Monday, July 27, 2009

Raised garden bed, step 1

I have filled my raised garden bed halfway with hay and chicken manure (from Lily and Daisy) and soil so it is taking it's sweet time to decompose. I think it should be ready soon. I am slowly filling the bed with more soil but it is slow going as soil is practically non-existent in the area. I have some starts ready to go, including some parsley, dill, green onions, oregano, chives, and both tomatoes and bell peppers that came up in my vermicomposting bin (yay!). And, I see some acorn squash coming up as well! Maybe I won't need to go to the grocery store as much. 

Is this going to make much of a difference to the world? I know it won't be obvious ... but I used recycled lumber that would have been decomposing at the dump, fertilizer from my chickens and worms (free!), and starts the would have gone to the dump as garbage instead. Maybe I'll make a teeny tiny dent in my own sphere of influence ... and maybe a little more on my purse. :)

Thursday, July 16, 2009

One giant step

The first giant step is to separate recyclables. The next giant step is taking them to the recycle center!

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Worm ball!

I cleaned out my worm bin today and removed all of the castings, which amounted to about 3.5 -4 gallons worth of material. This is what was left, a hefty ball o' worms that ranged in size from teeny tiny (whatever age that is!) to adult-sized. I've only seen this kind of images on YouTube so it was cool to actually carry a ball like this. Pretty nifty if you ask me!

I should add that I LOVE my vermicomposting bin. It cost me about $3.50 to start! I get rid of all my kitchen scraps and junk mail, have little or no fruit flies, no smelly garbage, I got lots of beautiful fertilizer, and I get to play with worms! 

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Best Tasting Water!

According to MSNBC article, "Take a sip! America's best tap water." by Mike Celizic (Todayshow.com, July 20, 2007), Salt Lake City is the winner, followed by Boston and Columbia, S.C. 

I have something to say about this. I've tasted the water in Boston, MA. I mean, I rarely will comment on the water when I visit a city ... but the tap water in Boston is SWEET and YUMMY and surprisingly noteworthy! I am serious! I never thought I could say that any place tap water that rivals Hilo but I have to say that it certainly deserves that title! Boston deserves a special trip just to see if I'm right. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. 

But then, they only test water from 12 cities ... and if they tested the water in Hilo, I think they'd be pleasantly surprised too!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

Wise words

"In wildness is the preservation of the world." - Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau, in one sentence, explains my life's work.