. In hot climates it is advised to keep them out of over 90° F temperature.
7) Too cold. Worms start dying off in temperatures under 40° F.
8) Harvest compost when ready, the worm's castings are toxic to the worms.

So, this is all the information you need to keep your worm bin going and your worms happy.
I promised it won't be hard.

Part one: How to build your worm bin

Composting with worms-building a worm bin

I wanted to get a worm bin for a long time, so last year I finally built one after I came across a nice bin design which was using Rubbermaid bins you can easily get at any Target or Hardware store. Making your own is just the right thing for the person who wants to try worm composting without making a big financial commitment.

 

What are the benefits of worm composting?

For one the worms can recycle your kitchen-waste into one of the best soil amendments nature gives us, which are the worm castings, during the winter when your compost pile outside slows down or stops composting. Worm castings are supposed to have 7 times the nutrients than your outdoor produced compost. There is no turning and no watering, although you are supposed to keep it at a certain moisture level, not too wet and not to dry. You also will get some nice compost tea, which you can drain to water your house plants with.

I am diluting the compost tea half with water and water my house plants with that, since it seems to be so rich and my houseplants are responding nicely to it.

Another benefit is, you can do it indoors or outdoors, as long the temperature is between 40° and 80° F, which allows even apartment dwellers a way to compost their kitchen waste.

And if you like to go fishing, you will have always a nice supply of worms for that, because if the worms are happy, they will happily reproduce but there is only so much room in the bins for worms. And you also need to periodically separate the worms from the finished compost or they could die off. You can  pass on the left over worms you don't need to other people interested in trying worm composting or your fishermen friends, or add them to your compost pile. Or you could just make a second bin if you have the room.

Some people advise to get your Red Wigglers from outdoors, but the worms you will get outside are certain to be Night Crawlers and they thrive only in unimproved soils they’re NOT adaptable to worm bins and will die in them. They are the typical bait worm and are an invasive species introduced to the Americas. The Red Wigglers or Eisenia fetida for compost bins is also an European import but will not survive outside temperatures below 40 degrees or higher then 90, so are no thread to the environment. 

Let me show you how my bin is made.

Here are the parts you need, you should be able to get them all at your hardware/garden store:

  -2 solid color Rubbermaid bins, which need to be at least 14" deep. They need to nest into each other and still leave some room on the bottom for the compost tea to drain into.

  -2 - 2" screened louvered vents

  -10 - 1" screened louvered vents (we couldn't find 1" vents, so we used 6 - 2" sized, half the amount recommended)

  -O-ring hose washer

  -1 Male hose adapter, 3/4" x 1/2"

  -1 Metal hose shut-off valve, spigot

-Teflon plumbers tape

tools:

  -Motor drill

  -1/4" drill bit (regular)

  -1" drill bit (blade type)

  -2" drill bit (cup type)

  -measuring tape

Assembly of the worm bin:

Bin#2: Installing the screened louvered vents and drainage holes

 *Before you drill the holes, you should make an indentation with the 1" drill bit point to help guide the drill. You will have less slippage that way.

 *Turn the bin upside down and drill about 20 - 1/4" holes in the bottom of that bin, which will be for drainage.

Make sure to remove all bits of plastic residue from the holes, so they are clean and free of plastic curls. The plastic chips could make your worms sick.

 *Turn the bin on it's side and drill 5 - 1" holes if you have the 1" vents, or 3 -2" holes if you use the larger vents, along the upper edge, use the 2" cup type drill bit for the larger size. Locate the holes 1 3/4" from the top edge, spacing each hole about 3" apart.

 *do the same on the other side of bin

 *Now you need to insert the louvered vents into the holes from the outside of the bin

 *Make sure the vents are flush with the outside wall

Bin #1 Install the shut off valve spigot

 * Drill a 1" hole right at the center, end wall (the smaller side of bin) one half inch from the bottom of that bin

 *Stretch and push the O-ring onto the threaded end of the male hose adapter

 *You need to make sure the O-ring is in the groove all the way to the end of the male hose adapter

 *Wrap the threaded end of the male hose adapter with Teflon plumber's tape, which will make it fit tight and prevent leakage

 *From the outside of the bin, screw the shut off valve/spigot on to the male hose adapter tightly

 *The valve/spigot control know should be on the topside of the spigot so you can use it easily. Keep the spigot always in the closed position so you won't have the compost tea leak out.

 Lid # 2: Installing the screened louvered vents

 *Take the lid of the bin #2 and place on top of the #2 bin.

 *Mark two locations of the lid for the 2" louvered vents. A good place to put them is in the middle of the bin which is a bit indented. You do not want to put the holes across the border area from the indentation to the smooth area. The vents would not fit properly then.

 *Drill the 2" holes carefully into the lid using the cup drill bit.

 *Again clean off any plastic residue or plastic curls

 *Insert the 2" louvered vents from the outside of the bin, just as you did the side vents

 *Assemble the bin according to the picture of the finished bin at the beginning of this article. Stacking Bin #2 inside the Bin #1. Put the lid with the vents on the top bin.

