Our floors are the largest surface area in our homes that require regular cleaning. If we use chemicals, we breathe them in day and night until they dissipate. There is no need to add to our indoor air pollution when we can use simple and handy, homemade cleaning solutions.

How to Clean Wood, Bamboo, and Laminate Floors

It would be so easy to clean every floor of our home with a steam cleaner. No muss, no fuss, nothing but water turned to steam. But regardless of the claims made by the manufacturers, steam cleaners can damage wood, bamboo, and laminate floors.

Laminate floors consist of layers of materials glued together. Any water, but especially steam, will break down the bonds between layers, causing them to buckle and split. Steam can strip the finish that is protecting your hardwood floor. Moisture that seeps into the wood will cause grains to swell and the wood to warp and splinter.

The primary rule for bamboo, laminate, and hardwood floors is the same: do not wet mop–dry mop (though damp mop would be a better descriptive term). After thoroughly sweeping or vacuuming your floor, use a well wrung out sponge or rag mop with plain water, water with a few drops of essential oil, or water with 1/4 cup of vinegar (added to a 2 gallon bucket). Use warm water; it will evaporate faster than cold. Buff the floors dry with a soft cloth or towel.

Perusing the net, you will find other suggestions such as 1/2 cup of lemon juice added to water. However, a manufactures’ site warns against using citrus to clean laminate flooring as it will damage the finish after repeated use.  Many sites, including a manufacturer’s site, suggest using 1/4 cup of dish soap to a bucket of water to clean sealed hardwood floors–without rinsing. But it only stands to reason that, over time, soap residue would accumulate. If you do rinse, you are using more water. Since the object is to clean with the least amount of water possible, this method doesn’t make sense.

One wood laminate manufacturer suggests mixing vinegar and water into a spray bottle. Rather than spraying the liquid on the floor, use it to dampen the bottom of your dust mop.

Another solution, claimed to be even better for wood floors than vinegar, is cleaning with tea. Brew black tea, (1 tea bag per cup of water) and either fill a spray bottle to mist the floor (a small area at a time) then follow with a damp mop, or make enough tea to immerse your mop in a bucket. As before, wring out your mop so it is as dry as possible.

How to Clean Linoleum, Tile, and Stone

Linoleum and tile floors can also be cleaned with vinegar and water. The ratios vary according to preference from 1/4 cup of vinegar to a one-to-one ratio of vinegar to water.  For a really dirty floor, try the following recipe:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1 tablespoon liquid dish soap (remember to choose a natural soap)
• 2 gallons hot water
• Add a few drops of essential oil, if desired

Rinsing is not required, but if streaking occurs, rinse.

Do not use lemon juice, vinegar or other acids on marble, limestone, or travertine. To wash these floors, use a squirt of liquid soap (such as castile soap or dish soap, not detergent) in your bucket of water and wet mop. Rinse. Too much soap will cause streaking.

These floors may be the best candidates for a steam mop, but first check with the manufacturer to be sure steam mopping does not void your warranty.

All floors of all types are scratched and scarred by dirt. Mats outside and inside each entrance can help limit the amount of dirt on your floors. A shoeless house can make a tremendous difference. Remember, how often you sweep or vacuum and what you use to mop your floors will determine the longevity of your floor’s finish as well as the level of pollution in your home.

Sources:

• 6 Natural Wood Floor Cleaners
• 5 Benefits of Cleaning Wood Floors with Tea
• Natural Floor Cleaning: Easy Greening
• Homemade Floor Cleaner Recipe
• Build Direct

Upcycling with Do It Yourself Gardening Techniques

Shelling out money for flower gardening supplies can be a real pain in the grass. For many homeowners, gardening expenses are some of the first to be cut when the going gets tough. Fortunately, do-it-yourself solutions to garden needs can be found all around the house. By recycling and re-purposing old bottles, cans and other materials, you can turn your garden from drab to fab for a fraction of the price.

DIY Planters

Planters are a necessary addition to any garden, and with a little imagination, can be made out of basically anything. All of these supplies can be found around the house or at a thrift store if saving money is your number one priority.

• Boots: Have an old pair of leather boots lying around? Clean them out, fill them with soil and get to planting! If the beat-up-leather look isn’t your thing, throw on a few coats of paint to add some flair.
• Wheelbarrows: Wheelbarrow planters give your garden a rustic, vintage feel. They are typically a bit shabby and run down but chic nonetheless. Plus, they give you plenty of space to plant.
• Wine Bottles: Repurposed wine bottles are all the rage these days. Whether they’re used as drinking glasses, planters or lamps, they make a great addition to your garden. Be careful when making them though, as the glass is sharp and very hazardous.

DIY Birdfeeders

Birdfeeders are a great way to bring some wildlife into your garden. Hummingbirds, and other winged-creatures, are not only pretty to look at, but also aid in the pollination process. By welcoming birds into your garden, you are creating a better habitat and ambiance.

• Tea Cups: Tea cups are adorable, no one can argue that. You may have never expected to see them in a garden, but superglue one to a saucer, fill it with birdseed and voila, you have a super cute, DIY birdfeeder!
• Plastic Bottles: Odds are in elementary school you were told to make a birdfeeder out of a milk carton or liter bottle of soda. Not only are they easy to make, they hold an immense amount of birdseed. Unfortunately they can look a little dingy if not decorated, so be sure to add some color.
• Watermelons: Watermelons in the summer are aplenty. Rather than tossing away your rinds like you always do, etch out some space for some birdseed and hang them from a tree in your backyard. Birds like sweets so a taste of watermelon is sure to encourage repeat visits.  

DIY Outdoor Sofas

Outdoor sofas combine the comfort of indoors, with the tranquility of nature. Although frequently exposed to the elements, outdoor sofas are great for seating guests during outdoor parties or barbecues. If kept covered, they will provide a place to put up your feet for many years to come.

• Cribs: Cribs don’t have to solely be for babies anymore. Once Junior grows out of his crib all it takes is some repurposing and a couple pillows and you have prime garden seating.
• Wood Pallets: Wood pallets have all kinds of uses, many that you wouldn’t expect. If you have some lying around your backyard, stack them up, throw a sheet and a few pillows on them and your guests won’t know the difference.
• Milk Crates: Milk crates are some of the ugliest things you can have around the house. Instead of tossing them out, find a wall to stack them up against. After that, lay a pad on top and you will have a DIY couch worthy of any guest.

