Teri's Organic Garden

New Worm Factory 360

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 19:42:00 +0000

I've been selling the Original Worm Factory Composter for a little over a year with fantastic success and now the Washington-based company has come out with a new and improved model - the WORM FACTORY 360... This product launch is only is only available to my blog readers through November 1st!! So act now and save $10.00 of the MSRP!

Why would you want a Worm Factory 360?
Composting with worms allows you to turn kitchen scraps, paper waste and cardboard into nutrient‐rich soil for your plants. The Worm Factory 360 composting system takes the effort out of composting. With a thermo siphon air flow design, the Worm Factory 360 increases the composting speed.
Air enters on all four sides of the base exposing the bottom to a free flow of fresh air. Compost creates heat and gases that rise through the system and exit out the 4 sides of the lid. By using worms and this thermo siphon design you can now produce compost much faster than traditional composting methods. Master Gardeners agree, worm castings are one of the richest forms of fertilizers available.
The Worm Factory 360 can be used indoors or outdoors allowing year round production. Now composting is no longer limited to backyards. The Worm Factory 360 is odorless making it great for apartments, kitchens, garages, porches and more. The Worm Factory 360 is the largest home worm composter on the market with it being expandable up to 8 trays. This allows more
compost capacity while still maintaining the smallest foot print. Use worms to recycle your waste, create quality compost and create a more sustainable lifestyle. Made in the USA with high quality food grade recycled plastics. 20 Year manufacturers repair or replace warranty.
How It Works:
Simply add a handful of worms and your organic waste to the bottom tray. The worms will start processing the food. Once the bottom tray is filled with waste add another tray. The worms migrate upward to the newest food source leaving the bottom tray full of nutrient rich compost.
As waste is broken down, moisture filters through the system, taking nutrient‐rich particles with it. You can drain organic liquid fertilizer right from the spigot.

Finding Worms
Check out http://www.findworms.com/ for the largest online directory of worm farmers in the US. Find a worm grower near you!

Package Includes:

16 Page Illustrated Instruction Manual
250g Coconut Coir
Hand Rake
Thermometer
Scraper
Worm Bedding

Each tray is 16x16x5 and is made from recycled #2 plastics. The Worm Factory 360 comes with four trays and can be expanded up to eight trays. Four trays normally provides enough room for the kitchen waste of a family of 4. Each tray averages to be about 12 pounds when full of compost.
Collection Base
The collection base holds the stacking trays and is strong enough to hold up to 200lb. Air is brought into the system from all 4 sides of the base. It travels upwards with the heat and gasses produced by the compost. Moisture that travels down with gravity is held in the collection tray and can be drained out as liquid fertilizer.
16 Page Instruction Book
Detailed instructions are provided on the setup and management of the Worm Factory 360. Illustrated to show you best techniques to use when vermicomposting. This manual is made from recycled paper and uses soy based inks.

BUY IT NOW FROM EasyLivingOrganics.com

SPRING IS UPON US!!!!

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:11:00 +0000

With the first day of SPRING coming up tomorrow, I’ve decided that now would be a great time to rejuvenate my blog… I’ve just finished putting in my order to Johnny’s Select Seed and I’ve got the plans in the works for my new raised beds. I can’t wait to share my garden with all of you!
I’m planning on having 3 raised beds built soon (hubby is in the process of getting all the materials for me now). Here is a list of my order from Johnny’s…
· Provider Bean
· Rocdor Yellow Wax Bean
· Sylvesta Green Butterhead Lettuce
· Cortland Yellow Onion
· Gourmet Orange Sweet Bell Pepper
· Orion Green to Red Sweet Bell Pepper
· Emu Spinach
· Costata Romanesco Italian Zucchini
· Sun Gold Cherry Tomato
· Celebrity Tomato
· Plato Spineless Green Zucchini
Over the next couple weeks while these little guys sprout and get ready for transplant, I’ll be discussing companion planting, organic ways to fight disease and pests, as well as my favorite topic COMPOSTING!! If you haven’t had a chance – check out my on line store EasyLivingOrganics.com . I am adding products constantly and am having a HUGE sale on Worm Factory Composters.

4.5 years and counting...