Don't snap it closed, just lay it loosely on top of bin.

Use the other lid #1 as a drip tray underneath the whole set up. It helps to put two or three bricks underneath the bins to raise them up higher, it makes the job of draining the compost tea into your water can or container you are using easier.

So now you have your very own, home built worm bin and you are ready to get some Red wigglers and start composting. In my next post I will share how you prepare your bins for the resident worms and how to care for them. I promise it will be easy

part two: Taking care of your worm bin

Composting and sustainable living

Composting to me is a big part of being a responsible gardener, it is an important part of becoming sustainable. Composting my garden scrap, my chicken manure keeps everything I produce in my yard and I recycle it right back into my garden. It is the perfect cycle of life. The more compost I make, the less I have to get from outside my doors. The less fuel is needed to sustain my garden, the better it is for the environment.

Even though in my community all the yard waste gets recycled into garden compost and I also can purchase the garden compost from my local composting facility, I think my homemade compost is much better then what I can buy there. These large composting facilities are not just composting yard waste, they get most of their compostables from the forest and wood industry, which means it is very heavy on wood, very little green vegetative matter in there. Too much wood in compost throws the balance of nutrients out of order. I was not too pleased with the quality of the purchased compost. I know we can produce better soil at home.

I have gone through different composting set ups, since ever I had a garden. When I first started, money was still tight so we couldn't afford any of those new recycled plastic compost bins. But you actually don't need them to be successful in composting. It is more important what you put in the bins then what kind of bin you use. Back then my husband was able to get some wooden crates and wood pallets, so we easily put two together with steel ties from the hardware store, with the help of the rabbits we were raising then, we made some wonderful compost for this garden. When we started our first garden this compost in just 2 years turned the barren, clay, compacted soil into a rich, dark vegetable garden soil.

I am using now several bins and have them on both sides of the yard because we have a large double lot on a hillside which made it difficult to haul all the yard waste from one side of the yard to the other.

In my vegetable garden I use 2 wire bins which we wrap inside with cardboard, so the yard waste does not fall through. The cardboard is compostable so does not contaminate your compost.
I use another bin just like those right next to my chicken yard to collect the chicken-manure and the yard waste until I can shred it and use it. 
They sit in a corner of the yard which does not get as much sun and in the winter is a bit cooler then the rest of the vegetable garden, so not very useful for growing.

 I also have another bin which right now sits temporary outside of the vegetable garden area, because I have to first move the old in-ground sprinkler you see in the picture to make room for it. It is a green, made of recycled plastic bin and I will be using it to finish the almost finished compost.




After I have collected enough material in the first wire bin, I use bin # 2 in the vegetable garden to start the compost, layering the different vegetative materials in the proper amounts. As it starts composting down, which usually is by the time my first bin has collected again enough material for my next batch. I scratch the partially composted material through a wire sieve made of  hardware cloth into bin # 3 and throw the stuff which still needs more composting back into the same bin it came from. After the bin # 3 is almost done composting, but still shows some non composted material I again sieve it through a finer hardware cloth into the plastic bin # 4 to finish it off. This for me eliminates a lot of the constant turning the compost and works just fine for me. I get some nice looking compost with it and now since I have my chickens it will be even better dirt for my garden.

My other 2 compost bins I have on the other side of my upper garden.
This garden is mostly ornamental aside of a herb garden and is closer to my house, this is where I put all my vegetable scrap from the kitchen and what ever compostable clippings are coming from my upper garden. It makes it a lot easier to clean up the upper garden and because it is close to the house I don't have to walk through the whole yard in the winter rains just to throw my kitchen scrap in it.

Recycling and composting comparison

I have always composted, since ever having my own garden. Part of the reason probably was, what do you do with all the garden waste you get from your garden, the clippings, the cleaned up plant material from your vegetable garden in fall, the weeds you pull, the fall leaves you rake, if your community does not offer yard waste pick up.

Back then in the early nineties most communities in the US did not offer yard waste pick up so you either had to start your own compost bin or throw it in the garbage. Lot of people in Los Angeles area threw the yard waste just in the garbage, I assume the same was in many other communities. To me it seemed to be almost a crime to throw all that in the garbage, filling up land fills with it.

I always thought it to be strange when I came here first, that in this rich industrial country like USA there was no recycling whatsoever. Everything was thrown out, trashcans were huge compared to Germany and talking to people nobody really seemed to care back then. Some told me 'America is such a big country, if we mess up this place, we can just move to another part" this opinion I got many times when living in Los Angeles.
Shocking! If you think about it.
Luckily things are different now, most cities have now yard waste bins for your yard clippings and many cities pass out cheap composters to residents and promote backyard composting. Things surely have improved since I first came to the US; but for recycling in good old USA, we are still doing baby steps compared to most European countries. Don't get me wrong I am glad they are recycling at all, I just wish more could be recycled. Still too many things are going into the landfill, which shouldn't.