Dressing up your garden doesn’t have to break the bank, in fact, sometimes the cheaper option ends up being the best looking in the end. Instead of spending your hard-earned cash on expensive garden décor that’s only going to be weathered over the years, be creative and utilize what you have laying around the house.

If one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, then it won’t be long before that grimy, old wheelbarrow becomes a glimmering beacon of hope among your greens. So, get out there, get a little dirty and turn what was once ugly into dingy, shabby beauty!

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• How to Start a Vegetable Garden – How to Grow Vegetables
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Medicinal Herb Garden – What To Grow and How To Keep It Growing All Winter
• Ten Great Gardening Tips
• How to Make Your Own Compost Tea

We at OLM are not fans of sunscreen or sunblock. The problem is that we have not found a totally safe and benign topical way to protect the skin from sun damage besides coverage with clothing and hats.

Sunlight has numerous health benefits including the most well known, vitamin D. Most of us do not get enough vitamin D. And anyone who eats well and is in relative good health can enjoy sunlight. As with everything else having to do with health, believe it or not, a healthy diet full of a wide variety of organic, nutrient dense fresh produce is the very best way to prevent, heal, and reverse premature aging, damage, and skin cancers that can be caused by the sun.

Simply limiting exposure to shorter periods until the skin builds up its natural defenses is the best way to be able to play in the sun without the worry of sun damage. But we live in the real world, and not everyone has time to build up the their sun tolerance for a week in order to enjoy 8 hours at the beach with nothing more than a swimsuit.

Exaggerated Dangers of Sunlight

When we first learned about the dangers of too much sun exposure, we ignored the dangers of not enough sun exposure, which as it turns out, leads to greater incidents of cancer, including the more dangerous form of skin cancer.

“There are two types of skin cancer,” says Dr. Michael Holick, one of the world’s leading authorities on vitamin D and vitamin D deficiency. “There’s what’s called non-melanoma skin cancer and there is no question that excessive exposure to sunlight and sunburns will damage the DNA and induce skin cells to become cancerous. That is non-melanoma squamous and basal cell cancers. They are typically easy to detect, easy to treat. They’re not lethal, for the most part.

“Melanoma is a different story. Most melanomas occur on the least sun exposed areas. Occupational sun exposure decreases your risk of malignant melanoma.”

And to top it off, vitamin D, what you get from our vilified sun, is one of the best preventers of any and all types of cancer!

For more on sunlight, skin cancer, and vitamin D, check out our article, Sunlight and Vitamin D.

Dangers of Sunscreens

So we all got scared of skin cancer, and what did we do? We started slathering on toxic chemicals that kept our skin from appearing and feeling burned while we sunbathed . Thinking we were totally protected, we cooked these chemicals into our skin, causing serious damage to out skin, our liver, our DNA, etc.

And guess what happened? Skin cancer rates rose right along with the use of sunscreen.

Canada Proposes Stricter  Sunscreen Regulations

If Canada’s planned rules take effect, this would likely prompt much needed changes in the sunscreens sold in the United States.

“Sunscreen companies won’t make better products until they are forced to,” said Sonya Lunder, Senior Analyst at Environmental Working Group. “EWG welcomes Canada’s efforts to improve sunscreen protection, particularly because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration appears unable or unwilling to wrap up its sunscreen rules more than thirty years in the making.”

For more on Canada’s Stricter Sunscreen Rules, checkout The Environmental Working Group’s article.

EWG

The Environmental Working Group has just released its 7th annual Sunscreen Guide.This guide rates the safety and efficacy of over 1,400 sunscreens, lotions, lip products and makeups that advertise sun protection.

“The vast majority of sunscreens available to the consumer aren’t as good as most people think they are, but there are a handful of products that rise above the rest,” said Sonya Lunder, senior research analyst at EWG and lead author of the report. “The best advice for concerned consumers is to use sun-protective clothing, stay in the shade to reduce intense sun exposure, and schedule regular skin examinations by a doctor. And turn to EWG’s guide to find the best sunscreens for skin that isn’t protected by clothing.”

“Despite an increasing awareness of the sun’s risks, rates of melanoma – the deadliest skin cancer – have tripled over the past 35 years, with an annual increase of 1.9 percent per year since 2000,” Lunder said.

The Environmental Working Group states, “Part of the reason for the increase may be the decades of deceptive marketing claims by sunscreen manufacturers, EWG researchers said.  EWG believes that the federal Food and Drug Administration should press companies to stop selling high-SPF sunscreens (above 50+), which account for 1 in 7 products on the market. As a result of misleading and confusing marketing claims, consumers frequently misuse sunscreens and spend more time in the sun than they should, putting themselves at greater risk.” We contend that that sunscreen’s toxic chemicals are the biggest culprit.

Sunscreen Ingredients to Avoid

Retinyl Palmitate: In sunscreen, exposed to the intense rays of the sun, Retinyl Palmitate builds up in the skin elevating the risk of skin cancer and other health issues.

Oxybenzone: Also known as methanone, 2-hydroxy 4 methoxydenzophenone and benzophenone-3. The Environmental Working Group states that 56% of sunscreens contain Oxybenzone, a penetration enhancer (causes other chemicals to be able to penetrate skin). This chemical is known to cause allergic skin reactions that can spread beyond applied areas. Oxybenzone disrupts the human endocrine system and can damage the cardiovascular system.

Octinoxate: The most widely used sunscreen ingredient, octinoxate helps other ingredients be absorbed more readily. Studies show that this chemical is likely responsible for disrupting the endocrine system by altering hormones. The chemical’s effects on estrogen levels are harmful for humans and our environment. Octinoxate is likely the main culprit for premature aging due to the fact that it produces free radicals that attack and damage our skin cells.

Benzophenone-3 (B-3): Can damage DNA.

Amino Benzoic Acid: Otherwise known as PABA, para-aminobenzoic acid, Vitamin Bx or padimate O, Amino Benzoic Acid  is a nontoxic UV filtering compound. But researchers have come to find that Amino Benzoic Acid can amplify cellular damage.

Homosalate: Like oxybenzone, homosalate can mimic bodily hormones. Our bodies cannot remove this chemical at the common rate of absorption so it accumulates to very toxic levels over time.

