Own Ebook – the Simple Way!

Archive for February, 2010

Own Ebook – the Simple Way!

Friday, February 26th, 2010

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Ever wanted to write your own e-book but doesn’t know where to start; don’t know how to write a book; hated English when you were at school? What we are going to do is, using other people’s hard work; create an e-book that will sell like hot cakes. These sounds too good to be true, I know but stay with me. This method is one used by some of the top selling publishers on the internet, to create products time after time.

In another article, ‘researching Your Niche – How Hard Can It Be?’ I showed you how to find niche e-book ideas in article directories. Today we’re going to use the content in them to create e-books.

Web site owners use Article Directories to submit their articles they have written so they get free publicity for their web sites.
For more information log to: www.easy-pdf-toolkit.com. At the end of each article is a link back to their web site with a bit of information about their site. These site owners want people to take that article and market it to others so they get visitors to their site with out spending any money on marketing themselves. Any other article directory, and type in the topic of the niche you want to write about in the search bar at the top right (make sure it’s on “article content” rather than search by author). So for example type in “gardening”. You’ll get thousands of results related to what you have searched for. Now what I want you to do is simply go through the results finding at least one hundred quality articles related to the topic of gardening and copy and paste them into Word or some kind of word processing application.

As I’ve said make sure they are quality articles. If you create e-book using rubbish you’ll just get a sky-high refund rate and it will all be a pointless exercise. Do it right from the off and you’ll set yourself up for success.

Try and tie all the articles together into one sub niche. For example a sub niche of gardening might be composting. So you could find articles on composting left over food, what plants not to compost that kind of thing? Use a bit of imagination when using this method.

You don’t want to use any articles without the author’s permission. Remember the majority of articles will have been submitted so the author can get visitors to their site without spending a dime. However you never want to breach any copyright laws. To avoid this email the authors of each article. Explain to them that you are creating an e-book aimed at their niche market. For more detail go to: www.allfreereports.com.
You’d love to include their article in your book and you’ll include a link back to their site and information about them. Also ask them if they have any other articles you could include.

Finally write a short introduction and conclusion. These only need to be a few paragraphs each. Tell people what they can expect to learn and make sure you sign off using your name. Instantly you will establish yourself as an expert. You can also link to your back end products at the end of the book to increase your sales.

AMITA DEVI
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-marketing-articles/own-ebook-the-simple-way-722604.html

Posted in Make Your Own Compost | 2 Comments »

How to Control Those Organic Weeds

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Weeds can be an organic gardener’s curse. Actually, for all gardeners, weeds are the bane of their existence in some cases. This author absolutely detests weeding her garden, but it must be done to promote healthy growth of plants and insure a good crop.

Even if you’re not an organic gardener, weed control is a problem. There really is no easy answer to this problem. It just takes time and effort to control the unwanted overgrowth in your garden. This is where mulching and composting come into play. First of all, twice a week, run the edge of a sharp hoe just under the surface of the soil to behead tiny weeds before they grow large enough to compete with your seedlings.

Once the seedlings are larger, the soil is warm and drenching rains have ended, put down a layer of mulch to hold in moisture and smother weeds. Mulch is material that can be laid down around the plants to control weeds.

Choose ingredients that allow the soil to breathe, let water in and keep light out. These can include dried–not fresh–grass clippings, chopped straw, lawn-mower-chopped leaves mixed with dried grass clippings or well-rotted sawdust (avoid fresh sawdust, as it leaches nitrogen from the soil), and pine needles are all good choices. Apply the mulch several inches thick.

Be warned that if you use grass clippings or weeds, you run the risk of bringing insects or diseases into the garden if these are not composted. Either of these types of mulching can become incubators for insects, so it’s best to compost them before using as mulch. A thick layer of mulch keeps light from reaching weeds. Without adequate light, the plants don’t produce enough chlorophyll to enable further growth. Most of these plants sicken and die before you even notice them. The few plants that do manage to stick their leaves into the light will be shallowly rooted and very easy to pull.

