Backyard Chickens 101

Why get chickens?

We got them because we like eating eggs (and chicken), we like eating for optimal nutrition, we don't like going to the grocery store and we like to be self-reliant. We also are frugal, but depending how you approach having chickens, you may or may not save money. We figure we about evened out when we started with a cheap scrap coop and four chickens that gave us 12-14 eggs weekly in warm seasons. But we don't care to spend our time tallying those details anymore, and have since gotten six more chickens and built a fancy chicken condominium of sorts.

Baby chicks just a few days old.

Starting Out - Baby Chicks

If you are going for ease, then just go buy new baby chicks in the Spring at the local IFA or similar store (about $3-4 each). (Or you can hatch them from eggs, but that is more difficult...like planting a seed vs. buying a transplant.) These baby chicks will need to stay warm under a light, in a box, for six weeks or more until ready to transition outside. So buy a heat lamp ($15 ish) to stick above the container, and Which you will raise each week about an inch more, until they are ready for the outside weather. You will need basic chick water and food containers that aren't just open containers ($3-5 each). Chicks are messy and poop all over everything and knock things over. So you will need some type of pine shavings for the tub or box you put them in so they have a soft bed and so it can soak up some of their crap, literally. We just used pine shavings ($10 and lasts a year) and a Rubbermaid type container (barely held four for 6 weeks by the time they get large). And it stunk if we didn't change the pine shavings regularly, so we put it down in our unfinished basement.

There are also different breeds. You will want to decide why you have chickens: for eggs or meat, or both (dual purpose). All of ours are dual purpose. Thinks about egg production, temperament, egg color, feather color, broodiness (some breeds tend to sit on their eggs a lot when they get in certain moods....not fun). I purposely chose four different dual purpose birds of different colors that gave me a good variety of color eggs and pretty good production. (California leghorn--can be a little feisty, white egg, 4-5 a week, white feathers; Plymouth Barred Rock--light brown eggs, black and white spotted feathers, 3-4 a week; Buff Orpington--super passive and friendly, light brown eggs, orange feathers, 4 eggs a week; Americana--brown with black feathers, dark brown eggs (typically green or blue eggs), assertive, but not aggressive. (As seen below in photo)

This next batch we have is different, but I will post on those breeds once they are full grown.

These are 6-8 week old chicks...so still not full size.

Transitioning to Outside

Between six and eight weeks old the chicks are old enough to go outside. Sometimes putting different ages chickens with each other could present a social problem, so beware. We will put our new chicks into our mobile coop for the summer and then the big coop once they start laying eggs. Egg production doesn't start until about 6 months old. So we don't put in a nest box until then. 

Laying Hens

So, a brief lesson on chickens. Hens are female chickens. Roosters are male. Hens will regularly lay eggs for almost two years, after which they slow down production. These eggs are edible. However, if a rooster gets to the hen....watch out! That is when you will get fertilized eggs--new chicks--instead of eggs to scramble. So...if you don't have a rooster, no worries, and more eggs for you to eat. As for accommodations, they will need a roost to sleep on (some type of raised horizontal pole--one foot per bird, space-wise). For laying eggs, they will need a nesting box with pine shavings about 1x1foot and one box for every 2-4 chickens. It needs to be nice and clean. We put a golf ball it he box to teach the hens where to lay the eggs. Each time a chicken lays an egg it sings its little bauwck, bauwck song for a few minutes and then you know they have laid. This isn't that loud and its the only real noise they make. So I wouldn't consider chickens very loud (roosters are another story, however). Our chickens normally lay between 10am - noon.

Egg Handling

We collect our eggs each late morning. Our four lay 12-14 a week generally. We put them in an egg container and leave it on top of our fridge. Yes, I said on top. We don't put them in the fridge because they don't need to, unless they have already been refrigerated or washed. The eggs have a protective layer on them which keeps them safe until washed. So don't wash until ready to use them, or if you are  going to put them in the fridge afterwards. And I wouldn't use hot or cold water, just room temperature water and mild soap for a quick wash/rinse. Always wash your hands after handling eggs and chicks. Chicken poop is not pleasant for your tummy, so don't take a chance eating with dirty hands (or eggs). And eggs should last a few weeks, but the way to test is if the egg floats it is old and should be discarded. Fresh eggs should sink.

