assembledart asked:


I bought a pound of them and they are working their tails off but I think I have to many for just two people. They are neat and tidy and live on my kitchen counter. If you are interested, I will let you come and see the set up. I think it would be great to teach youngsters about living green

By: Chris Dailey

If you are a cook or a chef, or just simply enjoy tasty food that is seasoned with herbs, one of the best things you can do for yourself and your family is to begin to grow your own herbs. At the local supermarket, purchasing herbs on a regular basis, especially if you use them frequently, can be very expensive. However, with a simple plan of action, and a few solid tips, you can begin to grow your own organically grown herbs in the comfort of your home or outside if you have the space to do so. Here are three easy steps that you can take in order to begin growing organic herbs without all of the hassle and price when buying them at your local store.

First of all, you will need a few things in order to begin. You can purchase most of these things and use them for years without needing to invest again or at least for some time. Other things must be purchased on a regular basis and they are low cost, especially when compared against the yields that you will have from your organic herbs that will be grown in a natural and healthy way.

You will of course need some organic fertilizer. This can be purchased at your local nursery or if you are an avid gardener already, or someone that does worm composting on the side, you can use some of your freshly produced organic fertilizer for this process. In fact, it would be better if you make the fertilizer yourself as homegrown compost seems to work much better for most people.

If you do not have your own compost pile in your backyard, but you do not want to buy non organic fertilizer, you should probably begin this process well before the planting season begins. The process that I am talking about is creating a compost pile or buying a compost bin so that you can begin to utilize the natural chemical processes that will occur via the composting process or you can procure some red worms and place them in a bin specifically designed for vermicomposting in order for the worms to begin creating compost for you.

Another possibility is that you can use what are called fish emulsions as an alternative to the composting process or purchasing compost outright. Fish emulsions are also a product that you can purchase from almost any horticulture resource or online store and have it sent to your home in no time at all.

You will also need some planting containers, a couple of watering cans that you can use to water your herbal crops, a soil scoop or gardeners hand fork, some mulch and of course the herb seed you are going to use in order to grow the organic herbs of your choice.

Before planting, also realize that some herbs are in dire need of sunlight on an almost full time basis whereas others prefer partial shade. Also, some herbs are suitable for growing in small pots that you can sit in your windowsill whereas others prefer to be planted in larger containers. Your other alternative is to plant them in the natural environment outside but that of course depends upon where you live and the climate that is best suited for each plant. So whether you are growing basil, chives, or parsley, make sure that the place that you will be growing them is best suited for their optimal growth.

The next thing you must do is mix your soil. By taking soil from the ground perhaps from an old garden area and placing it in the pots, you will now need to mix in your fertilizer in the form of compost from either your compost pile or the worm bin, or if you decided to purchase something else such as fish emulsion, simply mix that according to directions into water in order to get the proper mix for your herbal plants to grow. Most herbs prefer to be slightly undernourished than overfertilized.

Once done, plant each of your seeds and make sure that you label what each one is. Make sure that you place each pot or container in the appropriate area so that each herb receives the proper amounts of sunlight once it begins to grow as well as the correct seed germinating temperature. This process to prepare your herb garden should take just a few hours depending upon how many herbs you are deciding to grow and how long it takes you to mix your soil for each potting container. You should also check on the pH of the soil in order to determine if it has the proper balance. There are many pH testing tools that you can purchase on the cheap that will ensure that the acidic and base levels are at the proper level. Most herbs prefer a slightly acidic ph to grow in.

Finally, it is time to write your daily schedule in order to take care of your plants in the seedling stage. By creating a check list of the things you need to do such as checking pH levels, watering, making sure that they are in the proper areas and at the proper temperatures, this will ensure that your herbal crops will grow to completion in record time and you can begin enjoying the organic herbs that you love to eat in no time at all. Also, remember that herbs love to be pruned while they are growing. This will create bushier plants and more herbs to harvest in the long run.

By: Warren Peters

What is vermicomposting? Vermicomposting means using worms to make compost. This is very easy to do and needs just a little bit of garden space and you can even do it in your basement or your garage. This is one great way to use up your kitchen waste and not let it go to waste. Let’s show you how easy it is. All you need to do is follow these very easy steps.

First of all, you need to get yourself a storage bin, a plastic one is best. If yours is a family of six, you need a size that’s around 1′ x 2′ x 3.5′. At the bottom of the bin, drill around 10 holes, each one to facilitate drainage and place a tray underneath the bin to hold the drainage.

Now put in some nylon mesh at the bottom of the bin so the worms don’t escape through these holes. Now you need some bedding and for this, you will require some newspaper. Shred them and wet them well. You should make sure they stay moist and don’t get dry.

Now add the worms to the bin, preferably red worms which are thought to be the best as far as composting is concerned. These are the most common worms you are likely to find in most gardens and lawns so you can just collect them from your garden or order them from a gardening store.