Germany, who some years ago overhauled their waste management rules, is enforcing strict recycling, making it a legal offense to throw recyclables in the garbage and forcing manufacturing to reduce their packaging. Recycling your waste is just part of live over there.
Germans do not recycle because they 'have to' or 'could face a fine' if throwing recyclables in the trash, people there recycle because they think it is the right thing to do, it is something they learn about in early childhood and through adulthood and they care about their environment.

In the years since Germany started the new waste management legislation, Germany over time has become one of the biggest recycling countries in the world. In Germany almost nothing goes to waste, they are the most prolific waste sorters in the world now. Each recyclable item gets it's own color coded bin. So it is pretty straight forward once you know the system.

          'These are the recycling bins in my brothers multi family building'

It's so ingrained in everybody and part of everyday living for Germans, that nobody even thinks about it, it has become a completely automatic action, like walking. They sort everything now, my mother has a tiny garbage can it is all she needs for regular trash, all the other stuff goes into large bins. All paper, even the smallest scrap, candy wrappers, glass, plastic and organic waste is sorted out and recycled.

Most bottles, glass and plastic, aluminum cans has a deposit on it, vendors who sell these, even the smallest kiosk booth by law have to take them back.

This is not really a new rule, they just improved on it, even as I grew up there were deposits on bottles. If you bought beer and carbonated beverages you usually bought a box of twelve bottles, the box made of hard plastic had a deposit as well, as you returned the box you just grab a new box with full bottles and as long no bottles are missing the old deposits are transferred to the new. No charges for deposits are exchanged. This is still the system most stores do. Almost all families in Germany store boxes of their drinks in the basement or storage rooms.

All other glass is sorted by color: green, white and brown and gets placed in designated bins which are all over the towns and cities.

All Paper, every little scrap of paper, magazines included, cardboard and paper based packaging go in the blue or green recycle bin, color depends on where you live (Altpapier-Old paper) or in special paper recycling containers in your neighborhood.
Also the supermarkets and stores by law have to take back almost all kinds of packaging. Every supermarket has garbage cans for the different trash. So when you shop you can just unwrap your purchase and leave all the cardboard or Styrofoam there. The point in Germany is not just to recycle but also to not produce so much waste. By requiring companies to take care of the trash they produce, waste has greatly been reduced because companies are using less packaging.

Recyclable plastic wrappings and containers, aluminium, tin cans, polystyrene, things made of composite materials like beverage cartons or spray cans, go into the yellow bins. If it is supposed to go in that bin the product will have a symbol looking like a green Yin and Yang-called in German "der Grüne Punkt"
There are also some very strict municipal laws that ban plastic dishes in government buildings, schools and universities.

Compostable kitchen scraps, peels, leftover food, coffee filters, tea bags and all the garden trimmings go into a green or brown bin, depending where you live called "Biotonne" - bio-bin or a special compost bin found somewhere in your area you live. The 'Biotonne' waste accounts for about 50% of all waste produced in Germany.

It is against the law to throw out old batteries, unused pharmaceuticals, waste oil or old varnish and paint into the regular trash. All stores selling these products have to accept the return of these products to properly dispose of them.

Old unwanted appliances, televisions, old furniture, ironing board and other large household items are picked up three or four times a year on at "Sperrmüll" - bulky trash day.  In some cities you have to arrange a pick up with your local trash collector. For all other times if you have bigger items or computer cities have special recycling facilities (Recyclinghof) set up, easy accessible where one can deliver these things. Some fees apply to certain items.

Old clothing and shoes are picked up on regular basis at your curb by different charities run by volunteers, the Youth Red Cross is one of those. It will be usually announced a few days ahead by fliers or newspaper announcements.
But there are also containers for these items set up by commercial companies around town.

 Even your Christmas tree gets a special pickup day. This usually happens early or mid January and the dates are announced in your local newspaper.

If you have anything left after sorting out all the other trash you put it into the gray bin, which is called "Restmüll" -leftover trash. This includes personal hygiene items, textiles, diapers, cigarette buds and other non recyclables.
If you followed all the recycling rules, you probably will not have much left to put in there.
I know every time I visit my family in Germany I am amazed how little trash they produce that goes into the Restmüll. They really now recycle almost all waste.

Let's compare some numbers:
The numbers of Britain and Germany are from 2007, the US numbers are from 2005 because they don't have any newer data, because the EPA releases numbers not very frequently.
Germany even they are a highly industrialized country produces only 30 million tons of trash a year, of this 50 percent is bio waste, meaning it does not go into landfills.  We also have a population 25% larger then Britain, still Great Britain managed to produce 36 million tons of trash and the US 246 million tons of trash. The recycling rate in Germany is now 74.9 percent. While Great Britain only recovered 23.5% and the US in 2007 was able only to recover 33% of their total waste, nevertheless it is small improvement from 1985 when only 10% got recycled.

In other words, the Germans are recycling much more of their garbage than the British or Americans.
But this is not all, Germany used to have more then 50.000 landfills in the 1970s, now they have less then 200. Anything else, that can not be recycled is incinerated in high tech incinerators or undergoes mechanical biological treatment. By the time it goes into the landfill it amounts to only 1% of all waste.