Organic mulches-straw, grass clippings, leaves, shredded bark-nourish the soil as they decompose. They are fairly effective weed barriers. You can also apply a layer of compost to control weeds. Be warned that if you use kitchen waste to make your compost, you could have some “volunteer” plants that crop up. One of my neighbors was pleasantly surprised to find cherry tomatoes growing where she had composted. She included discarded tomato seeds in her compost pile and these seeds germinated on their own making a really nice little surprise crop for her! If you live in a wet climate, you may wish to avoid mulching and keep cultivating, because mulch can lead to waterlogged soil and fungal diseases. In a climate subject to dry spells, mulch can dramatically reduce plant stress by helping the soil retain moisture. If you irrigate, feel under the mulch to be sure the water is getting through.

Mulch is great, but there are two ways to misuse it. One is to mulch heat-loving plants too early in the season, before the soil warms up. Mulch smothers weeds, but it’s also a good insulator. Cantaloupes, tomatoes, potatoes, watermelons, peppers and egg plants will produce better if mulched. Another mistake is to put down too little mulch. It looks good for a few weeks, but then weeds poke through, and they must be hand pulled, for there’s just enough mulch covering the ground to make hoeing impossible. Insufficient mulch gives your plants much less drought protection. How much is enough? Well, maybe this will give you an idea: Sawdust; 2 to 3-inches / Shredded leaves; 8 to 10-inches / Straw; 5 to 7-inches / Newspaper; 4 to 7-inches / and Grass Clippings; 5-inches when you first spread them.

Another way to control weeds is through various ground covers. This is often called “soil solarization”. Soil solarization involves placing thick plastic sheeting on top of the weeds and allowing the natural sun to “bake” the weeds until they die. This can take some time, so you must be patient!

Many people prefer to use newspaper for their ground cover. Because the paper will naturally decompose, it is environmentally friendly as well. Simply place 4-5 layers of newspaper in between your plants and cover with a light layer of dirt so they don’t blow away! By covering up the weeds, you will be better able to control them! Also consider Kraft paper – like grocery bags – or cardboard. By using Kraft paper and cardboard, even less light can reach the weeds and makes the cover even more impenetrable.

You can suppress the growth of weed seeds early in the season by spreading corn gluten meal over the area where they’re growing. Corn gluten meal, a by-product of corn processing that’s often used to feed livestock, inhibits the germination of seeds- bear in mind, once the weeds have gone beyond the sprout stage, corn gluten will not affect them. Be wary, however. Corn gluten doesn’t discriminate between seeds you want to sprout and those you don’t want, so avoid using corn gluten meal where and when you’ve sown seeds. It works best with established plants.

Unfortunately, you will have to employ some old-fashioned methods to weed control in your garden. It can’t be avoided. Hoeing is a huge part of a successful garden. Annual weeds die when you sever the stems from the roots just below the soil surface. With a sharp hoe, you cut the weeds easily. You may want to eschew the traditional square headed hoe for this job and try an oscillating one. To hoe your garden without cultivating a backache, hold the hoe as you would a broom-that is, with your thumbs pointing up. Skim the sharp sides of the hoe blade through the top inch of the soil.

You will also have to do some hand-pulling of those weeds. It doesn’t have to be back-breaking work, though. It just takes persistence. Here’s the trick to comfortable, quick weed-pulling Put your hands in front of you, thumbs up and palms facing your body, one hand in front of the other. Now roll your hands, like kids do when singing “This old man goes rolling home.”

Pinch your forefinger and thumb together as you reach the outermost edge of the imaginary circle your hands are tracing and move your arms to the side as you roll your hands. With practice, you will be surprised by how quickly you clean up a row in the garden with this movement. Finally, organic weed control can be done easily by placing common household vinegar in a spray bottle and apply to those weeds. Vinegar is the organic equivalent of the commercial Round-Up, so be careful when applying around thriving plants. Beside those incessant weeds, you’ll also need to worry about pest control.

Jaden Santon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-to-control-those-organic-weeds-736527.html

Posted in Kitchen Compost | 4 Comments »

How to Manage Your Compost in Organic Garden

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Composting can be as simple or as complex as you want to make it. The best part about creating compost is that it can consist of any organic material and we all have access to plenty of that every single day because it is produced by the lawn, garden, and kitchen. Compost is what happens when leaves, grass clippings, vegetable and fruit scraps, woodchips, straw, and small twigs are combined, then allowed to break down into a soil-like texture. Compost introduces and feeds diverse life in the soil, including bacteria, insects, worms, and more which support vigorous plant growth.