Paraben Preservatives: There have been many reports of serious chronic and acute side effects associated with Paraben preservatives. Derived from plant and petroleum sources, these preservatives may cause irritation and allergic reactions. More importantly, the chronic effects of Paraben use are known to disrupt and mimic hormones and cause reproductive toxicity. As a suspected carcinogen, it has connections with breast tumors, skin cell damage, and oxidative stress on the body’s tissues, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Octocrytene: This synthetic UV absorber may produce oxygen radicals that cause cell mutation resulting in increased production of free radicals that are known to damage DNA, which may lead malignant melanoma skin cancer.

Artificial Ingredients: Scents, colors, and preservatives are never good to put on your skin. They are absorbed into your body, and when baked in the sun, many of these ingredients can become even more dangerous,. Like, for starters, many artificial ingredients when cooked into the skin produce DNA damaging free radicals. These artificial ingredients are bad for us, bad for the environment, and should be avoided anywhere, in food, sunscreens, supplements, etc.

The Safest Effective Active Sunscreen Ingredient

While there are many totally natural, completely safe, and edible ingredient options that offer some protection from the sun, the highest SPF you can get from them is about a 5 (see our homemade recipe below). But for a higher level of sunburn protection, we choose zinc oxide. Not the nano technology kind which is composed of zinc oxide particles so small they are absorb into the skin. You don’t want to absorb zinc oxide.  And if you’re healthy, you shouldn’t absorb any non nano zinc oxide applied to the skin. It’s still not the kind of thing we want to put on our body. But for any significant SPF protection, it’s the best choice we know of.

For more on zinc oxide, check out this post by The Environmental Working Group.

Homemade Sunscreen

It’s easy to make your own sunscreen. But how effective is it? There are some efficacy issues to consider. And be careful. Don’t just slather on some coconut oil with zinc oxide and then spend 8 hours in the sun.

Homemade Sunscreen Warning

Before deciding to save a few dollars with the DIY route, consider some of the issues that arise when making your own sunscreen.

One problem with making your own sunscreen at home is that there is no effective way to test SPF levels. Another issue is mixing the ingredients. Sunscreen manufacturers use a high pressure machine called a homogenizer to break up zinc and/or titanium dioxide particles in order to evenly distribute them throughout he formulas. Mixing by hand, or even a blender can cause uneven distribution of the active ingredients leaving large areas of skin partially or totally exposed to UV rays.

And oils by themselves can actually contribute to sunburns by absorbing light which allows greater UV ray penetration. It should also be noted that store-bought sunscreens typically contain a of different ingredients to protect against the different wavelengths of UV rays. Zinc or titanium dioxide alone does not offer the same level of protection from sunburns.

That said, we still choose sunburn over cancer causing chemicals any day! And we are a fan of DIY projects. But regardless, when using sunscreen, and especially the homemade variety, use common sense with sun exposure. Reapply after getting wet. Use a hat and cover the body after or get out of the sun all together before you burn.

How to Make Homemade Organic Sunscreen

• 1/4 cup of aloe vera gel
• 1/4 a cup of coconut oil
• 1/4 cup of raspberry seed oil
• 5 tablespoons Shea Butter
• ¼ cup Beeswax
• 5 tablespoons Zinc Oxide

Coconut oil and shea butter are natural sunscreens (around SPF 5). The beeswax helps make lotion water resistant. Aloe moisturizes and protects against burns. Raspberry seed oil has an SPF of 25-50.

Zinc Oxide must be only zinc oxide and should not be nano particle technology (it should not be able to be absorbed through the skin). Be careful not to inhale!

Optional Ingredients – Antioxidants

• Green Tea (brew concentrated green tea and add ¼ a cup)
• 3 tablespoons of Vitamin E oil
• 10 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract

You can also add essential oils for scent, but avoid citrus as citrus oils can contribute to sunburns.

Instructions

Combine all ingredients except zinc oxide and heat until ingredients liquefy. You want ingredients to melt but not cook or become too hot for the next step, so watch closely and pull as soon as liquefied. We recommend a double boiler for this. You can also put the ingredients into a jar and put the jar into a pot of hot water on the stove at a higher setting.

Put ingredients into a blender with zinc oxide (the better quality the blender the better this will work) and blend with zinc oxide. If you don’t have a blender (or you have a cheap one that doesn’t mix well) then see above warnings.

Mix on highest setting until all ingredients are thoroughly mixed and then pour the solution into the container you will use to store it.  A pump container isn’t going to work very well for this. I recommend a mason jar.

Now place the product in the freezer for about 20 minutes. This will solidify the product so that the ingredients stay evenly mixed and don’t separate. Then put product in the refrigerator.

Keeping the product cool keeps the ingredients from separating. This allows us to have a more stable product without the use of the chemicals manufacturers have to resort to keep their product ingredients evenly distributed.

When ready to use, you can scoop some out and put into a smaller container to take with you, or put the whole thing in a cooler with your picnic.

And play with the recipe. Depending on the product consistency and the temperature you keep it at, you may find that varying some of the ingredients work better for you.

Application

If you know you’re going to be needing sun protection the next day, we recommend applying sunscreen liberally the night before and the morning or for greatest efficacy.

Notes

This recipe has an SPF of around 30. More or less Zinc Oxide will increase or decrease the SPF. It is water resistant, but if you sweat or swim do reapply.

More beeswax makes thicker sunscreen, less makes thinner. We like thicker to reduce ingredients settling and separating.

Remove the zinc oxide and you’ve got an amazing lotion that has a little bit of sun protection as well.

And for truly organic sunscreen, and a totally edible sunscreen (a light sunscreen with a low SPF), remove the zinc oxide and make sure all ingredients are 100% organic.

And here is an infograph we just came across from livelovefruit.com. Let us know if you try some of these oils!

Best Sunscreen

We like Solar Body Block 30+ by DeVita Professional Skin Care. It’s vegan, cruelty free, paraben free, titanium dioxide free, and has been tested and proven to be of SPF level 32. We liked it, so we got it for our store at Green Lifestyle Market.

https://www.greenlifestylemarket.com/solar-body-block-30-7oz-devita-professional-skin-care

You can check out the Environmental Working Group’s listing of Solar Body Block 30+ here

We Want to Hear From You

What, if anything, do you do for sunburn protection? Do you have any sunscreen recipes or ways to improve our recipes? Did you have any luck with the homemade sunscreen recipe or some of the oils listed?

LED light bulbs last longer, are very energy efficient, and produce beautiful light. The list as to why you should switch to LEDs goes on. But now, even indoor plant growers have a reason to switch.