This is how much household recycling has improved in Germany over the years



  
United States recycling statistics have improved each year since the U.S. started recycling in earnest but they still have a long way to go. 
This information is from the EPA latest numbers in 2005; which gives mixed results about household MSW-municipal solid waste.
Even the US is showing a sustained improvement in waste reduction, the municipal solid waste the US creates is still on the up and rising. From 1980 to 2005 the municipal solid waste increased 60%, and since the 1960s the amount of waste produces doubled.
 I think these are really shameful numbers. It is just utter gluttony!
There was a grand total of 246 million tons of trash created in 2005.
The good news in that is that figure is 2 million tons smaller then from 2004. According to the EPA.

I don't really think this is something we should applaud each other for. Because the news I am reading here is.
Americans still don't get it, the US manufacturers still don't get it and the Politicians are definitely not getting it.

The proof that the US is not really getting it shows clearly in the statement from the EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson who released these numbers. Don't forget this is during the Bush administration.
This what he said: "We are turning a throw-away culture into a recycling culture," Johnson said. "By encouraging smart use of resources, we can hand down a more sustainable planet to future generations."

Excuse me if I have to laugh

According to Johnson nearly 40 percent of containers and packaging material was recycled in 2005. It is an improvement, but not enough of an improvement.

Here is the breakdown of these numbers by packaging material
Recycling numbers for the US          in 2005 from the EPA                         
                                                                                                   
Glass                                                                        25 %
Paper and paperboard containers                           58.8 % 
Plastic containers                                                         9 %
Steel                                                                       63.3 % 
All aluminum packaging, including aluminum foil        36.3 %
Aluminum cans                                                           45 %
Wood (mostly pallets)                                                 15 %


Are you proud now seeing these numbers? We surely can do better.
We have a lot of catch up to do in the US.
As long people are not taking the responsibility for how they shop and what they buy, I don't believe much will change. As long the industry is not forced to reduce their waste, we always will be on the top in the comparison with the rest of the other countries how we deal with trash. On the top of being the greatest trash producing country in the world.

Saving Seeds of Peas

Peas because they are big seeds and are contained in a pod, so don't scatter are easy to collect. They also belong to the self pollinating group, so come usually true to seed. There is a slight possibility that insect activity could produce a bit of cross pollination, however regular peas should not cross with sugar peas and vice versa. It's been never a problem for me but to prevent any crossing you can keep different varieties five to ten feet apart. Or, if you don't have the space, you could just plant only one variety of each kind each year and still be able to keep your seeds going there pea seed are viable for 3 years, if kept at cool, dry conditions.

Pea vines can become a tangled mess, which can make identification of individual plants difficult. It helps to keep the single plant just a bit apart for easy identification, or better plant a few pea plants separate from the ones you plan on eating just for seed production. To get a pound of seeds it will take about 15 feet of peas planted in a row, planted at the proper spacing, or the equivalent of that planted in a shorter but wider area. Peas need zinc to form peas in the pods so if you see not many pea seeds forming you might have zinc deficiency which can be corrected with adding Zinc-Sulfate to your soil.

Before you can shell the seeds for keeping, they need to thoroughly dry in the pod. Take them out to early they will rot. To make sure they are all completely dry it's a good idea to dry the vines in a well-aired area for a week or more, making sure you don't pack them to tight together so they don't become damp and rot. Damp seeds won't have good growing qualities. After they are dry you can hand crack the pods or thresh the seeds.

Store in good sealed containers or bags in a cool, dry environment or you can store them in the freezer, which should make them stay viable for at least five years. Before you plant them, you need to take them out of the freezer to defrost and warm up.

Saving Seeds-The Easy Ones

To get seeds, the pollen has to be the correct kind, and it needs to get to the ovule at the right time of the plants vegetative growth to reproduce itself. Only the pollen of the related species will result in seeds. Seeds from a cabbage will not pollinate your tomato, since they are different species. Even within the same species, some plants won't get pollinated by their own pollen, even though they cross-pollinate easy within their plant family. Cabbage plants are a good example of this. To get good cabbage seeds, you need at least two of the same variety, better would be more, all flowering at the same time. But you need to keep them from being pollinated by another plant of the cabbage family, like Broccoli for example.

Some plants are easier to save seeds from then others. Some plants pollinate themselves, this means they accept their own pollen, from their own flowers either with or without insects.
This means for the gardener, you don't necessary need a whole bunch of the same plants to get viable seeds, although it's always better to save seeds from several plants of the same kind; this also means they cross pollinate rarely with each other and the seed will result in plants which look just like the parent plant because the inheritance is the same.
You do have to make sure, that you don't have a Hybrid plant, hybrids unfortunately will not result into a plant which looks like it's parent.

Plants which fall into this category of 'Self Pollinating' plants are:
Barely, Lima Beans, Snap Beans, Cow Peas, English Garden Peas, Endive, Lettuce, Corn Salad, Oats, Soy Beans, Tomatoes and Wheat.

Being self pollinating makes them the best choice for the 'Beginner Seed Saver'. These are the plants you should start with.