Compost is multi-faceted but not intended as a fertilizer. It offers only a relatively low proportion of nutrients, yet what it does is close to magical. In its finished form as mulch, it reduces evaporation, reduces or prevents weed growth, and insulates the soil from extreme temperature changes. Mulch also keeps the upper inches of the soil cooler in daytime, warmer at night.

Yet compost has humble beginnings. Common, easily accessible materials destined to decay together in a pile will give your soil the gift of minerals and other components it needs. The materials are indeed numerous.

Regardless of the particular ingredients, making compost is akin to making bread or beer; soil-digesting bacteria like yeasts need warmth, moisture, air and something to feed on to keep them alive and growing. Almost all of the practical problems associated with making compost stem from too much or too little of those basic factors.

Compost is created from layers of grass clippings, leaves, weeds, kitchen scraps and, if available, farm animal manure. If you have meat eaters in your home, don’t use their meat scraps, which will attract rodents. Also, do not use litter from your dog or cat; it doesn’t break down properly and contains too many pathogens.

Over the years, composting has gotten a reputation for being a time-consuming job, but this is not necessarily the case. You don’t need to build a big box or turn the pile every so often. A barrel, a hole in the ground or a pile on top of the ground is satisfactory.

The important requirement is to be sure the waste material is covered with soil, so it doesn’t attract rats, other rodents or flies. You can build your layers directly on the ground, without any frame at all; if you use a container, be sure it is well ventilated.

The trick to successful compost is balancing ingredients high in nitrogen–fresh grass clippings, other fresh, green plant matter, most kitchen scraps–with those high in carbon–leaves, straw, dried grass, washed eggshells, wheat germ or other milled grains that have become too rancid or old to use, and any dried, brown plant matter. Too much nitrogenous matter yields an anaerobic, smelly pile. Too much carbonaceous matter results in a pile that never heats up. The ideal ratio is one part nitrogen to three parts carbon.

Start with a layer of brush–small twigs, no large branches–a couple of inches deep; this will help your pile to breathe. Then, keeping in mind the 1 to 3 ratio of nitrogen to carbon, add a layer of mixed plant material. You may enrich the pile with horse or cow manure. These materials don’t break down; they simply add nutrients to the final product.

Then lightly water the pile so it’s evenly moist. Too much water will interfere with aeration; too little water and the pile won’t ferment. If your pile sits in the open, you should pull a tarp over it before a storm, and then remove the tarp after the rain stops so the pile can breathe. An 8-inch layer of straw mulch spread over the top of the pile serves the same purpose.

Alternate layers until the pile is 5 feet high by 5 feet wide by whatever length you choose. A properly made pile that is loosely packed and well aerated will reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees within a few days. It should smell like wet hay. If the pile fails to heat up, pull it apart and redo it by adding layers of fresh green matter. If the pile becomes anaerobic (is too wet to aerate), pull it apart, let it dry out, use it as mulch and start a new pile.

After three weeks, the pile will have shrunk in size; this is normal. Dig into the pile with a spading fork and completely turn it over until the contents are redistributed; the idea is to put unfermented particles in contact with those that are further along. Let the pile rest, so the temperature will rise again. Turn it a second time five weeks later, let it rest a few weeks and, with luck, you’ll have a rich, crumbly pile of “black gold.”

Also, air is vital to any composting process. Without air (anaerobic) composting is possible but unpleasant with the putrescent of rotting material assaulting your nose. It is usually because there is too much nitrogen and too little air in the mixture. If you have an abundance of trees on your property, autumn leaves can be plentiful and messy, but they are there for your use and can be easily gathered and stored in leaf bags.

Timing is crucial. Your pile is fully composted when it fails to heat up after being turned. Then it is ready to use. And use it with a good feeling, for it is your garden’s natural fuel. Remember your objective, the foundation of every successful garden, is to achieve healthy soil.