A Purdue University study by Professor Carry Mitchel and doctorial student Celina Gomez shows that using LED lights instead of the conventional HPS lights (high pressure sodium) for growing tomatoes could give the same yields of fruit from the plants while using 25% of the energy the HPS lights use.

“It makes it really hard for the greenhouse industry to grow tomatoes well in the offseason. We’re trying to change that and make it affordable,” Mitchell said.

LEDs produce much less heat than HPS lights. This means that LED bulbs can be very close to the plant ,which offers certain benefits, “The leaves are photosynthesizing on the lower parts of the plants, and that may be helping with the plant’s energy,” Gómez said. “We’re getting the high intensity of the LEDs close to the plants because they’re not hot like a high-pressure sodium lamp. If you put one of those close to the plants, you’d scorch it.”

Mitchell states that the goal of their research is to bring down the prices of tomatoes to the point where local growers can compete with the cost of tomatoes that are shipped from faraway places. And they are as much a fan of very fresh healthy produce as we are. Cary Mitchell, a professor of horticulture, says,  “The average tomato is shipped about 1,500 miles from warmer climates where they’re grown to cooler climates that cannot produce the fruit cost-effectively in the winter. That journey is costly, however, because tomatoes are picked green and ripen during shipping, decreasing quality and flavor. The lengthy shipping distance also adds to the industry’s carbon footprint.”

Doc Shillington not only sells his Total Nutrition Formula, which is available at Green lifestyle Market, he also tells us how to make our own. One of the reasons we love working with Doc is that he empowers people to take their health into their own hands. And as you know, here at OLM, we love DIY healthcare!

Doc’s Total Nutrition Formula, a perfectly balanced blend of whole foods, is specially formulated to supply you with natural food source vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and essential trace elements. These are nature’s nutrients, not man-made or synthetic.  All ingredients are from the richest, whole food sources on the planet and are organically grown or wildcrafted.  Along with diet, a comprehensive multivitamin/mineral formula from quality whole foods should be the foundation of any health building program.

Total Nutrition Formula Recipe

With this recipe a “part” means a measurement by volume and not weight. What volume you use is up to you. All ingredients should be organic or wildcrafted.

• 1 part Alfalfa Grass Powder
• 1 part Barley Grass Powder
• 1 part Wheat Grass Powder
• 1 part Norwegian Purple Dulse Seaweed Powder
• 1 part Beet Root Powder
• 1 part Spinach Leaf Powder
• 1 part Rosehips Powder
• 1 part Orange Peel Powder
• 1 part Lemon Peel Powder
• 1 part Astragalus Powder
• 1.5 parts Spirulina Green Algae
• 1.5 parts Chlorella Broken Cell Algae
• 5 parts Yeast Flakes
• 5 parts Yeast Powder

Combine all ingredients. Mix thoroughly. You may need a dust mask when mixing, as the powders can get into the air and irritate the nose and throat. We mix ours on a patio when there is no wind where we can easily rinse off the mess.

Yeast (both the flakes and the powder) must be non-active saccharomyces cerevisiae nutritional yeast fortified with B12. Which is safe for patients with Candida albicans. Doc wrote, “I added astragalus as it is the #1 herb for balancing metabolism and blood sugar levels. Without changing my diet one iota, I dropped 10 pounds when I added this little goody to the formula. I also upped the spirulina and chlorella 50% each to increase the protein, and mineral intake.”

Most of the ingredients can be purchased at Mountain Rose Herbs. We plan to offer all of these ingredients at Green Lifestyle Market soon as well so that you can make your own without having to go to multiple stores to get ingredients. Use 1-2 teaspoons as a daily addition to any drink.

About the Ingredients

Again, if you are making your own homemade total nutrition, be absolutely sure to use only the finest wildcrafted or organic ingredients. Doc Shillington tells us about the ingredients in Total Nutrition:

Spirulina  Blue  Green  Algae

“Spirulina is one of the most concentrated, nutritious foods on this planet. It is the highest natural source of complete protein (77%).  Also, it is extremely high in Beta Carotene.  Spirulina is one of the richest sources of minerals, and being one of the oldest types of algae, it has a soft cell wall for easy digestion.”

Chlorella

“Chlorella is second only to spirulina in nutritional content.  Another algae,” it is an extremely concentrated source of nutrition that also assists in heavy metal removal from the body. The cell wall has been cracked to make the nutrients more available and increase its digestibility.”

Astragalus

“In Oriental herbology, astragalus shares the #1 spot with ginseng.  Astragalus not only has a reputation for preventing cancer, but it is legendary for rejuvenating digestive organs and balancing blood sugar levels.  Astragalus also corrects metabolism,and can therefore bring about weight loss or weight gain depending on the needed improvement.  This makes it equally great for weight lifters and weight reducers.  Furthermore, astragalus strengthens and builds the immune system, promotes the healing of every kind of wound or injury, balances hormones and is well known for dramatically increasing energy levels.  Lastly, it is essential in assisting those who wish to handle diabetes.”

Alfalfa,  Barley,  and  Wheat  Grasses

“These are the vitamin / mineral herb Grasses.  They are mildly cleansing and the greatest sources of nutrition and minerals of any of the grasses. Grain grasses are more powerful than the grains themselves, offering a rich source of vitamins, minerals, and chlorophyll.”

Purple  Dulse  Seaweed

“Seaweeds are the richest source of minerals on the planet. They contain all the trace elements that are found in all the oceans and the Earth’s crust.  Purple dulse was chosen for this formula because it has the highest mineral concentration but also a bland, less fishy taste that actually tastes good by itself.”

Beet  Root  and  Spinach  Leaf

“Beets and spinach are some of the best sources of organic iron. Beets, being a root vegetable and growing underground, change inorganic raw elements into plant minerals, that are very usable. Spinach is a great source of calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamin K.  Furthermore, both of these plants are famous for their blood building ability.”

Rose  Hips,  Orange  and  Lemon  Peels

Revered as the best sources of vitamin C, these fruits are also a balanced C-complex source. They contain bioflavinoids, rutin, hesperidin, calcium and all of the trace elements that are now known to be necessary to assimilate vitamin C. The citrus peels are also one of the highest sources of pectin, which has been proven to remove heavy metals (mercury, lead, etc.), and even removes radioactive contamination like deadly strontium 90 from the body.