Make sure the bedding and the worms are on one side of the bin and put in vegetable peels and other kitchen waste, taking care not to put in any meat or fat products. Don’t put in too much or you’ll find that the stuff tends to rot. Now keep the bin in a cool, dark place.

It should take around 3 months for the worms to turn the waste and the bedding into compost. Now put in the bedding and more waste on the other side of the bin. The worms tend to migrate to the new food supply. Put the bin out in the sun and the worms will go right into the bedding and you can take out your compost from one side of the bin. You can put it for your plants or save it for later.

Now how do you use this compost that you have made? Compost is organic matter that is really great for your plants. You can add it to your lawn, your plants in the garden or your potted plants. You’ll find the soil improving with better aeration and moisture-holding properties.

This is where your plants will get their nutrients from and thrive. You can also use it as mulch, spreading it on top of the soil after mixing it with a bit of topsoil. You’ll find compost helps prevent many diseases.

You’ll find in your garden that all the organic matter does decompose eventually. However, vermicomposting hastens the process and gives you garden soil that is fertile, moist and rich in nutrients. So your plants grow better, look better and survive better. All it takes for organic matter to decompose are ideal conditions in which earthworms, bacteria, fungi and bugs can work.

They need moisture, oxygen, carbon and nitrogen. So if you were to mix in nitrogen-rich substances like grass clippings or manure from livestock, you’ll find decomposing happening quicker. Carbon can be had from leaves and twigs. Or you could fling in a handful of lawn fertilizer which will provide the carbon-nitrogen needs.

Do remember to water it a bit in case it doesn’t rain and the mix gets dry. A bit of turning around once in a while gives it the oxygen it needs. Just a little bit of care and you are well on your way to great compost!

By: Joey Singer

The main work worms do in your garden is tilling and aerating the soil. They burrow very deep, leaving channels through the soil that break up clods and allow air to enter and water to penetrate and drain away.

In the process of eating at the surface and eliminating lower down, they introduce organic matter to the deeper levels and steadily increase the depth of topsoil. Their main role is to digest decomposing organic matter, converting it quickly into a form plants can use as nutrients.

It is important to maintain good soil structure when gardening organically. Unlike mechanical tillers, earthworms do not damage the soil by inverting it, creating hardpans or breaking up the crumb structure. They never have mechanical breakdowns, they do not create noise or pollution, and they use garbage for fuel – an excellent way to dispose of your kitchen scraps, especially if you live in an apartment.

DIY Worm Farming

Commercial worm farms are very practical, widely available, easy to use and are quite aesthetically pleasing. You usually buy them with a small supply of worms to get you started. Choose either Red Worms or Tiger Worms. However, if you already have a suitable ‘home’ for your worms you don’t need to spend the extra money.

A pair of old concrete laundry tubs in a shady spot near your kitchen door or close to your propagating area (or both) is ideal. Have the tubs elevated to make collection of the fertilizer easy. Leave the plugs out and put a strainer in the hole so that any excess water can drain.

Fill the first tub with compost and mix in a handful of dolomite or agricultural lime, along with about a half a bucket of soil. Place a bucket under the plug-hole and water this mix with a fine spray until it is quite saturated and starting to drip into your bucket.

Tip in your starter population of worms and cover the surface with an old hessian sack, wet cardboard, old carpet or similar. Worms usually live underground so they thrive in an environment that is cool, dark and moist. You can purchase a tub of 500 – 1000 worms to get started. They are available from professional worm breeders and can be sent through the mail. Many garden supply centres will also have them.

A close-fitting solid lid on your farm will suffocate your worms, so you need to fit a fly-mesh or shade-cloth screened lid to keep out flies and other insects.

For the first month you need do nothing except make sure the farm is kept quite moist, but not awash. Once the farm is settled in you should not need to add extra water. If your farm is exposed to rain, make sure the plug is left out or your worms will drown.

The compost itself will feed the worms for quite a long time, but to get maximum breeding it is best to add some supplementary feed every few days, especially as the population starts to increase. Add a dessert-spoon-full of lime or dolomite to each kilo of food.

You can vary their feed by rotating between:

- a bucket half-filled with water and cow or horse manure, mixed to a slop and poured over the surface;

- a blender filled with household scraps(not citrus or onion peel or meat) blended to a slop and poured over the surface;

- rotten potatoes, pumpkin or fruit, just placed on the surface;

- half a bucketful of new compost, spread over the surface.

Worms also like:

•    soaked and ripped pizza boxes

•    shredded and soaked cardboard, paper

•    leaves, dirt, hair, egg shells

Worms do not have teeth, so scraps should be cut into small pieces – waste from a vegetable juicer is ideal.

Plants from the onion family (including garlic, leeks and shallots) and citrus fruits contain volatile oils. If any of these are included in the food scraps the worms will climb out of their housing to get away from the smell.

Within a few months the tub should be filled with a writhing mass of worms, and it’s time to colonise the second tub.