Coop Design

If you want to have a minimal effort coop, design it smart. My first i used scrap everything the only thing i bought was screws and green paint. But it can really be as cheap or expensive as you want to make it. The basics are four feet square roaming room per chick minimum. One foot roost space to sleep (the robot should be elated off the ground). One nest box per few birds. The design should be draft free, but also include some ventilation from all the poop that sits inside between cleanings. We like to just clean our coop once a month. The poop and pine shaving work great for compost. You need to decided the purpose of your coop and chickens. Do you want them to roam and free range around your yard eating up plants and pooping everywhere? We have ours in a stationary coop in a fenced off area to roam and eat whatever in there.

The Mobile Coop to put over garden beds.

But we have a mobile a-frame we put on top our veggie garden beds when we want the chickens to clean up camp after harvest, in our nice part of the yard where we don't want poop everywhere. We also knew free range would be better for us not having to clean the coop so often. So...figure out your priorities and design around that.

The Big coop.

Egg Door from back deck (taken before we put the door on)

Another maintenance issue besides cleaning is how often to fill food and water. At first i was changing those little chick food and water containers daily. if chickens don't have water they can die in as quick as that same day. Food isn't quite as big of an issue. We ended up building in a big box and trough to pour a 50lb bag of food into. We refill food only once a month. And the water is a hanging six-gallon bucket with a hose attached to the top and three chicken water nipples hanging from the bottom. We just turn on the hose for a minute or two each week to fill it higher.

Chickens can jump quite high, so I would suggest five feet tall fence with small holes. Chickens can squeeze through surprisingly small areas if they really want to. Chicken wire is great. And you can always clip the chicken wings quite easily if you don't want them to flap and try to fly a bit.

Wintering

The chickens will get through the winter fine. They acclimate. Although you do need to have a basic draft-free coop for them. A heat lamp ensures better egg production. And you will need something to keep the water from freezing. There are expensive water heaters, or you can put a bulb in a cinder block under the water container. Or we use the metal piece that hangs into the water bucket and plugs into a wall. So keep this all in mind. We didn't our first winter and we didn't get eggs and had to change water daily.

Anyway...this is what you need to know for starting your chicken journey. I highly suggest it. They are fun to have and our kids love taking them down the slide, chasing them and collecting morning eggs. And since we won't have dogs....this is a good, practical alternative. :)

Let me know if you have further questions. I'd love to help you start.

3rd Annual Earth Day event: Making Your House a Homestead

We just celebrated our third annual annual Earth Day event. The 2013 theme was "Making Your House a Homestead" and was at my House--Harvest Haven. And this year it was a family event! Though the rain threatened, we still had a great turnout.

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FOOD STORAGE/EMERGENCY PREP 101
We started at my house and while we waited for everyone to arrive, we talked food storage 101 and handed out a survey on general emergency preparedness, so people could see where they were at. On that handout was also 12 steps from BeReadyUtah.org for ideas to get started--awesome FHE ideas for emergency prep. We also had a list of recommended food storage amounts for one adult in basic staples (grains, beans, oils/fats, sweeteners, etc. and an example of mine downstairs.

Paul showed them his newly built shelves in our cold storage. This was just a short intro and a few steps for those interested. And we talked a little about the variety of grains too, besides just wheat and oats.

BACKYARD PETS 101: Bees and Chickens

Jared shows us his chicken coop and talks about the ins and outs of owning chickens. Then he talks about bees 101--super interesting! I know a lot of the men came to hear that.

Jared's cute wife Tamara brought out a little honey bear of their real, raw honey for everyone to take home, and a little "honeycomb" treat she made (not real honeycomb, which is beeswax). I swear it tasted just like the British crunchies candy bar!