Non-Active  Saccharomyces  Cerevisiae  Nutritional  Yeast

This yeast is grown on beets and pure molasses. It is the second highest source of complete protein in nature (50%), and the richest source of B vitamins.  It is also a rich source of iron and many other minerals.  The yeast we chose to use is heated high enough to absolutely destroy any yeast activity, but not high enough to lessen the B vitamin content.  It is totally NON active and safe for clients with Candida Albicans or those on yeast free diets.”

When asked about the difference between his formula and other popular formula with many ingredients, Doc says, “Remember, it’s not how many nutrients you can get into your system; it’s how many quality ingredients your body can absorb and use.” There are many nutrition formula recipes and almost as many nutrition formulas being sold on the market.

While Doc Shillington’s formula is one of the most simple versions, it’s also the best. Doc goes on to say, “It is possible to have too many ingredients in a formula. It becomes a question of a homeopathic dosage rather than a nutritional dosage. The idea is to put actual building blocks there, not just a homeopathic teaser that the body likes (or not).”

Our Favorite Basic Smoothie Recipe

In a blender combine the following:

• 1 cup of freshly squeezed organic apple juice
• 1 1/2 cups of organic, frozen, mixed berries (or any other fruit you choose)
• 2 level tablespoons of Udo’s Oil (3.6.9 Blend)
• 2 heaping tablespoons of nutritional powder
• 1 raw organic egg (Must be organic; conventional eggs are a source of salmonella!)

More of Shillington’s Recipes:

Menu

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Bullet Proof Your Immune System
  
• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• Homemade Vitamin C
• Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included

So You Want to Build an Organic Vegetable Garden…

It’s easy enough to say you want to build an organic garden, but how does one actually get started? Before I get into my four beginning principals, let me say that these directions I’m writing are applicable to anywhere: backyards, smallholdings, allotments, farms. You can even apply them to containers you might only have space for on your apartment balcony. I’ve helped build and design gardens from small window sill pots to 200 acre properties. The elements are the same. Stick to the plan and you won’t go wrong.

Four Basic Produce Gardening Principles

There are four basic initial principles that I teach people to take into account  before they start any type of produce garden. They are pretty much the integral infrastructure in my method of food growing, something that can be reflected back on throughout the life of the garden at any stage. They are…

• Location
• Water
• Wind
• Land

They will and can make a huge difference to your garden. Not taking them into consideration before you start can cause you to pull your hair out. I’ve made mistakes in the past and have had to redo a few things because I just jumped in feet first. Just sit back. Relax. Look at your intended grow area and picture in your mind what you’d like to see there. Draw up a map of the area, the directions, where the water is, any major or influencing topography, and the general direction of the prevailing wind. If possible, I recommend doing this little ritual a few times over a few days so you really get a feel for the area and its personality over the different times of the day. Don’t bother drawing up a map every time, just breathe and get a feel for the place.

I’ve had people roll their eyes at me when I suggested that they “meditate” on their prospective vegetable gardens. Fair enough. It might not be something that everyone wants to do. But I cannot overstate the benefits of doing so. Part of my methodology of growing is establishing a connection to not only my food but to the land itself, a “re- connection” if you will. As new age or hippy as this may sound, it is an intrinsic truth inside all of us. We are part of the world and its system, just like ants, trees, rocks, or lakes. But for now, let’s concentrate on getting this thing up and running.

Location

Location is the first thing to look at when planning a garden of any kind. You need a somewhat open space that has a nice air flow and at least 6 hours of direct sunlight. Dappled light is fine as long as there is enough to promote growth in your plants over the course of the day. Stand in the middle of the area and relax. Listen to it—its sounds, its hum. Look at the differences in height of the surrounds. Take into account the shade of surrounding or nearby trees and their affect on the beds. How big are they? If you’re going to plant directly into the ground, you’ll have to accommodate for the trees’ water usage. A good size tree will take up to 200 litres from the ground on a daily basis. Here’s a good checklist to go through when surveying and planning your garden. Plus, is it close to your home? Is it a chore to walk the distance? What if it’s raining?

• How much (if any) shade does the area get?
• What times of the day does it (shade) occur?
• How much exposure is there on the beds from 11am to 3pm, the hottest hours?
• Are there any deciduous trees? Does winters loss of foliage make a difference between the amount of winter and summer sun?
• What shelter will those trees give with winter frosts or snow?
• Take into account the arcs of the higher sun in summer and the lower sun in winter and how much difference in sunlight there is between the two seasons.

Water

Water is the most important resource that we have on earth, because nothing can survive without it. Don’t forget that less than 5% of the Earth’s water is fresh water and much of that is unusable due to pollution. So using less is obviously a bonus, and creating a system that harvests a source for our own use without the reliance on utilities, big business, etc. is worth a major pat on the back. First, let’s consider the following before we get digging:

• How close is my main water source?
• Will I be using mains or a rain/tank water?
• What kind of water is it? Fresh, chlorinated, fluorinated etc?
• How am I going to get water to my garden?
• Will I be able to water in the early morning or later in the evening (the cooler parts of the day) to maximise water usage by plants?
• Will I need to install a gravity feed, dripline, or other water system?
• Will I need to buy a water tank?
• Could I build a dam or pond to catch water?
• Can I build multiple catchments to catch overflows?
• What about building swales, tree pans, or berms?

Wind

Wind direction is something that a lot of people either ignore or they just don’t think it matters when it comes to their gardens. Exposure to winds can dehydrate plants and soils, knock them over, create windfall fruit, or just blow soil and plants away. Diffused, it can also strengthen trees by encouraging trunk strength in order to adapt to the windy conditions. Wind is a part of the natural weather cycle, and it’s something that we can integrate into our system so that it works for us, not against us. The main mistake people make with a dominant wind is trying to “block” it when they should be trying to “diffuse” it. But first, what wind questions should you ask yourself when you’re planning a new garden?

• What direction does the prevailing wind come from?
• Take into account, hot northerlies and cooler southerlies.
• Wind across any body of water will cool, which is great for summer seating.
• What natural windbreaks exist on site?
• Will I be able to build or plant any windbreaks?

Land

Lay of the land was a huge consideration for me when I started my vegetable garden, mainly because the quarter of an acre that I’d chosen to grow on had flat patches, inclines, declines, dry bits, bits prone to flooding—the whole nine yards. I had to draw up an initial map of what I was dealing with and stand (literally) in that field for hours, watching where the sun shone, where it didn’t, what was sheltered, what had cover and how all the other elements interacted with it as a whole. This is probably the most important aspect of garden design as it will dictate the design you construct. Take your time, breathe, meditate on it, leave it if need be, then come back again.