In fact, many of those are so easy to grow, if you don't want to bother with picking the seeds, you could just let them bolt to seed and if your climate allows, let them seed themselves. I have been doing this with my lettuce and corn salad for years, I find sometimes the seeds sprout easier this way, then if I seed them by hand. Over the years I introduced a new lettuce variety each year, I now easily get 10 different lettuce varieties, all seeded by themselves. I just dig up as many seedlings as I want and move them to the proper location. I also always have plenty seedlings to give away to my friends or neighbors. I still collect seeds of the plants anyway, to be able to start the lettuce in the off, hot season, when it won't start itself outside, but growing lettuce this way gives me a very early spring crop. The plants know when the weather is just right to sprout. It never failed for me.

When should the seeds get collected?

This all depends on which seed you want to collect. Some seeds, can be collected before they are completely mature and dry, get dried off the plant and they will grow fine this way. Other seeds won't sprout if you collect them immature.
Seeds of Lettuce, Spinach, Tomatoes, Snap Beans, Corn Salad and Radishes will grow alright, even if you collect them immature. Seeds of Peppers, Carrots, Celery, Peas don't germinate so well if you collect them before they are ripe.
That said, it still is always better to let the seeds ripen fully, you just get a better germination rate that way.

Since Lettuce is one of the easiest one to save seeds from I will share how to save it's seeds.

Lettuce:
Save the seeds from the plant which bolts the slowest.
Leaf lettuce is supposed to be easier to save seeds from. Head lettuce, matures later then leaf lettuce and because some produce tight heads, sometimes you need to cross cut an inch or so into the top of the head, so the seed stalk can come out. I never had this problem yet, but most of my head lettuces make a more loose head.
Lettuce will get a tall stalk with lot's of little, daisy like flowers, similar to Dandelion, which lettuce is related to. The yellow flowers will turn into downy white seeds heads, just like Dandelion. They don't always turn all downy at the same time, so if you want the seeds in your bag instead them seeding themselves out, you have to frequently snip the downy seed heads off. Or you can put a paper-bag over the seed head, tie it below (so the seeds don't fall out) and then let them ripen into the bag. You also could just wait until most flowers turned into downy or are close to being downy, cut the whole stalk off and cure it in an airy place, either inside a paper bag or have a sheet underneath it. Keep in mind if it rains, the seeds can be knocked off the plants.
I usually just wait until most seeds are downy and then shake them off inside a paper bag.

Keep the seeds inside a well sealed container or bag. There lettuce sprouts better after a cold spell I keep mine in the freezer, this especially works better to grow lettuce in the summer months.

Benefits of Saving Seeds

Saving your own seeds has a lot of benefits.

If you save the seeds from the plants which did best in your micro climate of your vegetable garden, the ones which were most frost resistant, more drought tolerant, germinated the earliest, bolted late, eventually you end up with your own specific plant, one which is best suited to your gardens environment. Even selecting the seeds without these specific criteria, just simply saving the seeds from plants which seem to grow best in your garden will often condition the strain of the plant to the micro climate of the place it's planted regularly.

Another benefit is, that you can improve the vegetables quality. Just by selecting the seeds of the plants which taste best, yield the most, grow the fastest, give an early harvest, grow the biggest, had the best color, had the least disease problems, less pest problems, or any other quality you desire, if you save seeds from the best plants eventually, over a period of years, you get an improved strain with better qualities then the original seed.

Saving seeds also saves money. I admit, seeds are really not that expensive, but saving them, they cost nothing.

Plus you might eventually find a new strain of a vegetable growing in your garden, one which came about through a mutation or cross pollination, you now have a new vegetable strain, a Heirloom Vegetable and you only can keep it going by saving the seeds. You can't buy that one in any catalog, it only comes from your garden. There are many vegetables offered by seed companies which started out being a heirloom strain, that were developed by back yard gardeners and had been grown and saved for many years or even generations. Keeping these seeds going is a great gift to the future generations, a great gift to the world.

And last saving seeds is a sustainable task. Instead of relying on a seed company to keep your favorite seeds in stock, you are relying on yourself. You don't need to worry, a seed you really liked maybe won't be available next year in your favorite catalog. Your supply of your well chosen seeds, if correctly stored will feed you next year. Price, postage or fuel increases won't affect you.
Being self reliant also can give a satisfaction of knowing you can take care of yourself. Being able to provide for yourself, and maybe for your extended family, your friends and improving your own seeds is something to be proud of.
After all they are unique, they are your very own seeds, you can't get them anywhere else but from your garden.

Seed Catalogs I like to support

In the world of buying seeds, if you don't want to support Monsanto-Seminis and you are interested in buying from companies which support unaltered, open pollinated and heirloom seeds. There are many alternatives to buy from.
I think there is definitely a new trend going for open pollinated, heirloom seeds. More and more people asking for non hybrid, non gen. altered seeds, seed catalogs are responding in adding more of these seeds to their offering and if you search for Heirloom Seeds on the internet, every year there are more new catalogs in that category.