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 12:34:00 +0000

My husband and I purchased our dream land in 2004. At the time we didn't have the money to build our dream home on that land but one step at a time I guess... so we build a 1400 square foot home on the front 3 acres and left the back 14 acres to be leased out to the neighbor for field corn production.

The other week my mom who lives in PA called and told me about her plans to retire in 4.5 years. We'd like her to move back to NY - my sister and I have been trying for years to get her back up here with no avail... anyway - she called and told me about her plans and I convinced her to move back up to NY with one stipulation... she (and her dog Sandy) will be moving in with my husband, 2 daughters, 2 dogs and our cat. The taxes in NY are ridiculous for a middle income family - and this move would be impossible for my mother if we didn't offer this since NY is one of those lovely states that decided to tax retirement income... don't get me going on taxes in NY though - we'd be here all day...

So basically my mom has offered to either build an additional MIL suite to our existing house OR help up build another house with a finished apartment style suite for her. The 3rd possibility is to help purchase an existing house with a MIL suite already built in. All this talk about the possibilities of a new house has got me thinking that hubby and I should try to get all our finances in order to try to build the "dream house"... so what is our dream house...

well.. that would be a dream now wouldn't it... although the following is more realistic...

We plan (hope) on building a 1500 square foot log home with a finished basement for mom. This gives us the opportunity to really think about ways to build environmentally both in structure and in the landscape... on the back acreage we have picked a great spot that will be perfect for a wall of south-facing windows.

Thanks LogHomeLiving.com for the pictures - a magazine that I have faithfully subscribed for almost 10 years now!

I've been a bad bad blogger...

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 12:38:00 +0000

So sorry to those of you who have been following my blog - I know I don't have tons of readers but those I have, I need to offer y'all some content! I've been so super busy with work (Tomato Characterization time of year) and with Easy Living Organics that my blog has been the one to suffer... I promise to update more diligently...

So it's a harvest time of year here in the Northeast and as it figures for us Northerners - we've already had a frost... so the tomatoes that are still waiting to be harvested are well.... not doing so hot (to put it mildly) and after this weekend (with temps expected to reach into the 70s) I would expect most of them to be mush by Monday. Although I'm harvesting for seed so it's not as critical as if I was harvesting for market (long time done here in the north) but still, I'm not planning on using a shovel to harvest my tomato seeds - so that's that.

We've also been harvesting our onion bulbs for storage (remember - I'm a seed saver and onions are a biennial crop IE: take 2 years to produce seed). I'll need to start my characterization photos for those soon after the tomatoes are done.

So you all might be asking - what are you talking about with all this "characterization" talk... well - basically every season, as part of my work here as a environmental biologist I document lots of different properties of the different accessions (varieties) that we grow on the farm (particularly the tomatoes, onions and winter squash). I record things like average weight, shape, color, brix

(Brix value: Is a measure of soluble solids and sugar content in produce or plant juices. Can be measured using a refractometer. Dr. Arden Andersen suggests that using a refractometer to test food gives valuable information about quality. This is how it works: when the brix is low, the taste is poor, and the insects come. When the brix is high, the taste is superb and the insects seem to busy themselves elsewhere. The farmer's job is simply to re-mineralize and fertilize in such a way that the plants, properly fed, can develop higher brix.) from Nature's Path Foods - Organic Glossary

as well as several other characteristics. In addition to those records, I also take a picture of different views of the fruit, foliage, leaves, you get the idea... "a picture tells a thousand words" isn't that what they say..

Anyways - I do this all so that researchers or farmers can choose the appropriate crops for their farming environment... all this information is loaded onto a system called GRIN (Germplasm Resources Information Network) and is available to anyone with web access. The network definitely has a kink or two (or 20 LOL) but it's there and available and the best part is... you can request the seeds to grow out!!! FOR FREE!!! Yes you heard me right.. FREE! you only get say 50 seeds or so (and you need to be legitimate - this ain't UNICEF people! but if you are interested in breeding crops or just simply live in a whacked out micro-climate and can't find anything to grow well in your soil type - this is perfect for you!) Who is it NOT for - What was the term Gov. Palin used... ah yes "Joe Six-Pack" who is looking for free seeds because he is too cheap to buy some that are available at the local wholefoods store.

So - check out GRIN and see if you find anything interesting - if anyone has specific questions, leave them in my comments and I'll try to answer the best I can..