The topography of any garden will dictate the type of bed system you grow: raised beds, no dig, containers, or directly into the soil. You can use any of these, but you might have to “tweak” them a little to fit in. Not everyone has a nice flat patch to grow on.

Below is a quick diagram of a typical backyard, illustrating the factors I’ve mentioned. This is actually a suburban job I recently built for a friend. There were big trees next door (on the west side), inclined ground towards the front (near the house). Basically everything came into play with it. We opted for an in-ground bed as the soil was great. After we’d tilled the area, we formed north –south rows with the pathways in between mulched to a level of around 75mm, pretty much like my own large vegetable garden at home.

In short, this was relatively easy and is applicable to most of the backyards I see. There were a few evergreen trees along the back fence that threw a bit of shade on the vegetable area during winter, but not enough to deter growth. It had a nice northerly pointing aspect. Water was close enough to only need a regular garden hose with watering. The east side had good sunlight from about lunchtime onwards so it would be good for fruit trees. The shed and trees along the neighbour’s fence line to the left resulted in dappled sunlight on the patch from about 3-4pm, so that would help reduce any burning effects.

We left a grass/play area for his kids and designated a composting area at the back fence as well.

The only unfortunate thing was that the vertical growing areas like the east side fence and shed wall weren’t really good for growing. They just didn’t get much sunlight at all. But rather than leave them empty, we tried a few climbing natives rather than fruiting plants. We’ll see how they go.

How to Build Your Own Garden Beds

Okay, so you’ve made a plan, decided on an area, sussed your water source, and you’re ready to get building. But, what kind of garden bed will you create? Let’s focus on the three greatest hits in the vegetable growing world. They are:

• Raised beds
• No dig beds
• In ground/direct planting beds

Each bed has its good points. The thing is to choose the best one for the area you have, your needs, your budget, and the look you’d like as well. On my farm, I’ve got raised beds, in ground beds, and no dig beds. I love having a variety. They all work great for me and are suited to their own particular areas. Let’s start.

Raised Garden Beds

Raised beds are often the easiest for people to build. You can use a range of products to build them and if your soil is pretty poor, you can just fill them with good stuff and off you go.

The main building blocks people use for construction are untreated sleepers (editor’s note: the author is referring to untreated wood planks or railroad ties) bricks, stacked stone/rock, or even corrugated metal that can be bought in pre fabricated garden bed forms, ready to fill and grow in. Though the metal ones are easy and aesthetically pleasing, a 3×1 metre bed will cost around $20-$300. In comparison, a sleeper version of the same would cost you around $150.

Let’s go through the basic construction of the most popular mediums.

Sleepers are the easiest in my opinion, I’ve built more sleeper beds than I can remember, and they look great. Most sleepers will come in lengths of either 2.4, 2.7 or 3 metres (meters in American English), if you can build with or join either of these without having to cut them, all the better. Most will be 200mm/20cm in width and will vary in thickness from 50-100mm. For a typical two sleep high bed, 50mm is perfectly fine.

Once you’ve decided on your beds, dimensions (let’s say two beds at 3 x1.2 metres) it’s easy, you’re basically going to be constructing boxes that will be filled with soil. If you’re using hard wood like red gum, you’ll need a good drill to pre drill holes for joining as you’ll struggle to get nails through them. If you’re using a softer wood like pine (untreated of course) you’ll be fine without one, though if you’re using wood screws (75mm) it is easier to pre drill your holes.

So for our bed the length is 3 metres, we’re going two sleepers high, in a nutshell we’ll need…

• X 4 3 metre by 50mm red gum sleepers
• X 2 2.4 metre by 50mm red gum sleepers
• A drill
• A pack of 75mm wood screws (you’ll use at least 25 in construction)
• X 4 100mm wood screws

We’re simply using the 3 metre lengths for the side and cutting the 2.4 metre ones in half to make our ends. Arrange the sleepers in their box shape first. Make sure it’s all ok and then start pre-drilling your holes. Three holes at the end of the 3 metre lengths, coming in 25mm from the end, will suffice. As we’re drilling into the grain on the 1.2 lengths, they won’t require drilling, make sure all your angles are flush and drill the two together. It helps to have a friend to help you out, and make sure you’re wearing your safety gear.

Now we can fit in the other pieces, and we’ll have created a big empty box. You could simply use this, just one sleeper high, but if you’re wanting to grow root vegetables like carrots or potatoes, I’d recommend going two high.

If you go two high, build the second level (empty box) the same way you did the first one, then “carefully” stack them on top of each other. To keep it all in place, simply drill a screw diagonally down at each corner, from the top down into the lower corresponding sleeper. See the diagram below. This screw will keep the sleeps in place. You will need to pre drill it and use 100mm screws.

Take into account the picture below, this bed is exactly what I’m talking about with my building description. Please use it as a visual reference and always double check your measurements before you cut or drill into them. If you don’t, you might be heading back to the store because you cut a sleeper in the wrong spot and created a big piece of firewood. Going on the length of sleepers available to you, you can dictate all kinds of lengths or widths. The main thing is to make sure you have the least possible wastage or leftover wood when you calculate it.

This is an example of a two sleeper high raised bed.

If you’re a confident brick layer, you can build a raised bed from bricks as well, I’ve done a few myself. They are pretty labour intensive, but in the right garden they look great. I’d still recommend going a good 400mm high and make sure you have the cash as you’ll need bricks, mortar, concrete for trench footings, and a brick bolster to cut your bricks in half.

To build something like this, I’d recommend either getting in a professional to do it for you or getting a few tips from a brick layer, watching a few brick laying how-to videos, and having a practice first. It’s easy after you’ve built a few, but if you’re only intending on building one, you want it to look right.

Besser blocks (concrete blocks) can be used in the same way, though the gaps inside them can be tricky. You can just fill them and plant perennial herbs in them like sage or thyme. Again, get a pro or do your research.

Now that you have your beds built, what do you fill them with? This simple question could have a hundred different answers. Different gardeners have their own preferred mixes of garden soils that they like to use. Some people add rock dust/minerals, others add coir (fiber extracted from coconut husks) and other fibrous things. These combinations work well for them, but for me, there’s a simple and easy equation to go by.