The only way we can stop Monsanto in endangering our food supply is by buying consciously. Buy seeds from the companies which sign the 'Safe Seed Pledge', buy from companies which don't sell seeds owned by Monsanto, support the companies which try to preserve our food heritage. Buy Heirlooms, Open Pollinated Seeds. Don't buy products made with genetically altered plants. Read the fine print, read your labels when you shop, inform yourself where your food comes from.

We are not all powerless, those companies are only as strong as we let them.

So these companies supposedly are not selling Monsanto owned seeds and quite a few of them grow their own seeds.

Companies I have bought from before are marked by a '*'

Abundant Life Seeds *
Amishland Seeds
Baker Creek Seed Co. * this is right now one of my favorites, they got a great selection of Seeds from around the world
Berlin Seeds - no web site
Botanical Interests * luckily for me, I can get their seeds locally in a garden store
Bountiful Gardens
Diane's Flower Seeds
Fedco Seed Co. - phasing out seminis seeds. Fedco's catalog notes for every variety they sell a number code 1-5, which tells where that seed. came from 1=small independent farmer, 2=family-owned seed companies or co-operatives, 3=domestic & foreign corporations not part of a larger conglomerate, 4=multinationals not engaged in genetic engineering, to Fedco's knowledge, 5=multinationals engaged in genetic engineering.
Garden City Seeds
Heirloom Acres Seeds - rumored to have bad germination rate & bad customer service
Heirlooms Evermore Seeds
Heirloom Seeds* nice variety, it took a bit longer this year to get my order, they said they were overrun with orders (a sign of the times?)
High Mowing Seeds
Horizon Herbs* I found 'Bärlauch' a German wild growing herb there, they built special meals around this herb in Germany when in season. It grows wild in Germany.
Irish-Eyes
Kitchen Garden Seeds* I have been buying from them in years, before they were affiliated with Van Engelen, Inc., they have signed the 'Safe Seed Pledge' and have a interesting assortment of seeds
Lake Valley Seeds
Livingston Seeds
Local Harvest
Mountain Rose Herbs* I ordered a few times from them when I lived in North Carolina. They sometimes had mislabeled plants. Otherwise a nice selection of herbs
Organica Seed
Peaceful Valley Farm Supply* I have not ordered seeds from them, because many of those seeds I can get locally. But I have ordered garlic, organic fertilizer and other garden related things from them. They have a great selection for organic gardening
Pinetree - this one I have been trying to order online a few times, unsuccessfully. Due to Shopping cart problems. I emailed them at least twice, never heard back. They got a nice seed selection if you can get them
Renee's Garden* Renee always has some nice seeds. I used to buy from there before she sold her first Seed catalog business. I do miss the old Renee's catalog. More selection and not so much packaged deals, like 2 different beans in a pack.
Richters Herbs
Sand Hill Preservation Center
Seed Saver's Exchange
Seeds of Change*another company I have bought from for a long time. They are owned now by M&M/Mars- this supposedly because one of the Seeds of Change founders is related person at the top from M&M/Mars, so when the seed company needed financial support they arranged the buy-out. Seed of Exchange say are in complete control of the company, the marketing and in choosing what seeds to sell.
Southern Exposure
Tiny Seeds
Tomato Fest - seed germination from this company is reputed to be poor
Underwood Garden Seeds
Uprising Seeds
Victory Seeds
Wildseed Farms
Wood Prairie Farm

Seed Savings Importance In Monsanto Times

When I started looking into it, which seed catalogs are selling seeds benefiting the Monsanto corporation, I was surprised how many of the companies I regarded highly and I often buy seeds from, because they do sell a lot of open pollinated and heirloom seeds, the kind of seeds I only use nowadays, how many sell Seminis seeds. They do not only solely Seminis seeds but it sure is very difficult to find out which ones are coming from Seminis. Some companies are not eagerly sharing which seeds are connected to Monsanto, a few are sharing this information. Some companies stopped carrying the controversial seeds and others are phasing them out.

The other surprise to me was, how more and more formerly independent seed catalogs are being owned by larger enterprises, being consolidated. I knew before I investigated that some catalogs I used to shop at had been bought up by another company but I had no idea how bad this is getting. This is a bad direction for the future of our seed supply. We do not want the control of our garden seeds in the hands of a few corporations.

To show you how hard it will be to stay away from Monsanto's owned seeds, look at the Seed companies which sell Monsanto owned Seminis seeds. Look also at the connections the seemingly independent small retailers have.