Cheers!

Cleaning Vegetable Seeds: Tomato

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 12:54:00 +0000

As I've mentioned before, my "expertise" lies in seed cleaning. I've been cleaning various seed (mostly vegetable and flower seed) for the past 6 years. As the weather starts to turn (yes I know it's still August - but I'm in NY and it's already been dipping into the 50s at night) this is my time to really start getting busy (hence the slackness in my posting frequency).

"How do I clean tomato seed?" is usually the most frequent question that I'm asked about at seminars or workshops... so here is the answer....

1 First thing you need to do is determine if the tomato you are growing is an OP (open pollinated) variety or a hybrid... if it's an OP - you are good to go and the seeds you get will be "true to type (ie: they will look like what you are expecting)... if you are dealing with a hybrid... uhhh pick another variety to start with... dehybridization takes more time (like years)

2 Select a few tomatoes from each plant and either squash the whole tomato (if you don't want to eat the flesh) or if you are like me... scoop the seeds out and place them in a mason jar and munch down on the yummy tomato that held your precious seeds :)

3 Once you get the seeds out, you'll notice that they are covered with a "jelly coat" - you can't store the seeds with that coat on because your seeds will mold and usually, molding seed is well, a bad thing - it's going to decrease your germination as well as increase the likelihood of introducing seed borne disease.

4 FERMENTATION: Place your seeds (with jelly coat) into a mason jar or bowl or some kind of container... add water (water to seed ratio should be about 3:1) if you are using the whole tomato smashed into a bucket your water to mashed pulp ratio should be about 2:1.

5 Stir and wait....

6 You should stir your mixture about 2 times a day for 3 days. Oh and I suggest you do this outside - the fruit flies LOVE fermenting tomatoes!!!

7 On the 3rd or 4th day, you'll notice a nasty moldy mess of slop on top of your mixture - you want to decant that slop. Basically, the viable seeds will sink while the moldy flesh and non-viable seed will float - so you want to get that floating stuff away from your good seed.

8 Once you have your "clean" seed nicely settled on the bottom of the container, you'll use a strainer (HINT: make sure the wholes of the strainer are SMALLER than your seed or everything you've none will go down the drain) to collect your seed.

9. If you have a small amount of seed, you can simply lay them out on a paper plate to dry OR if you have a lot of seed, you may want to try depositing the seed in a grape press bag or mesh bag and allow to air dry (ambient temp air).

10. Once the seeds are dried thoroughly - you need to get the little tiny hairs off them before you store them (the hairs suck moisture into the seed - something you don't want!). Rubbing the seeds in your hands, should be enough friction to remove the hairs. If you have them in a secure mesh bag, rub them together , then toss the whole bag into a clothes dryer ON NO HEAT! for a bit and you'll end up with all those tiny little hairs collected nicely in your lint filter :)

11. After you remove the seeds - you are all done but the storing... Place them in a coin envelope inside a mason jar and store them in a cool, dry place until next year!

This is a great way to get your whole family involved in a very eco-friendly tradition that is economical as well.

I'm posted onthe Dirty Fingers Blog Carival!!!

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:33:00 +0000

Hey Everyone Check out my post on the Dirty Fingers Blog Carnival!! WOO!! You can see the link back to me and read a bunch of great posts by other bloggers dedicated to organic and sustainable practices.

WV Workshop and the Organic Growers I Admire

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:02:00 +0000

Well, the last hurrah for the Organic Seed Partnership - at least for my part - was this past week in West Virginia - Specifically at West Virginia State University. There wasn't the best showing as far as numbers of organic farmers but there were 3 very eager to learn farmers there. 2 of the farmers, Doug (NC) and Julie (WV) brought tons (exaggerated) of seed to clean - lots of lettuce varieties, brassicas, collards (yes I know it's a brassica too) onions, some flowers, herbs.. my cohorts (Bill and John) had more than enough to keep them busy while I gave presentations in the air conditioned class room (Thanks Guys! I owe you!).

WV is really ideal for organic farmers (with the exception of the excessive sloping lots!). Small valleys in between the hills make isolation easy - most of the farming is cattle so there are plenty of opportunities to turn small farming plots into lucrative business opportunities... Julie has already become USDA certified organic and is sure to do wonderfully in her business. She is a trained geologist who gave up "a paying job to do this" LOL... I wish her the best of luck.