Compost supplies the soil with a rich, friable source of humus and helps retain moisture in the garden, in addition to supplying valuable nutrients. By placing grass clippings, fallen leaves and unused plant parts in a compost pile, you are preparing them, through decomposition, to be put back to work for you.

Composting actually recycles garden waste and returns the nutrients that have been taken from the soil. By using organic composting agents, it is possible to speed-up the process of decomposition.

Now that you’ve gotten that garden in, how do you take care of it?

Jaden Santon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-to-manage-your-compost-in-organic-garden-736530.html

Posted in How to Compost | No Comments »

No Small Potatoes- How to Reduce Food & Packaging Waste From School Lunches

Friday, February 26th, 2010

In spite of many thoughtful and forward-thinking updates in schools, school design, and classroom curriculum, grade school cafeterias haven’t changed significantly in the past 50 years. School kids are still either buying their lunch, which they receive on a tray (”hot lunch”); or they bring lunch from home (”cold lunch”). School lunches often include a self-serve salad bar with a nice variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole-grain rolls; a healthy improvement over years past. However, an enormous amount of good food goes to waste: whole sandwiches, uneaten fruit, unopened cups of yogurt and applesauce, and untouched bags of chips have all been found in waste audits performed at local schools.

Unfortunately, these schools were not unique. A comprehensive study from Great Britain recently revealed that one third of all food purchased is thrown away, of which 61% could have been eaten. Other studies have found that in the U.S., an estimated 40% to 50% of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten. The average family of four throws away nearly $600 a year in edible meats, vegetables, fruit, and grain products.

Returning to the grade school waste audit, it was revealed that 17% of the trash generated at the school was food waste and 24% was food-packaging waste. Other schools have found that up to one third of their trash stream is comprised of food waste. Considering that the schools have to pay both for the wasted food AND the waste management, addressing how food comes to the schools and what happens to it is worth a closer look.

So what can be done to stem the tide of good food gone landfill?

Start at the beginning: reduce what is provided for lunch. While free-choice salad bar offerings are an excellent idea, kids often take more than they can eat in one sitting. Signs and classroom guidance can help everyone remember to “take what you want, but eat what you take.” Cold lunch diners can also usually bring less food and still be satisfied – read on for more details.

Pass it on: have a “no thanks” table. Anything brought from home that is unopened, such as yogurt cups, bags of chips, granola bars, applesauce cups and the like can be dropped off at a “no thanks” table where other kids can find something they like. Although there are some issues such as allergy concerns and the stigma associated with “the used food table”, they are not insurmountable. Food left over at the end of each day would be welcomed at a shelter or food bank.

Tackle the tabletop culture: use reusable containers. It has been observed that when a sack lunch is packed in baggies and disposables, any leftover food – like a whole sandwich – is seen as disposable, just like the containers it came in. The same holds true for prepackaged foods, like chips, crackers or cookies in single-serve bags. However, when lunch is packed in reusable containers, uneaten food is returned to the container and put back in the lunch box. This has several immediate and valuable benefits: first, based on the quantities that come home after school, portions can be adjusted accordingly. Second, if there is any leftover food, it usually becomes a ready-made after-school snack (assuming the lunch box has an ice pack to keep everything fresh till mid-afternoon).

It was recently revealed that milk cartons, contrary to common wisdom and due in part to the current economic downturn, usually do not get recycled when they are pulled out of the waste stream but are instead thrown out with the rest of the trash. Furthermore, kids rarely drink the full eight ounces of milk they provide, resulting in additional waste. Schools should consider investing in washable cups and a milk dispenser, both to eliminate the single-use cartons and to reduce the wasted milk. This also has its own issues, one of which is the time necessary to wash the cups after use. Again, this isn’t insurmountable, but may only be a shift in behavior away from stocking the refrigerated milk case to handling the wash. Students themselves can fill the dishwasher trays as well.

