Earth Babies Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Eco tips’

Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm!
Down goes the first one, down goes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
Up comes the first one, up comes the second one,
Oh how they wiggle and squirm!
I bite off the heads, and suck out the juice,
And throw the skins away!
Nobody knows how fat I grow,
On worms three times a day!
Nobody likes me, everybody hates me,
I think I’ll go eat worms!
Big fat juicy ones,
Eensie weensy squeensy ones,
See how they wiggle and squirm! – www.bussongs.com

Wow that song is a lot more gross than I remember as a child! But when I started this blog the beginning few lines were going round in my head and so I have added it for fun Now while I do not advocate cruelty to worms and am not sure of their culinary value you really do need to get some Eisenia Fetida in your life! They will enrich it in ways you did not even know were possible.

Eisenia fetida as I learnt on Wikipedia , known under various common names, including redworms, brandling worms, tiger worms and red wiggler worms, are a species of earthworm adapted to decaying organic material. They thrive in rotting vegetation, compost, and manure; they are epigeal. They are rarely found in soil, instead like Lumbricus rubellus they prefer conditions where other worms cannot survive.

So I know after you read Eco Tips 1 that you have all rushed out and bought your lidded bin for the kitchen scraps and are merrily composting away – you have right? Don’t let me down, do it today, this is one of the easiest Eco tip to do, just wait until I get to the 5 minute showers later in the series! So now you need worms! Well you can do it without worms but these lovely little critters are going to help turn all that kitchen stuff into compost in double quick time. They have a thankless job of eating through rotting stuff – yuck.

Now see if I was a red wiggler I would also think that evolution was a smashing idea after all who wants to eat rotting stuff all day? But I guess since these wiggly worms are not capable of pondering their lot in life and are quite happy to be in a warm compost heap minding their own business with no worries in the world but munching and crunching all day – actually come to think of it that sounds quite nice. Maybe it is reincarnation I need to believe in and ask to come back as a red wriggler (do they come in pink?)

You can get a worm farm here fromMother Earthworms
All about vermicomposting (composting with worms) at Red Wriggler Haven
A composting blog – believe it or not
And the You Tube worms: G Word – Red Wigglers

Why Compost?

Composting is one way that you can do your little bit to cut down the waste that goes to the landfill. New research has found that almost half of the food waste in their rubbish bins could have been put in the compost bin. You might be wondering why it is necessary to compost when the waste will break down on the landfill anyway.

On a landfill the volumes of waste are so great that air can not get to the organic waste, so as it breaks down it produces a harmful greenhouse gas, methane, which damages the earth atmosphere. At home when the same waste is composted above the ground, oxygen helps to decompose anaerobically which means that no dangerous methane is produced. So you are not only helping the planet but after about 9 months you get wonderful free fertilizer for your garden.

Composting at home for just one year can save global warming gases equivalent to all the CO2 your kettle produces annually, or your washing machine produces in three months.

What can you put on your compost heap?

THE GREEN: This list are quick to rot and provide essential nitrogen and moisture:
- Tea Bags
- Uncooked fruit and vegetable peelings and scraps
- Old flowers
- Coffee grounds and filter paper
- Old bedding plants
- Grass cuttings
-Salad leaves

THE BROWN: This is the slower to decompose, they provide carbon and fiber and allow air pockets to form
- Cardboard
- Egg boxes
- Egg Shells
- Scrunched up paper
- Fallen leaves
- Sawdust
- Twig, branches and bark

AVOID
these things are best to keep out of your compost heap

- Meat
- cooked vegetables
- dairy products
- diseased plants
- dog poo or cat litter
- nappies
- perennial weeds, or weeds with seed heads.

You need a good mix of Green and Brown for a healthy compost heap. I am not going to go into exact amounts as I find when something is too technical and too prescribed then people don’t even start as it sounds like too much effort. Aim for a good mix of the two. If it is too wet add some more Brown, if it looks a bit dry add some more Green. The Green items will contain bacteria that will generate the initial heat that is required by the process. A healthy compost bin is a living ecosystem. By keeping a good mix of green and brown material you will provide the perfect conditions for a variety of mini-beasts and can let them do all the hard work.

What equipment do you need?

I bought a lidded bucket from the local supermarket and have it handy in the kitchen so that collecting all the veggie and fruit peels, tea bag egg shell etc is really easy. The lid makes sure that the flies are not attracted to it and I empty it every few days.

A compost bin is not absolutely necessary and as long as you have a designated area all compost material will eventually break down. A bin however is a very nice to have compost tool as it helps keep everything in one place and is dark and hot which helps the decomposing process, limits the smell and make produces the compost faster. You can get compost bins from most garden or hardware stores.

When is the compost ready?

It takes about 6-9 months depending on the climate for the compost to totally decompose. You can also get compost activator to speed up the process but it is not totally necessary.
Once your compost has turned into a crumbly, dark material, resembling thick, moist soil and gives off an earthy, fresh aroma, you know it’s ready to use. Lift the bottom of the bin slightly or open the hatch at the bottom depending on the kind of bin you have. Scoop out the fresh compose with a spade or fork. Don’t worry if there are small twig or bits of egg shell still visible this is normal. You can now use this compost in your garden beds, on the lawn, in containers and in your vegetable garden.

This is the easy approach if you want the more technical stuff there are some links
Wikipedia
Compost guide - everything you ever need to know about home composting

So for red wrigglers and more about worms read tomorrows blog…

So I was thinking about how we give out green and eco tips but somethings thing are not as obvious as they seem. So the next few weeks I have thought of looking at some of these topics in more detail and try inspire you to make changes that are easy practicle and can have a big collective impact on caring for our environment.

The topics I have thought of are
1) Home composting
2) Earth worm
3) Home recycling
4) Water saving tips
5) Energy saving tips
6) Planting with kids
7) Bees – should we be worried
Organic food, why, what and where to buy it

If anyone can think of other things they want covered let me know.