I suggested using the sloping lots to the advantage of the farmer by creating raised planting beds for their organic vegetable production. Frank Morton (Wild Garden Seed and Shoulder to Shoulder Farm) told me about his successes with raised beds a couple years ago in a seminar in Unity Maine - sponsored by the Restoring Our Seed project - currently running with the Wheat Conservancy) Oh and for any organic farmers - please - if you ever get the chance to listen to any of the following discuss their organic farming philosophies - listen closely - their knowledge is awesome!!!

Will Bonsall of the Scatterseed Project - seriously, the most amazing curator of so many varieties of crops!! His wealth of knowledge is invaluable.

Frank Morton of Shoulder to Shoulder Farm and Wild Garden Seed (see link above) - he

tells his philosophy on organics like no other - it's like listening to your dad tell a story from a book!

CR Lawn - Owner of Fedco Seed Company... incredibly wonderful gentleman with worlds of organic ag knowledge...

John Gorzynski - amazing man from Cochecton Center NY who serves the NYC Green Market - probably one of the most incredible men I have ever met - Integrity, Perseverance, Knowledge - truly amazing man!

New Promising Varieties for Organic Farmers

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 13:35:00 +0000

Here is where my bias for Northeast organic growers is going to come into play - not that I care more about the Northeast growers but just that I know more about the varieties that do well in the tumultuous conditions here... While working with the Public Seed Initiative and the Organic Seed Partnership, I have had the pleasure to work with several wonderful breeders from Cornell University's Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics. In particular, Molly Jahn (the originator or the PSI and OSP projects), George Moriarty and Matt Falise.

One of the goals of the PSI Project was to get some of the 1/2 finished varieties that were never picked up by larger seed companies out on the market for organic farmers to try and to complete. Here are some of the success stories from the PSI and OSP as far a new promising vegetable varieties:

"Sweet Reba" - a bush type acorn squash which produces early and has excellent powdery mildew resistance and heavy yields of black 1-2 lb. ribbed squash with dry flesh. 90 days - You can find Sweet Reba at High Mowing Seeds.

"Success PM" - Powdery mildew resistant early prolific straightneck available now from High Mowing Seeds.

"Hanna's Choice" mildew and poty virus resistant eastern cantaloupe with AMAZING TASTE!!! One of my favorites for sure!

This tasty "chef's melon" has outstanding flavor and sweetness (up to 14% Brix). Hannah's Choice holds well and has an impressive disease package. Has been trialed with success in Northwest greenhouses. Available at High Mowing and Osborne Seed

"PMR Delicious 51" a larger mildew resistant version of Delicious 51 available through High Mowing seed

"Peacework" Bell Pepper with amazing natural resistance to cucumber mosaic virus (CMV) and an early producer! Definately one to keep your eye on!

The Plight of the Organic Farmer

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 12:12:00 +0000

From participating in farmer round tables (basically getting together with a large group of organic farmers from all over the country) and discussing different aspects of organic farming I've been able to get a fairly comprehensive list of problems that are faced by the small scale organic farmer...

(oh just as an FYI - the work I have been doing deals with small scale organic farms - farms that are no larger than say 10 acres - the vast majority of the organic farms I've been on are less than 3 acres and are very or are potentially very profitable given the proper circumstances - see my link to The Tiny Farm Blog - while I was never fortunate enough to have worked with the owners of this amazing farm, it gives a real good example of small scale organic farming...)

From discussions with growers, small organic seed companies, and plant breeders the number of available varieties seems to be the most prevalent concern. Large bio-engineering companies like Monsanto have purchased a large number of smaller seed companies and unfortunately Monsanto's main customers are gigantic conventional farms that care more about shipping quality than anything else... hence, the problem with organic farmers not having enough varieties - Monsanto, and like companies, could care less about the varieties that do well in micro-climates (which many organic growers live in), those varieties just don't make them enough money to be part of their inventory...

Organic farmers need varieties that can sustain in areas not "known" for agriculture... the varieties need to have natural disease and insect resistance, great taste, and good marketable yields... many organic farms are also located in areas not traditionally served by "town water" - irrigation is a luxury for most. Natural drought resistance, frost tolerance (for areas with short growing seasons), and adaptations to harsh environmental conditions are problems organic growers face every season....and those are just to name a few!