Half-fill the second tub with the same mixture of compost, lime and soil. Put a strainer in the plug-hole and water the mixture until saturated.

Burrow down to the plug-hole in the first tub and put in the plug. Set a hose to just dribbling into the first tub until it is half-full, being VERY careful not to forget it and fill it right up. Leave the hessian on top to exclude light. The worms in your first tub will all migrate into the top half to avoid drowning.

Scoop them out and, reserving some to put in the garden, transfer them to the second tub. Let the plug out of the first tub and drain into a bucket. You are left with a bucket full of very, very rich liquid fertilizer and a tub half full of worm castings.

From now on you should be able to repeat this process every month or so, transferring about a third of the worms out into your garden or feeding them to the chooks each time. This will also ensure that you always have a supply of excellent liquid fertilizer available as well as the rich worm castings. Your plants will thrive!

By: Julie Williams

The main work worms do in your garden is tilling and aerating the soil. They burrow very deep, leaving channels through the soil that break up clods and allow air to enter and water to penetrate and drain away.

In the process of eating at the surface and eliminating lower down, they introduce organic matter to the deeper levels and steadily increase the depth of topsoil. Their main role is to digest decomposing organic matter, converting it quickly into a form plants can use as nutrients.

It is important to maintain good soil structure when gardening organically. Unlike mechanical tillers, earthworms do not damage the soil by inverting it, creating hardpans or breaking up the crumb structure. They never have mechanical breakdowns, they do not create noise or pollution, and they use garbage for fuel – an excellent way to dispose of your kitchen scraps, especially if you live in an apartment.

DIY Worm Farming

Commercial worm farms are very practical, widely available, easy to use and are quite aesthetically pleasing. You usually buy them with a small supply of worms to get you started. Choose either Red Worms or Tiger Worms. However, if you already have a suitable ‘home’ for your worms you don’t need to spend the extra money.

A pair of old concrete laundry tubs in a shady spot near your kitchen door or close to your propagating area (or both) is ideal. Have the tubs elevated to make collection of the fertilizer easy. Leave the plugs out and put a strainer in the hole so that any excess water can drain.

Fill the first tub with compost and mix in a handful of dolomite or agricultural lime, along with about a half a bucket of soil. Place a bucket under the plug-hole and water this mix with a fine spray until it is quite saturated and starting to drip into your bucket.

Tip in your starter population of worms and cover the surface with an old hessian sack, wet cardboard, old carpet or similar. Worms usually live underground so they thrive in an environment that is cool, dark and moist. You can purchase a tub of 500 – 1000 worms to get started. They are available from professional worm breeders and can be sent through the mail. Many garden supply centres will also have them.

A close-fitting solid lid on your farm will suffocate your worms, so you need to fit a fly-mesh or shade-cloth screened lid to keep out flies and other insects.

For the first month you need do nothing except make sure the farm is kept quite moist, but not awash. Once the farm is settled in you should not need to add extra water. If your farm is exposed to rain, make sure the plug is left out or your worms will drown.

The compost itself will feed the worms for quite a long time, but to get maximum breeding it is best to add some supplementary feed every few days, especially as the population starts to increase. Add a dessert-spoon-full of lime or dolomite to each kilo of food.

You can vary their feed by rotating between:

- a bucket half-filled with water and cow or horse manure, mixed to a slop and poured over the surface;

- a blender filled with household scraps(not citrus or onion peel or meat) blended to a slop and poured over the surface;

- rotten potatoes, pumpkin or fruit, just placed on the surface;

- half a bucketful of new compost, spread over the surface.

Worms also like:

• soaked and ripped pizza boxes

• shredded and soaked cardboard, paper

• leaves, dirt, hair, egg shells

Worms do not have teeth, so scraps should be cut into small pieces – waste from a vegetable juicer is ideal.

Plants from the onion family (including garlic, leeks and shallots) and citrus fruits contain volatile oils. If any of these are included in the food scraps the worms will climb out of their housing to get away from the smell.

Within a few months the tub should be filled with a writhing mass of worms, and it’s time to colonise the second tub.

Half-fill the second tub with the same mixture of compost, lime and soil. Put a strainer in the plug-hole and water the mixture until saturated.

Burrow down to the plug-hole in the first tub and put in the plug. Set a hose to just dribbling into the first tub until it is half-full, being VERY careful not to forget it and fill it right up. Leave the hessian on top to exclude light. The worms in your first tub will all migrate into the top half to avoid drowning.

Scoop them out and, reserving some to put in the garden, transfer them to the second tub. Let the plug out of the first tub and drain into a bucket. You are left with a bucket full of very, very rich liquid fertilizer and a tub half full of worm castings.

From now on you should be able to repeat this process every month or so, transferring about a third of the worms out into your garden or feeding them to the chooks each time. This will also ensure that you always have a supply of excellent liquid fertilizer available as well as the rich worm castings. Your plants will thrive!