• 40% compost
• 30% manure (preferably cow)
• 30% soil

Now by soil I mean the regular old garden soil that you’ll find at your local garden centre. It will (should) have varied things in it already. That’s fine. Mix these three ingredients together the best you can and fill your raised beds with it. Allow it to settle by about 50-75mm in a two sleeper high bed over the next couple of weeks.

Don’t panic about getting the ratios exact. Do your best and it’ll be fine. You can plant directly into this mix. Typically it will be a neutral pH. You won’t need to add fertiliser, lime, sulphur, potash or anything else. This is its beauty, its simplicity. It’s ready to go, as is.

At the end of each season/year, you will have to top up your beds a bit and add back the goodies that your vegetables have taken out. You can use the same equation above, but use a smaller amount. Also, if you’re concerned about your pH at the end of the growing season, you can get an easy to use pH kit or take some soil (about half a cup) to your garden centre. They might test your pH for free.

But wait, how much soil do you actually get? We just need to calculate volume: length x width x depth. So for a 3 x 1 metre bed that is 400 mm deep, it would be 3 x 1 x .4. That gives us an answer of 1.2, which is 1.2 cubic metres of soil. Calculating it to the top of the bed ( the whole 400mm) allows for settling, which then will give you a lip on the edge of about 50mm. Perfect!

The simple diagram above shows what I mean in regards to leveling your beds, the shortest side (right) should be at least 400mm high to give a good depth to grow in with the other sides height adjusted accordingly to give a level ground for the beds surface, depending on the actual incline of slope. This is applicable to all bed types.

No Dig Garden Beds

No dig beds are pretty easy, and I have to admit a smug content-ness after I build one as I think they just look great. The order of events for building one is a basic layering of media, like a lasagna. Different people use different things, but I generally stick to the same recipe.

• First layer, (on grass or soil):  newspaper or cardboard, laid THICK at a good 30-50mm.
• Second layer: compost, mushroom compost.
• Third layer: grass clippings, soft prunings, leaves, or hay if you have none of these.
• Fourth layer: manure, well broken down (cow or sheep). Chicken is too acidic en masse like this.
• Fifth layer: lucerne (alfalfa), hay (without seed heads), pea straw, or sugar cane mulch (When using alfalfa be careful to avoid GMOs!).

This is the basic recipe for layering. You need to water each layer in really well as you go and in between each one you can add things like leaves or grass cuttings if you have them, but don’t go too thick with these, they’re just an addition.

With each layer, aim for a thickness of around 100mm, a bit less for the manure, a bit more for the lucerne etc. Once you get your bed to a good 50cm tall you can water it in again and leave to settle for a day or two before you begin planting, it will sink a bit so don’t be concerned if it looks shorter in stature the next day. Also with the actual dimensions of the bed, you can go as long as you like but try to keep the width to 1 metre max. This is so you can reach the other side of the bed when planting. Otherwise you’ll be going back and forth around the bed or stepping on it and compressing it down. Neither is good.

If you’re building directly onto grass, take into account the type of grass. Blade grass (like fescue) will die off easily under the first layer. Runner grass (like buffalo, couch, kikuyu) will do its best to get through and get into your lovely beds. Mow first on the lowest setting to really get off to good start and make sure the first layer on top of the grass is nice and thick. You can plant straight into your bed when you’ve finished, but I prefer to give it a few days to mingle. It’s up to you.

If the area has a slope, you can simply build up one side of the bed to have a level planting area. If you are building one on an incline (or decline, depending on your view), you might want to have the beds running down in line with the slope itself, rather than crossways or parallel to it. This is a bit of a catch 22 with rain. Crossways running beds, with light to medium rain, will act like swales and catch the water, which is great. But if your area is prone to heavy downfalls and flooding, the beds could become mud pits as the water has no direct route to run off. Think about your intended patch, your weather and take all facets into consideration.

What about amounts? How much stuff do you get to build a no dig bed?

For a 4x1x40-50mm bed, you’ll “roughly” need:

• 2/3 of a metre of manure
• 2/3 of a metre of compost
• 2-3 bails of hay/lucerne
• A good 15-20 newspapers or equivalent in cardboard
• Water, hose preferably
• Grass clippings, soft prunings, leaves, nothing “twiggy”

Don’t forget that you can make different garden bed shapes and patterns like circles, spirals. etc.

In Ground or Direct Planting Beds

In ground or direct planting beds mean just that, you’re planning on tilling the soil you have and planting straight into it.

The pro’s and con’s of this are pretty simple. It all depends on the type of soil you have and what’s on top of it, grass, weeds, etc. First, do a few test digs with your shovel at random points on the proposed area and have a look at what’s beneath. If you find that you’ve got a good upper topsoil layer (a good 20cm) you should be okay. If you find that you’re hitting clay, stones, or shale after digging an inch or two, you might want to consider a different option.

You can grow vegetables in heavily clayed soils, but they are a palaver. You’ll have to apply components like gypsum to help break it down and add extra soils to grow in. This is pretty labour intensive and isn’t the best way to go for smaller vegetable gardens.

If, on the other hand, you find that you have a good upper layer of topsoil, then you can till it with a rotary hoe/cultivator, break it up to a fine tilth, remove any weeds/grass/roots and get planting. But, even if your soil’s great, it’s always a good idea to add a bit of compost or manure while you’re cultivating it. Mix it in just to replenish the soil a bit.

The best way to calculate the amount of manure you’ll need is to calculate volume of the bed by 20mm deep. So, to work out the volume of the area, we need to times length by width by depth. So if you have a vegetable garden area of 100 m2, (a bed 10 metres by 10 metres, length and width) that means your calculation will be 10x10x.02, this gives us a total of 2 cubic metres. That’s the amount you’ll need to apply. Easy, eh?

Grass is another issue with this type of growing. Most commercial digs spray the entire area with herbicide, then till for planting. We’re not using harsh chemicals, of course, so we have two basic options.

• Till the area with grass and rake it out after
• Remove the grass first then till

The first is simple enough with blade grasses. Runner types make it a bit more difficult. If you have a friend who can use a rake, you’ll easily get through a typical 10×10 area in a day/. To achieve a fine tilt, till the area with a rotary hoe/cultivator a good 5-6 times. This is best done when the soil is damp but not muddy. Come across the field from two directions to achieve a crisscross effect. Then you just rake out the grass bits and their roots. But do make sure you get it all out. Running grass root systems generally have a few sub layers below ground. If you miss any, it will grow again and be a nuisance.