My next blog posts will concentrate on ways to combat these problems - I'll be writing about topics like horizontal resistance, participatory plant breeding (big fancy word for farmer-breeders), selection, and current available varieties that are very promising for organic varieties. Hope to see you there!

My Work as an Environmental Biologist

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:42:00 +0000

For the last 6 years I've been fortunate enough to be able to work with 2 CSREES (Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) grants - the Public Seed Initiative (PSI; 2002 - 2005) and the Organic Seed Partnership (OSP; 2005 - 2008). That's me discussing hand screening seed in the picture at an event at a farm in Moravia, NY that is known for it's Wind Energy Program. During these years, I've met literally thousands of dedicated organic farmers and farmer-breeders trying to make ends meet in organic farming.

Both grants focused on similar issues pertaining to organic vegetable farming:

Plant Breeding,

Variety Trials
Seed Production.

Plant Breeding was chosen due to the low number of organic vegetable varieties available through commercial seed companies. In addition to adding to the number of current varieties available, the PSI and OSP also provided education to farmers. The grants staff provided on-site, hands-on opportunities to show how to breed vegetable varieties based on the farmer's own needs and farm's factors. Some qualities needed in the current selection of varieties included: disease resistance, drought tolerance, earliness, better taste, etc.

The second aspect of the PSI and OSP projects encompassed conducting on-site (meaning on certified organic and transitioning organic farms) vegetable variety trials through-out the country (the North East was more pivotal for the PSI project) to find out which varieties were working for organic farmers and which were not (along with those that just needed "tweaking" in areas for the breeding crew to handle).

The third aspect was seed production - this is my area of expertise... My "job" (and I put it in quotes because - I didn't really think of it as a job - more a a life long training opportunity that somehow I was lucky enough to stumble upon) was to visit organic farms throughout the Northeast from August til November toting a "Mobile Seed Production Unit". This Unit was filled to the gills with various pieces of manual and mechanical seed production equipment suitable for small-scale seed production on organic farms. I would take the unit to different organic farms and conduct a hands-on workshop with the local organic farmers teaching them to use the equipment and the basics of seed production- then leave the equipment there for the locals to use to clean their seed from the previous years harvest...

I feel honored to have been part of the work we accomplished with these programs and am saddened that we did not get re-newed for the upcoming growing season. For the next couple weeks - I'm hoping to concentrate my blogging efforts on spreading the wealth so to speak - I want to teach others what I was taught through my travels to organic farming communities... not only the agricultural aspects, but the ideology and the mentality of "living" on an organic farm and "living" an organic lifestyle... I hope you all enjoy it...

Doing Something / Recycling

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:52:00 +0000

I was sent this video and absolutely love it - I couldn't wait to get it up here to share with all of you. Please take a few minutes to read the slides and really understand the message. This is such a simple way to help the environment, we all should be doing this and encouraging others as well!
Easy Living Organics

Best and Worst Sunscreens for the Kids

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:16:00 +0000

Everyday my girls want to go out swimming in the pool so everyday I'm drenching them in sunscreen... I started to think about what I was doing and I don't think I've ever even looked at the labels for the sunscreen I use - you see SPF-whatever and assume it's all safe... well, I was WRONG!

I recently signed up at the environmental working group website and was shocked when I received the latest newsletter talking about the best and worst sunscreens...they found that 4 out of 5 they tested (and they tested almost 1,000 brands!!) contained harmful chemicals - from cancer causing agents to developmental and reproductive toxins!! The Coppertone Waterbabies SPF 50 I've been using ranked horribly for allowing UVA exposure and containing chemicals I can't even pronounce... and I'm an environmental biologist???

Check out what's in the sunscreen you are putting on your kids..

My Yard is Feeling The Heat

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:14:00 +0000

As the July sun has been beaming down on my yard, it's feeling the heat - I'm not a yard water-er (my water footprint would be horrific!!) so I'm trying to decide what to do to help my hard beat the drought and the heat. In searching for drought resistant grasses I've found that most Fescue seems to be the most accepted drought tolerant grass available. Although not very tolerant to foot traffic, most fescues can get by with little to no summer watering in a cold season climate (like mine in NY) but from the map I found at fescue.com, it seems like the majority of the US (excluding the hottest portions) can plant fescue with success. Most fescues are shade and drought tolerant and will stay green all year! BONUS!