Address the school culture: have recess before lunch. Many schools report that cafeteria time is frequently cut short because kids are in a rush to go to recess. The result is that many kids never eat at all, and spend the afternoon hungry and unable to concentrate. Several school districts throughout the U.S. have implemented a reverse strategy: kids go directly to recess for their mid-day break, after which they return to the cafeteria for lunch, where they stay until it’s time to return to the classroom. Reports from Montana schools indicate that “recess before lunch” programs improved student behavior on the playground, in the cafeteria, and in the classroom and resulted in less wasted food. One middle school reported a 50% drop in “plate waste” (food thrown away), and a decrease of 60% in disciplinary actions related to the lunchroom over a three year period. The teachers also reported better concentration and more effective time management with the recess before lunch program.

Finish at the end: offer composting. Some food waste is just that – inedible parts, like banana peels, eggshells and coffee grounds. Many schools have introduced compost bins to help manage these leftover bits, often in association with school garden projects.

As with any change, the usual guidance applies: find advocates among the school staff and parents; research where similar strategies have been attempted and consider whether the results would apply at your own school; consider how every step in a new program might impact classroom time, staff time, and staff resources; and communicate, communicate, communicate to students, parents, teachers, and staff.

Schools are embracing, and teaching, a refreshing environmental message, but they could drive that message home if they applied it to the simplest of everyday activities such as eating lunch. By reducing food and food packaging waste, families and schools alike save money both by reducing the loss of good food to landfills and by avoiding having to pay for its disposal. In today’s budget-conscious home and school economic conditions, that’s no small potatoes.

Nancy Myers
http://www.articlesbase.com/nutrition-articles/no-small-potatoes-how-to-reduce-food-packaging-waste-from-school-lunches-736569.html

Posted in Composting News and Updates | No Comments »

Why Composting is Useful for the Environment

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Composting is very similar to recycling but in the broader sense, recycling encompasses everything. Whether it is composting or recycling the objective is to provide a kinder environment for our future inhabitants. Earth is getting depleted and if we don’t partake in preserving virtually the only habitable place that we are aware of, and then will it irk us if all we left behind is one lump of uninhabitable planet.

Recycling is more perceptible these days as we can see separate garbage bins for cans as well as clothes and pots or vases. It is present in our everyday life but composting is slightly different as it involves the recycling of materials that are found in nature. Conceive in your mind dried leaves, grass clippings, fruit peelings, vegetable, animal manure, sawdust, etc.

Composting is basically for the purpose of gardening and in essence organic gardening. Throw out all synthetic products such as pesticides as we only require organic materials. Compost is not only environmentally friendly; it makes the soil healthier and in turn give rise to healthier crops that if free from chemicals.

Organic gardening require lots of hard work but if you put your soul and heart into it, the effort will merit all the sweats. Even if you can’t spare the requisite time, you still can attempt to do compost irrespective of whether you are living in urban or rural areas. It is not necessary to create the compost yourself if you have a garden in an urban home as long as you observe the rules in organic farming. That is no chemicals or pesticides so out with materials that are not naturally formed.

It is the trend to buy everything organic although it is not completely proven that organic produces are better than other farming methods when it comes to the issue of health. It is so fashionable that there is not just organic food but organic soap, tissue, cloth and just about everything as everyone chips in to care for our fragile environment.

Through composting we have nature in our heart besides contributing to the causes of our mother earth. Composting takes some time to get a hang of and some may be hesitant whether it is making or using compost. It is an onerous task to make compost as it can be smelly as well as our perception that compost piles and garbage in our backyard is filthy.

If making it is difficult, then you can mull over purchasing the fertilizers and the compost essentials from your neighborhood garden stores. That ought to be easier if that will lead you to make use of composting to benefit our environment.

Jason
http://www.articlesbase.com/environment-articles/why-composting-is-useful-for-the-environment-736509.html

Posted in Composting | 3 Comments »

What is Organic Gardening

Friday, February 26th, 2010

Many gardeners wonder what exactly organic gardening means. The simple answer is that organic gardeners don’t use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides on their plants. But gardening organically is much more than what you don’t do.

When you garden organically, you think of your plants as part of a whole system within nature that starts in the soil and includes the water supply, people, wildlife and even insects. An organic gardener strives to work in harmony with natural systems and to minimize and continually replenish any resources the garden consumes.