* Audubon Workshop... Owned by Scarlet Tanager, LLC
* Breck's Bulbs... Owned by Scarlet Tanager, LLC
* Burpee... merged with the Ball company in 1991, also bought up Heronswood Nursery
* Cook's Garden... I used to get seeds from there, but in the last years I wasn't as impressed with their selection. They were bought up by Burpee's.
* Earl May Seed
* Flower of the Month Club... Owned by Scarlet Tanager, LLC
* Gardens Alive... Owned by Scarlet Tanager, LLC
* HPS ... Also owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Johnny's Seeds.... I used to buy a lot of veggies from there, since I only buy OP or Heirloom, and they don't have the variety I seek, I stopped buying from there. This is from their website: "Presently Johnny's carries about 40 Seminis varieties,which is about 4% of our vegetable varieties. Our intention is to continue replacing them." and "I don't see plant genetic resources being locked up by the conglomerates, because the germ plasm collections are public.
My main concern about Monsanto is the consolidation." This statement makes me wonder where they stand. They have signed the Safe Seed Pledge, but then what does that mean, if they are still supporting Seminis/Monsanto.
* Jungs.... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Lindenberg Seeds
* McClure and Zimmerman Quality Bulb Brokers.... I have ordered bulbs from them before and even though they have a great selection it's always a hit or miss. sometimes things are mislabled, sometimes they don't grow, sometimes bulbs are mediocre in size other times large. I stopped buying from them. They are owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella.
* Mountain Valley Seed
* Nichol’s.... used to shop there, but in the last years the catalog had ever smaller offering so I stopped going there. They are local to us. Their customer service used to be better when the parents owned the place. On their website they say:'We are an original signer of the safe seed pledge and offer no genetically modified seed, plants, or products'
* Osborne
* Park Bulbs.... owned by Park Seed Company
* Park Seed.... owned by Park Seed Company
* Park's Countryside Garden.... owned by Park Seed Company
* R.H. Shumway.... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Roots and Rhizomes.... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Rupp
* Seeds for the World... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Seymour's Selected Seeds.... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Snow
* Spring Hill Nurseries.... Owned by Scarlet Tanager, LLC
* Stokes
* Territorial Seed Co.... also locally, will give out list of their Seminis seeds if asked and say they are in the process to slowly replace Seminis seeds with new products.
* The Vermont Bean Seed Company.... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Tomato Growers Supply .... I have bought a lot of heirloom tomatoes, peppers and eggplants from them in the last few years.
* Totally Tomato .... bought from them before, nice selection of heirlooms, most I can get somewhere else. Owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Mountain Valley Seed
* Vermont Bean Seed Co. .... owned by J.W. Jung Seed Company's umbrella
* Wayside Gardens.... owned by Park Seed Company
* Willhite Seed Co.

There is the rumor going around on the internet that these companies are now owned by Monsanto but this is not true. Nevertheless buying Seminis Seeds, supports Monsanto.

And remember not all of the seeds these Companies sell are Seminis Seeds. Some of them are in the process of phasing their Seminis seeds out.

For a list of which seeds varieties, which are now owned by Monsanto see here http://seedsandseedsaving.blogspot.com/

Importance Of Seed Saving To Preserve Our Food Supply

Seed Saving is so important in these times we are living now.

I just watched the documentary 'The Future Of Foods' which is about Genetic Engineered Crops and how the Bio Tech Industry is starting to use unsavory tactics to take control of the seed industry.

It is scary where the bio-tech industry and food politics are leading us to.

I have been worried about genetically engineered foods getting into the food supply for a while, especially since the US Government does not mandate declaration of genetically altered ingredients in the food we are eating. The film was an eye opener how far the industry has already gone. The truth is, with some crops, there is no way knowing if it is in our foods or not. The contamination of fields from genetic engineered crops is widespread. And once a farmers field is contaminated with these genetically altered crops, his whole field can become contaminated through pollination. So it is anybodies guess how much of the genetically altered foods are already in our grocery aisles.

Because companies like Monsanto, which has been the most aggressive company in this new global food fight, have patented not just their engineered seeds, but have also patented components of the engineered plants. They now are able to sue these farmers for stealing their genetics, because their crop has now Monsanto's patented genetics and prevent them from saving their own seeds. Something those farmers and their ancestors probably have done for many generations. Farmers have been selectively saving their seeds to preserve the best adapted seed for their growing environment. It takes decades of hard work to get there and now Monsanto practically can own a farmers livelihood, because now the farmer either has to buy the seeds from these companies or has to start all over with selective seed saving. Which might not even be possible, if Monsanto & Co. bought up the former seed company and now let the open pollinated seeds disappear. Open pollinated seeds don't fit it the profit equation of these Bio Tech companies.

Think about this for a moment. Monsanto contaminates the farmers field, but the farmer gets sued and loses the court case. Where is the justice?

Did you know that 98% of all seeds are now controlled by just a few companies, some of them being Monsanto, DuPont, Mitsui, Aventis, Dow Chemical and Syngent. These companies in the last few years have gobbled up many smaller seed operations, then they got rid of all the open pollinated varieties of those seed companies, because these are not profitable enough for them. Thousands of food varieties have been lost because of this. Then they genetically modified many seeds and got them patented worldwide, so they now control these seeds all over the world. They control the production of these seeds and thus the availability of these seeds. Which also means they control the market and food supply. Scary isn't it?

The original Plant Variety Protection Act of 1970, protected varieties from others’ use for 17 years, but with the exception that farmers were allowed to save seed, replant it, and even sell it to neighbors. Breeders were allowed to use it for research purposes.

But Court decisions in 1980, 1985 and 2001, in favor of Monsanto, brought all products of plant breeding under the standard utility patent. Unlike the Plant Variety Protection Act, utility patents don't protect just finished varieties, they also protect individual components of those varieties and the processes used to create those varieties. No exemptions for farmers to save seed and none for research and breeding have been given.