Fescues can be successful when direct and OVER seeded in NY in the fall to help with a great looking lawn in the spring and summer. Overseeding is probably the best method to stomping out all the weeds that invade our lawns throughout the spring.

So this fall, I'm looking at overseeding my lawn with a tall fescue (tall fescues - and older fescue varieties that were once thought of as weeds and for pasture forage, are now being used as staples in many cold season climates... ) The newer varieties of Tall Fescue have been developed to contain more natural disease and insect resistance as well as having better blade structure.

Blackberries!

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:49:00 +0000

It's wild blackberry season up in NY and my kids are loving it! My 3 year old daughter Emily's favorite pass time now is going out to the edges of the property and collecting bowlfuls of plump blackberries and sitting on the deck and chowing down on them! As you can see from her face - she gets more on her than in her! LOL

Looking forward to the rain

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:03:00 +0000

Since I live out in the "country" in upstate NY, my water is supplied via Mother Earth - we have a shallow well (14 feet deep) that tends to go dry every June or July depending on the weather. Since we are getting our pool installed today, I will be making several trips to our local fire department to fill up a 210 gallon tank that my husband keeps in the back of his pick-up truck. The pool holds 13,000 gallons... hmmm that's 200 divided by 13,000... gulp - 65 loads of water!!! I'm not sure which I feel worse about - the huge amount of water I am going to be using for nothing other than shear pleasure OR the gas I'll be guzzling trekking the 8 miles up and back from the fire department.

So in order to "offset" my water consumption and the gas I'll be "wasting" today, I've decided to calculate my water footprint at waterfootprint.org (btw - it's 1455 cubic meters per year) The average individual water footprint is 1243 cubic meters per year. Of course for the US is 2483 cubic meters per year (go figure). I don't think I'm doing too bad as far as my water footprint until now - most of the ways to offset your water footprint deal with reducing your irrigation and use of sprinkler systems- uhhh my what? Rain - that's the water for my lawn and garden(LOL). We already use the "let it mellow" concept for the bathroom, we turn off the water while brushing our teeth, and take shorter showers than the average person... What's your water footprint? and what are the ways that you reduce your water usage? If you have some good ideas - let me know!!!

Natural Swimming Pool Maintenance

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 10:23:00 +0000

This year my husband and I decided to buy a 24 foot above ground pool. Environmentally, I feel horribly guilty - the chemicals, the constant electric usage.. the chemicals :( I weigh it out with not having to drive to keep our family occupied during the long summer days...

I did some research on-line and found a company called Natural Chemistry that carries products to keep near zero phosphates naturally. It also claims to reduce pool maintenance by up to 50%.

Here are the links to their maintenance kit for algae free pools:

PHOSfree »

Pool Magic + PHOSfree »

Pool Perfect + PHOSfree »

I've figured it out and bearing no algae blooms (keep your fingers crossed) this system should only cost about $107.00 for the whole summer - and that's if we keep the pool open for 4 months! Not likely in upstate NY. That is definitely something I can manage... Economical and environmentally friendly - It's a two-fer :)

Organic Deer Deterrents

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:28:00 +0000

As I've told you all before, or maybe I haven't (oops) but I live on 17 beautiful acres in upstate NY - most is leased to a local farmer (12 acres) and it's surrounded by a nice plot to trees - hence my deer "problem" - I put "problem" in quotations because I really don't see them as a problem until they start eating my plants - which isn't that often because I located my garden this year at the front of the property... next year however, it will be at the back in order to help me maintain the weeds and have more accessibility to my water source.

I've done some searching for organic deer deterrent recipes and it seems that hot pepper wax is the most widely used deterrent for keeping the deer at bay. Another suggestion was to try to obtain coyote urine and use that in conjunction with the hot pepper wax. It seems that caution must be taken when spraying on veggies because the pepper taste is so powerful that it will penetrate your veggies..
I found a recipe by Charles Shaner (Consulting Rosarian) in Stauton, VA:

Put 6 hot peppers (the hotter the better) and two cups of water into a blender.
Mix at high speed for 1-2 minutes.
Pour into a container and set aside for up to one day.
Strain liquid through a cheese cloth. (I have used a coffee filter)
Add liquid into a one quart container. Fill container to top with water.
Apply liberally to plants. Re-apply every week to two weeks or after a rain.