Organic gardening operates on the concept of recycling. You use animal waste, kitchen scraps, and vegetable waste to mulch and compost. You will use common household items like vinegar and soap to prevent pests and weeds.

Organic growers rely on developing a healthy, fertile soil and growing a mixture of crops. Genetically modified (GM) crops and ingredients are not allowed under organic standards.

Organic gardening is the merging together of plants and soil allowing the Earth to naturally bear what it was made to do. The plants and the soil are one working together to provide food and nourishment not only to humans but to animals and organisms as well.

It’s not a new age science. It’s actually quite simple and can be satisfying to the soul! So let’s get more in-depth on getting started.

Your first task is choosing where to plant your garden. The site should receive at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, and the soil should drain well, with no standing puddles. The area should receive adequate air circulation, yet be protected from strong winds. Your house or a thicket of trees can act as a shield from the wind.

After choosing your site, decide how large you want to make your garden. Beware of beginning too ambitiously; tending a plot that’s too large can quickly become a chore. A plot 10 feet long by 10 feet wide is large enough for some tomato plants, lettuce, a bush variety of cucumber plant, radishes, an endlessly productive zucchini plant, herbs and some flowers.

Once you’ve chosen your site, draw out a garden plan; this plan will ensure maximum productivity by giving each plant room to grow. Measure the dimensions of the plot and draw a scale model on graph paper, using, for example, a one-inch square to represent one foot. As you draw your plan, keep in mind each plant’s space requirements at maturity–the little tomato plants you put out in the spring will take up three feet of space by the end of summer. Consider laying out your garden design in blocks instead of the more familiar rows. Because you don’t have to allow as much space for paths, this will enable you to plant more.

Blocks containing a variety of plants encourage mini-gardens of vegetables, herbs and flowers, and are more diverse than single rows that alternate just two plants. Single crops crowded together are more susceptible to disease, so the diversity of blocks can mean healthier plants. Make each block just wide enough so you can comfortably reach the middle from each side.

The layout of your garden depends in part on what it is you want to plant. Some crops, such as lettuce, radishes and spinach, mature quickly and will be short-term residents, unless you plant and harvest them several times during the summer. Other plants, such as tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, will grow over the course of the entire season. Perennial herbs and flowers will remain in the same spot year after year, requiring an increasing amount of space each year.

Be sure to save your garden plan to use as a reference for rotating crops next year. Besides depleting the soil of nutrients, leaving plants in the same spot each year encourages disease and soil-borne insect predators. No annual plant should go in the same spot two years in a row. If you wait three years before putting a plant in the same spot, that works even better.

It is a good idea to consider planting “green manure” plants to fix the soil. You can add this to your plan from year to year. Clover, Alfalfa, and other such plants fix nutrients from the soil, which can be used by other plants, as well as adding bulk and organic matter to the soil, when they are dug, or tilled directly into the soil.

Another key to growing organically is to choose plants suited to the site. Plants adapted to your climate and conditions are better able to grow without a lot of attention or input; on the other hand, when you try to grow a plant that is not right for your site, you will probably have to boost its natural defenses to keep it healthy and productive.

Once you plan out your garden for this year, you should really make a plan for next year as well. Because crop rotation is so important to keep healthy soil, as long as you’re making a plan, draw up where you will plant what in the next season. This will help you remember what was planted where and save troubles next year.

So now you know where you’ll put your garden and what you’re going to put in it. Let’s get started on the planting!

Jaden Santon
http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/what-is-organic-gardening-736537.html

Posted in Compost Plan | 5 Comments »

Success With Garden Composting

Friday, February 26th, 2010

My Compost decomposes very slowly. Why?

The compost process requires material, water and air. If the heap is too dry, the process slows down. Simply add some water. Introduce some air into the composter by turning contents over with a fork. During very cold periods place some polystyrene or old carpet on top of the compost inside the bin to help retain heat.

Will my composter attract vermin and flies?

If you avoid adding cooked food and meat, your composter will not attract rats or foxes. In the summer you may find fruit flies hovering over your composter but they pose no health hazard. If you really don’t want them, simply cover compost heap with a thin layer of soil and they will disappear within hours.

