Vermiculture and vermicomposting. Worm ranchers, I have questions.

Any other worm ranchers out there?

I recently notified the world that I purchased a pound (about 1,000) red wigglers to deal with my kitchen composting. I received them last week via USPS and put them to “bed” in some shredded newspaper in their little bin.

I have since added about 3 pounds of kitchen waste and watched as they efficiently gobble it up and leave behind castings in the bottom tray. However, I also notice that not all of the castings fall through to the bottom tray so I have some questions.

My questions are: How do I get the castings to the bottom tray for use as plant fertilizer? I can’t very well pick through all of the worms and shake out the castings. Is it harmful for the worms to live in their own castings? Am I feeding them enough or too much? What about the odor? I was told that the odor would be minimal and be “earthy”. The odor from our bin is the smell of rotting vegetables. Would it be OK for me to put my bin outside on my porch as long as it is in the shade? And, finally, what about worm tea?

There is conflicting information on the internet about worm tea. Some describe the watery material that apparently appears in the bin as a “tea” produced by the worms. They tell you to collect it and pour it into your potted plants or garden as a liquid fertilizer. Others say it is just condensation from an overly humid worm bin and has no value. Others actually say it is a form of leachate akin to what one would find in a garbage dump and that it might actually be full of harmful, or at least not beneficial, anaerobic bacteria. Some say true worm tea is made from the dehydrated castings, steeped briefly in water, to reinvigorate the beneficial bacteria; and that it is a potent fertilizer and soil enhancement.

What say you?

Peace,

Mike Baldwin

Posted via email from michaelbaldwin

To Copyright or Trademark?

That is the question. I have filed an “intent to use” the Term: Justie to describe those who identify as being social justice oriented people. My applications are pending with the Trademark and Copyright offices.

I give credit for the idea to Megan Heeney, who mis-typed the title of a Facebook Event for Justice and Peace Shares. When I read the word Justie, I thought, that makes being social justice conscious person—a trend. In similar manner, one who enjoys good food might be called a Foodie.

We’ll see if the term catches on. What do you think?

Peace,

Justie, Mike Baldwin

Posted via email from michaelbaldwin

Nurse's Appreciation Week

My daughter graduated with a BSN over a year ago. She loves her job despite it's trials. I am thankful for and proud of the many nurses I know--especially Whitney. 

From Facebook:  Being a NURSE means you carry immense responsibility & very little authority. You step into people's lives and make a difference. Some bless you, others curse you. You see people at their worst & best. You see life begin & end. You see people's capacity for love, courage, & endurance. IT'S NURSES APPRECIATION WEEK. REPOST IF YOU ARE A NURSE. LOVE A NURSE OR APPRECIATE A NURSE. Thanks to all the nurses out there

Peace,

Mike

Posted via email from michaelbaldwin

The Downtown Teens need summer projects. Here's how you can help: (RT)

Hi friends of the Downtown Teens,

Thanks to your generosity from my last email, we were able to keep the Teens working through the end of this month with subsidies from several of you. Now I am looking for home improvement projects for the DownTown Teens for the Summer.

During the Spring  we worked on the orchard next door, weeding, moving rocks and removing stumps and volunteer honeysuckle, etc. We also did a little painting and built a compost station and miscellaneous other small projects. Our big season is coming up. Once school is out, we make the program available three days a week. With a crew of 5 plus one or two adults, we can tackle a variety of projects or we can lend a helping hand to work with you on your project.

Please consider hiring the Teens for your next project. In the past, we have built fences, done landscaping and gardening, built decks, painted indoors and out, hung drywall, “gut” demolitions (and more refined disassembly), small repairs and rough carpentry. Now would be a good time for us to weatherproof your fence or deck. It is recommended after the one year, that pressure treated lumber be treated with a wood preservative and stain to extend its life. Ideally, we are looking for projects that can be completed in 1-3 days.

If a neighbor or friend mentions a project, mention the Teens. If you want to help out on some of our projects, let me know. As in the past, we will no doubt perform maintenance and improvement for people of limited income, so if you can send us a financial boost at this time, it will be gratefully acknowledged and carefully used to subsidize those projects.

We are still pursuing the nonprofit, 501(c)3 status, but for now, checks can be sent Mike Baldwin or Teka Childress at the address below. Or you can use PayPal to mbroute66@charter.net. To discuss or schedule a project, please give either of us a call. Thanks.

Peace,

Mike Baldwin & Teka Childress

314-974-7432, 314-974-2552

1538-A N. 17th Street

Saint Louis, MO 63106

Posted via email from michaelbaldwin

My year without a car: the electric bike

As many of you know, I purchased an electric assist bicycle about a month ago. For those unfamiliar with the concept, the bicycles are known as electric bikes, e-bikes, electric assist, and hybrids. The premise is that by adding a small electric motor with chain drive, or internal hub drive, one can either gain assistance with pedaling (up-hill or against the wind, or when you are tired) or a completely pedal free ride.

For me, it was the natural evolution of my quest to become car independent. I bought a gas-powered scooter about a year and a half ago from Craig’s list. This moped could travel about 100 miles on a gallon of gas. I still have my 1972 Schwinn 3-speed, Collegiate and had planned on using it for shorter trips. Once I bought the scooter, I never rode the Schwinn again. This presented a problem for me. Though 100 miles/gallon of gas is great and significantly reduced my carbon footprint, it did not give me any exercise.

In addition to no exercise, a moped is colder to ride in the winter, than a bicycle. You know the adage: “the one who chops wood, heats themselves twice”. Well with no exertion, and a significant wind-chill, scooting around town was too cold. Plus, I was getting out of shape—not good for a man in his 50’s with a recent heart attack.

I was intrigued by the idea of purchasing an electric scooter that also had a pedaling option. But, the ones I saw were bulky, and heavy. The pedaling was an afterthought to qualify the vehicle for the Federal Bicycle regulation. It was not intended to be pedaled, except perhaps very short distances when the battery was discharged. But that got me thinking: is there an electric bicycle that is first a bicycle, and second had an electric motor? Yes, Virginia, there is! In fact, a quick Google check found me perusing hundreds of sites extolling the electric-assist bicycle.

After reading several reviews, and comparing prices on hundreds of models, I settled on the model I currently own: a Currie Technologies Via Lento. It seemed the best fit for a guy like me. First, my budget was under $1000 (a number of models start at $1400 and above). I was also looking for one I could easily mount and dismount, with the sling-back pedaling posture. I wasn’t looking for a mountain bike or racing model. I was looking for a bike under sixty pounds so I could easily lift it to a Metro bus bike rack, and take it with me on the MetroLink. This last item was extremely important for me to be able to augment my radius of travel due to the relatively short battery life of about 12-15 miles per charge (depending on weight of rider and amount of pedaling).

Next installment: Purchase, assembly and first impressions.

Peace,

Mike Baldwin

Posted via email from michaelbaldwin