I interrupted a lot...luckily i had liberty too, right? It was my Earth Day event and the goal was to help people see where and how to start with these things, if they want to take the next step. And I had Paul share his experience with Jared trying to find the new queen bee at our neighbor's house, when the old hive of bees split off and formed a new one across from our house. Paul got to scoop the bees up in his hand and flick them off...so easily, without gloves or a suit or anything. Bees can be so tame and not always as scary as we think--it was quite eye-opening.
Thanks Jared and Tamara for an awesome backyard pets segment of our Earth day!

PRUNING 101
Next, we walked a few houses down to Sahms beautiful backyard retreat! IT was raining, so we didn't stay long and enjoy their playset or bball court. But we saw their 12 fruit tree orchard and Paul gave some pruning tips (he's a good sport to jump in and do random things like this for me, and he likes it too)...which he continued at our house, along the side, while others were filtering back into the house for treats.

Half of the kids stayed in our basement watching a movie or coloring some Earth day coloring pages, while the other half went around to see the bees and chickens (or should I say the playsets and trampolines). :)

Charise's daughter Rachel babysat all the kids who stayed at the house. Thank you!!

But then everyone came back to the house and ate the yummy snacks everyone brought. Chips and blackbean, corn salsa, gluten-free sweet chili rice chips, blue corn chips; rice krispie treats, strawberries dipped in sour cream and brown sugar, cantaloupe, edamame, etc.

And of course, my Earthday jello was forgotten in the fridge. Whoops. But Ethan and I are enjoying it: mixed berry, coconut, lime (inspiration from Mom, who did a July 4th one like that--and yes, the coconut milk and gelatin layer is homemade and healthy--no sugar or artificial ingredients!).

SQUARE FOOT GARDENING 101
At the very end I just gave a short intro I gave in our living room, with a handout on it (as well as composting). A few people were really interested and listened, while everyone else just finished eating. I had a prize, but we ran low on time, so it was awarded to Wendy Hallstrom who showed a great enthusiam for getting her yard and garden together this year...so she will need them: a pair of gardening gloves and packet of Nasturtium seeds to plant those flowers among her vegetables--to help deter bugs (like Marigolds).

If anyone is interested in any of those handouts, just let me know and I can send you the digital copies. I will be getting Jared's Bees and Chicken handouts too.

Stevie took this photo of Ethan... (this is what he would've worn, had it been sunny outside)

So....thanks again for all those troopers who made it out--and in the rain too! IT was a fun, educational morning. And my brother was in town too and good to have him there as well.

Next year will be even greater, so get prepared. :) It might be for families again...and if it's sunny, I already have some great ideas for fun kids earth day activities!

Homemade Lotion Bar

So...I have tried a few homemade lotions and it is hard to get exact measurements when you buy in bulk. So I sometimes don't get the exact consistency for a lotion that I put in a jar. And they frequently look slimy. Not appealing, I know. But...I finally found a homemade version that makes sense! A bar!  I know...lotion as a bar?

Granted...this isn't a good facial lotion because it may clog pores, but I use it on my kids and on my hands and such. I just rub it on my skin and it kind of just glides on perfectly. But even better than that is what I have been looking for in most of my homemade versions of things. The recipe is simple and only needs a few common ingredients--from wellnessmama.com.

If you are going to be making your own bathroom products, these are all items you should have on hand in bulk. Just add them all in equal parts. Here is an example for six thin bars.
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1/3 c coconut oil
1/3 c beeswax
1/3 c Shea or cocoa butter (I use Shea, but it is more stinky)
Essential oils (optional: i do about 15 drops. Lavender is the best for children and basic needs and skin healing. Tea trea for cleansing.)

Place the first three oils in a glass jar and put into a pan with water.
Then melt all in the jar.
Once melted, add the essential oils if you chose. And pour...divided into six muffin tin molds.
Let cool, then pop out and enjoy!

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You can use a double boiler, but it is messy once done...with all the melted waxy, oily things, so i prefer the glass jar. I did a lavender one for my kids. A lavender, tea tree, peppermint, rosemary one for me. And a spearmint, tea tree, lemon eucalyptus, cedar wood for my hubby (he doesn't generally need lotion, but it is to rub on his chest for sinus and congestion stuff). That is the fun part...mix and mingle the essential oils to your liking for whatever purpose you and your family need. They each can have their own bar. If I were really cool I would add some natural food coloring tints to them each so they looked different....like turmeric or beet juice. But...that is way too much work; and the lotion bars, on the other hand, weren't. So enjoy!