There is another recipe for insecticidal soap in this PDF so check it out!

Homeopathic Remedies for Allergies

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 12:18:00 +0000

My allergies have been coming on with a vengeance for about the last 2 weeks now and for many years I've been using Claritin or Zyrtec to control them. This year has started no different, I've already made a hefty dent in my Zyrtec bottle. But I don't want to finish it... I don't want to continue to add chemicals to my body if I can find a natural, safe, even possibly organic product that will be equally effective... So I began researching and here's what I've found...

With homeopathy, one pill will not work for everyone...
Most homeopaths feel that allergies are an outward expression of something being "off" internally and will treat that vs. the symptoms of the allergies.
Quercetin seems to be the most widely used natural source for relief of allergies
From Wikipedia:

Quercetin may have positive effects in combating or helping to prevent cancer, prostatitis, heart disease, cataracts, allergies/inflammations, and respiratory diseases such as bronchitis and asthma[citation needed]. It also has been claimed to have antidepressant properties, however any claim of quercetin action against neurological diseases should be treated with skepticism due to the fact that quercitin is a neurotoxin in vitro.[10] It also may be found in dietary supplements. An 8-year study found that three flavonols — kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin — were associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer of 23 percent.[11]
So where can I get this? I've found that if I Google Quercetin and hit the shopping tab - there are dozens of products out there... if you are interested, give it a go, I know I'm going to. I'll let everyone know what the outcome with me is after a couple of weeks. Keep you fingers crossed :)

Re-usable grocery bags

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:46:00 +0000

Re-usable shopping bags seem to be popping up- being available to purchase all over at the grocery stores and even at Wal-mart...so why is it that so many people seem to still be using those dreaded plastic bags??? I truly do not understand why it's so hard for people to spend the whole $0.99 per bag and grab a couple.... let me give you some reasons to switch:

They are only $0.99!!!
You can fit at least twice the amount of groceries in the re-usable bags as you can in the plastic ones
They are easier to carry
They don't make those red-pinchy marks on your fingers and wrists!
Each year Americans throw away 100 BILLION plastic bags - only 0.6% are recycled
Plastic bags are the #1 item found as litter on North American Beaches
Plastic bags are made from petroleum - 12 million barrels of petroleum annually for the US consumption of plastic bags!
Plastic shopping bags can take 15 - 1000 YEARS to decompose!
Some grocery stores will offer discounts to people who bring in re-usable bags!!

So there you have it... it's economical, environmentally friendly, and convenient - NOW DO IT!

Salmonella Outbreak on Tomatoes

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:08:00 +0000

Well, if the FDA needed to give us another reason to grow our own food - this is it! 167 intances of Salmonella Saintpaul in 17 states (mostly in Texas and New Mexio).
Fast food restaurants are pulling their roma, round and plum tomatoes off their sandwiches and grocery stores are tossing their shipped in tomatoes that may cause this rare strain involved in the current outbreak... This is a perfect example of why we MUST BUY LOCAL or GROW OUR OWN VEGETABLES!!!

The center of disease control only lists a few exceptions to the rule of "Don't eat tomatoes"and one of them... Unless they are homegrown! C'mon people - if this isn't a sign you were waiting for - I don't know what is!
Salmonella Saintpaul is known to cause diarrhea (which may be bloody), fever, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. Serious and potentially fatal cases are more likely in young children, frail or elderly people, and people with weak immune systems (from WebMD) McDonald's, Burger King, Wal-Mart, Kroger, Outback Steakhouse, Winn-Dixie, and Taco Bell are among the companies pulling suspect tomatoes, the Associated Press reports.

I appeared in the Dirty Fingers Carnival

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:17:00 +0000

Thanks so much to Tired Garden for including me in your Carnival on Dirty Fingers! There is some really great information there so be sure to check it out!