With these court decisions companies are now allowed to patent DNA sequences, individual mutations, genes, cells, proteins, single nucleotide polymorphisms, tissue cultures and specific plant parts. It used to be that Life forms could not be patented, now they can be.

Plants, which are living forms, which can reproduce themselves through their seeds. The patenting of “intellectual property” to protect a manufacturing product does not really translate well into the improvement of life forms. Improving life forms has typically been the work of farmers, by observing mutations, then selecting seeds or animals for the desired traits. Farmers then were sharing and exchanging seeds to build upon one another’s efforts. Nobody really can own a mutation which occurs freely in nature. Biological heritage used to be held in common. This proprietary model the industry is trying to impose on a product given to us by nature goes against all agricultural traditions.

What happens if animals get contaminated with patented genes? People? Are we on the way to be owned by Corporations?

Monsanto bought out one of the largest Seed companies 'Seminis' in 2005. This gave Monsanto control of more than 30 percent of the North American vegetable seed market, more than 20 percent of the world’s tomato seed market and more than 30 percent of the world hot pepper seed market. Not sure if this has gone through yet, but they either bought or will be buying Netherland's 'De Ruiter Seeds' company with crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, peppers and rootstock for the greenhouse market.

But these are not the only seed companies they bought up, many smaller companies were swallowed in the process of controlling the seed supply.

In 2007 Monsanto formed the International Seed Group Inc (ISG) as a holding company for the company’s growing investments in regional vegetable and fruit seed businesses.

So their seed busines now includes DeRuiter a “protected-culture” vegetable seed market; Seminis, the open-field vegetable seed market; and the International Seed Group, which serves the regional seed businesses.

Monsanto claims their genetically engineered seeds are needed to increase world food production and feed the hungry of this world. But a recent study, which was carried out over three years at the University of Kansas is undermining these repeated claims of the Bio-Tech industry. This study shows that GM soya produces about 10 per cent less food than its conventional equivalent, contradicting their claims. Genetic modification cuts the productivity of crops.
One thing it does, it increases productivity of Monsanto, because not only do they get to sell all the seeds to the farmers but it increases the productivity of Monsanto's chemical divisions. These crops are engineered to be immune to the toxicity of Roundup. Farmers now can spray their fields with Roundup without harming their crops. This naturally translates to more sales of Roundup. And to more toxins sprayed into the environment.

"Bingo"! Isn't that interesting how that works?

So it who does it really benefit? Human kind? Or Monsanto?

But don't despair, these companies only can do what they are doing if we let them. We are not completely powerless.

More on this and what one can do to save our food supply in my next post.

Chick News

We just got the last four of the little Peeps last week of the breed 'Australorp'. They were bred in Australia out of black Orpingtons and the name reflects this fact.
They supposedly are an improved version of the black Orpingtons, the idea was to make it an better utility bird and they are known to lay more then 250 eggs a year, the record was 346 eggs a year.
They seemed to be a bit smaller as the other chickens, when we got them even tough they still will be over 8 lbs compared to the 10 lbs of the Orpingtons, approximately the same size as the Welsummer chickens. The little Australorps remind me a little bit of fluffy Penguins, they are black with a white/greyish front rump and some have white markings in the face. Their feet are dark skinned, not yellow like the others.

Australorps

The other chickens are now a week older then the Australorps. It is amazing the growth they can make in one week. The first few days, every morning it seemed like they doubled in size and they had another row of new feathers. The are fully winged now, have some tail feathers and just are getting shoulder feathers. They start looking real funny being between the fluffy, little peep look and a real feathered look.

The Welsummer which are going to be a reddish brown are starting to show some of the Partridge pattern they will have

Look at the shoulder and wing feathers of the Welsummer chicks

The Orpingtons are growing really fast, when you hold them they feel like a hand full. Before, you hardly noticed you had any weight in your hand, but now you do notice they are getting heavier.

look the tiny tail, aren't they funny looking?

The chickens got big so fast and started to be more active, flapping their new wings, running around with no directions, just to be running, we felt they needed more room. So we made them a cardboard box brooder and moved them to the sun room. So far we had them in the aquarium right next to the dinner table. This was really nice to get them used to us, it also was amusing to watch them, it is almost like watching chicken TV. But now they are getting bigger, they are also starting to become more messy, smelly. So it was good that the outdoor temperature is picking up somewhat, because that let us move them into the unheated sun room. With the brooder lamp box inside the card board box run, they should stay warm. They look like they enjoying the space and seem fine with the cooler temperature in that room.


This is the new chicken set up

Our Boxer is fascinated by the chickens and likes to watch them. I am not so sure he thinks of them as play buddies, I think he is thinking "I know chicken? I like chicken!" So I don't trust him with them. His instinctual reflexes are quite strong, so he gets supervised visits with them. The top of the box is covered with bird netting, clipped to the sides, so the dog can not stick his head in there. Hopefully we will get him to the point that he just ignores them as they get bigger.