The second option requires digging down a good 50mm and completely removing the top layer, soil and all. This is easier on your back, as you can use machinery to do it, but take into account the soil you’ll lose. This type of bed would require double the amount of manure/compost to get it on track, i.e. 10x10x.04, 4 cubic metres.

Once you’ve tilled your bed, you’re ready to plant. You can either keep it as one big area for planting or dig out rows with paths in between so you’re not compressing the soil. Like no dig beds, rows can be easier if your area has an incline/decline to it as you can level each bed accordingly. A big area on a slope can be troublesome with water runoff.

If the soil is average in quality, you might need to spread a 50/50 compost/manure mix and turn it over into the soil itself. I would calculate the area to a depth of around 100mm. So a 10×10 metre area would be 10x10x.1, one cubic metre.

This was my first vegetable garden at my farm, a 5×5 metre, in-ground bed.

If that’s the case, you might want to go with a raised bed system, or else if you get a big downpour, most of your vegetables and that wonderful topsoil are simply going to wash away. This happened to me mid construction on one of my vegetable beds and it was heart breaking. I couldn’t do anything to stop it and I had to simply watch it wash away.

If you’re considering building your own vegetable garden, and I hope you are, then hopefully this article has shed some light on how to get started. It’s not that difficult, once you choose an area and get your materials together. You can then build and grow, literally!

Further Reading:

• Planning Your Organic Garden
• DIY Solutions for the Garden
• 5 Natural Pest Remedies for Your Garden
• Medicinal Herb Garden – What To Grow and How To Keep It Growing All Winter
• Ten Great Gardening Tips
• How to Make Your Own Compost Tea

A Beginner’s Guide to the Art of Organic DIY Composting

With “green” gardening becoming more and more popular, many gardeners are turning toward making their own organic compost for a number of reasons, from low cost (relative to store-bought versions) to reducing landfill waste, to simply benefiting from the high quality and mineral and nutrient rich nature of organic, homemade compost.

Greens + Browns + Oxygen + Water = Healthier Plants!

While reasonably easy to learn, there are a few tricks of the trade to ensure that your organic compost is mixed and aerated properly, that it stays at the right temperature, and that it will provide all the wonderful benefits it should.

Choosing a Bin

Compost bins come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials. Prices vary from practically nothing to upwards of $150.

Homemade bins can be created out of a number of recycled materials such as scrap wood, cinderblocks, wire mesh, bricks, or a combination of each. Regardless of the materials used to build the bin, it is important that the unit is constructed to withstand the weight of the composting materials and to maintain the proper composting temperature (140-160 degrees Fahrenheit) when it is full.  Additionally, it must withstand the elements and intrusion by wild animals while allowing proper drainage and air-flow.  And, of course, it should fit your needs and the space allotted.

Store bought bins are generally (though not always) plastic, durable, and lightweight. They come in any number of colors, shapes and sizes.  Features vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but often include built-in lids with venting holes for aeration and drainage, trays for sifting the different materials, and access doors for removing material ready for application.  Some even allow for “tumbling” the material, a practice that allows for more effective aeration or separating the material relative to when it was placed in the bin.  Depending on your budget and need, there are myriad commercial composting bins for indoors and out available at your nearest home and garden retailer.

Creating the Perfect Organic Compost: The Compost Equation

The goal of every composter should be to produce the richest, most nutritious and viably useful organic compost possible.  The materials you will be contributing to your compost bin, from household kitchen scraps and refuse to lawn clippings and leaves, will eventually break down.  Therefore, you will always be producing usable compost, though the time-frame will depend on your methodology.

Since compost becomes compost as microorganisms (bacteria known as actinomycetes and fungi) feed upon the materials in your bin, these pathogens require a few basics in order to do what Mother Nature intended them to do.  Therefore, it is important to have an understanding of what is going in your bin and when, as the effectiveness of the compost and how fast it will be usable is reliant on a balance between the “green” and “brown” materials introduced.

In short, for every pound or so of “green” nitrogen material you put in to the bin like coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, and grass clippings, you will want to include a pound of “brown” carbon-rich material like straw or dead leaves. Too much of either material can slow down the decomposing process and/or lead to unpleasant smells.

Oxygen and moisture are essential for the microorganisms to keep functioning aerobically.  Too little moisture in the bin will lead to a pile of dried-out, crispy matter as opposed to rich and slightly dampened material. Too much moisture will drown the microorganisms, depriving them of the oxygen necessary for life. Turn your compost once or twice a month with a pitchfork, shovel, or aerating tool and add a little water if needed. Proper aeration can result in rich, moist compost ready to use in a few weeks rather than a few months.

To Compost or Not to Compost?—That is the Question

Now that some of the basics of composting have been outlined, it is important to develop an understanding of just exactly what sort of items you can put into the compost bin and why.

Remember: for creating organic compost it is generally preferable to only include those items that are themselves organic or organically grown!

The following is a short list of materials that are suitable for composting and commonly found around the house:

Nitrogens:

• Coffee grounds
• Banana peels (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Flowers (but only if they are green and not dried)
• Vegetable and fruit peels (chop them up for quicker break down; do not use lime peels, as they can abruptly and detrimentally increase the pH levels of the material leading to the death of the beneficial organisms)
• Pet food (preferably not meat-based)
• Lawn clippings (again, only if they are green)

Carbons:

• Leaves (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried grass clippings
• Hedge clippings (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried corn stalks and cobs (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Pine needles
• Saw dust and wood shavings (but only from wood that has not been chemically treated)
• Peat moss
• Nut shells/peanut hulls
• Tea leaves

The following is a short list of unsuitable items for the compost bin:

• Ashes from the barbeque (charcoal)
• Dog and cat feces (may contain disease organisms so avoid at all costs!  If one chooses to use manure only use material from organically raised animals like cows, goats, horses, etc.  with ratios of 16-18:1)
• Meat, bones, fat, grease, oils (will not break down and will attract unwanted animal visitors)
• Lime
• Non-white/colored/dyed paper
• Toxic materials (household cleaners or water with cleaners added)
• Any materials that are not biodegradable

Upon following these very basic guidelines the DIY gardener will soon have what master gardeners have long considered the “bee’s knees” for their beds, lawns and gardens.  Use this homemade, nutrient-rich organic compost as a soil amendment, fertilizer, or mulch and watch your vegetables, flowers, and other plants flourish like never before, all while lessening waste in the home.

Happy gardening!