April 17th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
It happens to us all. You buy some fruits or vegetables, you don’t eat them quick enough and they go bad. Most people throw them out or if they plant a garden they toss them in their compost pile and use that as fertilizer, but you don’t NEED to compost, there’s another way.
L. A. Rotheraine of McKean County Biodynamics in Bradford, Pennsylvania grows tomatoes like that giant one in the video on a mound of garbage. It’s simple. You dig a whole and pile it high with rotten fruits and vegetables, spoiled food, dead plants, manure, pretty much anything that rots. Then plant a tomato on top and watch it grow to gigantic proportions.
Trust me, it works and you don’t need to live in the country or be an expert farmer to do it. I’m hardly an agricultural guru, actually I’m kind of a moron, and I managed to do it. Last year, I saved up a bunch of garbage and raised a big tomato. This Spring I’m doing it again. I’ve already got sprouts growing on my windowsill and three boxes of rot and counting.
Tags: compost, tomatoes
Posted in Organic, Organic Food, The Environment | 6 Comments »
December 22nd, 2008 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese
My credit card hates me. I hardly use it and when I do, I pay my bills on time. So, my credit card company hates me too.
Now, for you charge-oholics, there’s a new card out there, you can feel a lot better about using. Sorry, it doesn’t have a magical spending limit.
It’s biodegradable.
This Discover card is made from biodegradable PVC. Meaning, after it spends 5 months in water, dirt, compost or whatever’s in a landfill, it breaks down 99%, leaving no toxic effects on the environment. However, your credit rating is another story.
Discover encourages people to wait until their current card expires before placing an order.
Biodegradable cards are only 1 of Discover’s green innovations. The company’s also making an effort to convert to paperless billing statements and setup a company-wide recycling program and employee rideshare website.
Via inhabitat.
Tags: biodegradable PVC, compost, credit cards, dirt, landfills, soil
Posted in Organic Wine, The Environment | No Comments »
April 25th, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
Here’s a post-Earth Day challenge for readers who are dedicated to organic gardening: Work with local government agencies to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week, set for May 7–13.
Sponsored by the U.S. Composting Council, it’s the largest environmental education event for composting. Across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, composting advocates will be encouraging everyone to compost—whether you’re a do-it-yourself gardener or community-based professional.
Urge your mayor or city council to go green by signing a proclamation that supports composting. A sample is available for regional use and modification.
Tags: compost, compost awareness week, Earth Day, US Composting council
Posted in Organic Living, The Environment | No Comments »
April 3rd, 2006 - Barbara Feiner
Elephants and rhinos and hippos, oh my! I never thought of them as a premium source of organic compost.
That’s the premise behind ZooPoop, a specially formulated, odorless organic compost tea that, according to the company’s founders, produces “jumbo results in your garden and house plants.”
Rich in plant nutrients, the product’s name sums it up: zoo animal “poop” that’s an extraction of composted elephant, rhino and hippo manure, plus plant materials.
“ZooPoop improves both physical condition and fertility of the soil,” the company notes, adding that it makes plants healthier by improving aeration, root penetration and water retention, while reducing crusting of the soil surface. ZooPoop compost also adds texture to heavy clay soils, making it easier to work, and aids nutrient retention of sandy soils. It can be used dry or as a tea, and it’s odorless when wet or dry.
ZooPoop is sold in a 4-lb. bag (four 1-lb. packs per bag) for $18.95. Shipping via FedEx Ground is $9.85 for one bag and $13.95 for 2 bags.
Tags: animals, compost, organic gardening, zoo
Posted in Organic, Organic Living | No Comments »
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