Will my composter smell?

Provided that you do not add large quantities of grass cuttings, a compost heap does not smell. The problem with grass is its high water content and lack of structure. This can cause a slimy heap. To prevent this, tear up an old newspaper and add to the pile when you empty the grass box, but remember you are trying to achieve a good mix of different ingredients.

Can I add weeds to the composter?

Yes you may but many would recommend that you avoid weeds to composter for fear of dispersing weed around garden.

Do I need to add an ‘activator’ to my composter?

If you have included a good all round mix of high nitrogen (grass, plants, vegetable cuttings) and high carbon (dried leaves, hedge clippings) ingredients in your composter, you should not need to add an activator or accelerator. The most important role of most is to add nitrogen to the heap, which stimulates bacterial activity. Animal manure is a good natural activator (but do not add cat or dog faeces), and there are of course proprietary activators/accelerators available from your local garden centre.

Happy gardening.

Owen Chubb
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/success-with-garden-composting-685149.html

Posted in Compost Activator | 4 Comments »

Can-O-Worms

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Can-O-Worms

With our user-friendly “”Can-O-Worms“” composting system, a team of redworms digest kitchen waste into worm castings; an organic, nutrient-rich garden amendment. The perforated stacking trays allow the worms to separate from their castings automatically, making it very easy for the gardener to harvest the resulting “”worm castings.”" The trays rotate so that there is always one available for garbage while the others compost. The handy spigot allows you to capture the “”worm tea”" – a rich liquid amendment your plants will love. Sturdy, odorless and pest-resistant, this earth-friendly composting system is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Designed to be used indoors or out in warmer climates, it comes with complete instructions. Ideal composting temperature is 60F to 80F. Australia. Worms not included. Find composting worms online at www.findworms.com. This item ships directly from the manufacturer. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Item can not be expedited. See Shipping Information for more details. 29″” High 20″” Deep

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Posted in Worm Compost | No Comments »

Natural Value Scouring Pads — 2 Pieces Each / Pack of 24

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Natural Value Scouring Pads -- 2 Pieces Each / Pack of 24

These reusable scouring pads are long lasting and rinse fresh and clean. Use them to remove stains and heel marks from tile, wood and linoleum floors. The scouring pads are also good on scratch resistant dishes, grills, broilers, garden tools and wood. A healthy lifestyle should be affordable for everyone.” Resilient, reliable, and a quarter inch thick these Scouring Pads by Natural Value come two to a pack and have extraordinary scrubbing power. Great for a variety of indoor uses and a plethora of outdoor uses as well. On the inside of your home these Scouring Pads are really great for those jobs that require intense scrubbing such as linoleum, vinyl, and tile flooring to remove stains, hard water marks, and those irritating shoe-skid-marks. Outdoors they come in really handy too! Use them to clean the metal grill bars on your barbecue, your wood or metal outdoor furniture, gardening tools, and anything else that could use a good scrub. Natural Value is a family owned and operated business started by a husband and wife team. Since 1995, the goal of Natural Value has been to provide a means to end by making natural, safe products more affordable and therefore more accessible to consumers everywhere. Natural Value is an avid supporter of the LEEF program, which supports local schools through fundraising. Go Green! Don’t just throw away your vegetable scraps in the trash! Put a little effort forward and find an area of your yard you can use for composting. It’s easier than you think.

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Posted in Make Your Own Compost | No Comments »

Kitchen Compost Crock

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Kitchen Compost Crock

Put your kitchen scraps for the compost pile in an attractive countertop kitchen composting crock. The Kitchen Compost Crock has a fully glazed interior that won’t stain or absorb odor and holds up to one gallon of kitchen scraps. An activated carbon filter in the lid prevents odors. With a removable stainless steel handle. Dishwasher safe. Includes one filter. Filters last 3 months. White ceramic crock measures 10″”H x 7″” diameter; Stainless steel crock measures 11″”H x 8″” diameter. China. Keep your Kitchen Compost Crock smelling fresh with carbon replacement filters . The activated carbon prevents odors. Held in the lid, the filter lasts up to three months. Sold in sets of 2, 6 or 12. China.

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