New York in Springtime

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:35:00 +0000

Well, last week we were dabbling with temperatures in the 40s - this week it's a scorcher - we are already reaching the 90's today and are supposed to continue this throughout the weekend and into the next week - there goes my plan to plant my lettuce.. I didn't want to plant it too early (because I did that with my tomatoes and peppers and they ended up serving a little more than compost for the next crop) but now I fear it's too hot! I'm thinking I might try to get some containers and plant in there... that way I can put them outside to get a good couple hours of full sun but move them inside during the hottest parts of the day.. I'll be able to keep them well watered and won't have to make 100 trips to and from the rain barrel near the house to make sure they are getting enough moisture...

From searching online, I found that I've accidentally chosen great varieties for container lettuce - I've been really into the Butterheads this year - and have some buttercrunch seeds and some bibb lettuce. According to the Ag Extention at Texas A&M University the following do well in containers - for Leaf Lettuce: Buttercrunch, Salad Bowl, Romaine, Dark Green Boston, Ruby, Bibb.

I think I'll start with an organic top soil mixed with coconut fiber from a coir brick I have and haven't needed to use yet... I'll add some gravel stones first for adequate drainage followed by the top soil/coir mix - Since I'm growing from seed (DOH - why haven't' I started my lettuces earlier indoors :( I'll have to think the container carefully so I don't disturb the roots of the keepers.

I'll have to take some pictures of my new tomatoes - they are about 4 inches tall now and if I can keep my cat from eating them - I'll be all set for tomatoes soon! What's so strange is I have a great friend in Florida from Remodeling This Life who has tomatoes almost already for the picking she writes about them In An Effort To Get Back To Basics... ahhh the differences in climate between NY and FL are amazing - of course had I been a bit more diligent, I would have had more hardy transplants in the ground when the dreaded frost hit and I would be getting ready to reap what I had sewn with some delicious tomatoes in a couple of weeks.. ahh we live and learn.

Green Gifts for Father's Day

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Father's Day is right around the corner (June 15th to be exact) and what better to give dad than some eco-friendly gifts. I've compiled a bunch of great ideas to give dad without hurting the Environment!

For the dad who's a music enthusiast, grab a set of re-purposed vinyl record coasters from Ecoist.com. At $20 for a set of 6 assorted vintage records labels - you just can't go wrong!

Check out Easy Living Organics for a great assortment of men's apparel that is made of hemp or organic cotton. With pricing from $5.00 - $70.00 for shirts, shorts, underwear and more - you're sure to find something for that special guy.

For the gardener - how about a vermicomposter or compost bin - both made from 100% recycled plastic!

If the Dad in your life loves coffee in the morning (or if he's like my husband - he loves coffee anytime of the day) - hook him up with some organic, free-trade coffee from Coffee Bean Direct.. they have an awesome sample pack which includes 10 - 1/2 lb sacks of Organic Fair Trade Coffee for $59.95 (plus S/H) and for a limited time they are offering 2 free coffee mugs and an 11th bag FREE!

What about a Hemp Hammock for Dad to lounge around in on a lazy day? And better yet - this one, from EcoChoices is a hemp hammock built for 2!!!

Whatever you do decide to get for your dad or husband this Father's Day - please try to keep it environmentally friendly - Even though it's Father's Day - let's still keep Mother Earth in our minds ;)

Coffee Grounds for your Garden

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:27:00 +0000

I've always used coffee grounds (along with the unbleached filter) in my compost and mulch and you should too. Coffee grounds are high in Nitrogen (a nutrient that will have your veggies plants flourishing!). Coffee is especially great to mulch your tomatoes - the grounds help suppress late blight.

Cold coffee (at a high concentration) is also great for suppressing slugs. Make your coffee (regular or instant) much stronger than you would want it (3x as strong) and let it cool - then spray the plant that is being effected by the slugs. Those little critters can't stand all that caffeine!!

You don't have to become a coffee junkie just to help your garden... many coffee houses and restaurants will keep their coffee scraps for you. Starbucks for one looks forward to customers asking for used coffee grounds... so ask your local coffee to see if you can get in on some of that action!

I've been featured in a Carnival

tferrin@fltg.net (Teri) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 13:04:00 +0000

For all of you avid blog readers - Please check out my post about "Earth Friendly Cleaning" in Raising Peanuts' blog Carnival Crunchy Tuesday... her site features tons of great tips and advice.