Fruit Tree Guilds: Sustainable Functional Landscape

Ok, here are more of my notes on Fruit Tree Guilds. So sorry if it's not 100% coherent.

I read a cool book last year about having your own homestead and making your yard functional--ok I read a few. But I can't remember any of them by name, except Gaia's Garden. However, I ran across a fun idea: building an ecosystem for you plants and fruit trees to help sustain each other. This means not just having a vegetable bed or strawberry patch, but putting things together to help balance out each other. So adding comfrey, clover and stawberries and marigolds beneath your apple tree can help every plant take care of eachother. It's companion planting on a large ecosystem scale!

I already posted a little on companion planting, but this is about Fruit tree guild info I've found and hope to implement this summer when I buy a few trees for my less than 1/4 acre. :) And this is also why I'm building a chicken tractor, to help take care of weeds and have a more natural functional garden/part of my yard.

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 Here's an article I found to help summarize what a guild is and why...

What is a permaculture guild?

A permaculture guild is a carefully assembled selection of plants (and animals), typically gathered around a central plant.
If you don’t like to be restricted, you can choose a central selection of plants, say, fruit trees in a mandala garden.
The supportive plants are selected to enhance the self-sufficiency of the central plant by reducing the work needed to manage it and/or improving its yield.

Why choose to grow plants in guilds?

Each plant needs at least 4 things: Nutrients (mainly Nitrogen), Mulch, Pollination, Protection (from pests and competition). It’s only natural that each plant we choose should not only serve as food, but also provide a surplus of at least one service to the guild. Some, like comfrey, provide many.

Here's an example...

The main benefits of permaculture guilds

1. Easy picking

Plants that love to grow together often complement in taste, too. Dill, grown under apple trees provides a habitat for predatory wasps and also tastes great with apples.
Marigolds, grown with cucumbers deter nematodes. They also make for a nice salad together.

2. Source of nutrients

Nitrogen fixing plants (clover, lucerne, lupinus and other legumes) transform nitrogen from the atmosphere into ammonia, the source of nitrogen that is readily available for other plants to use. Nitrogen is the main nutrient that plants use.
Animals help to fertilize the soil as well. A chicken tractor is one example.

3. Act as mulch

Many plants that grow low to the ground can be used as a living mulch. They retain moisture in the soil, prevent soil erosion, deter weeds and generally have all kinds of benefits. Excellent examples are clover (which also fixes nitrogen and thus can be used as a green manure), spinach, strawberries, …
Additionally, every plant that sheds its’ leaves in the autumn also contributes to the mulch.

4. Provide shelter from extreme weather conditions

Nitrogen fixing trees, such as tagasaste or acacia, interplanted with fruit trees, not only provide the nutrients and mulch, but also reduce frost dangers and provide shade for sensitive trees (like citrus)
Strong trees, like poplar, also provide shelter from damaging winds.

5. Control pests

Introducing and encouraging helpful animals greatly reduces our work and provides many benefits in the long run.
Ducks are ferocious snail and slug eaters. As the great Bill Mollison put it: “You don’t have a slug excess, you have a duck deficiency.”
Beneficial insects can be encouraged by planting a few insect hosting plants: buddleia, salvia, … This will also increase the numbers of insect eating birds. Remember, some insects are voracious predators in their larvae stage.
As already mentioned, marigolds deter nematodes that often damage tomatoes, potatoes, and eggplants.
Other plants can be used for trap cropping. Geraniums are used in rose gardens, because they are toxic for Japanese Beetles, a costly pest that feeds on nearly 300 plant species.

6. Enhance flavor

Some plants (e.g. herbs) actually improve the taste of those that grow around them.

7. Serve as a safety net

By growing many different plants in the same space, we guarantee ourselves at least some yield, even if some of them don’t live up to their potential.

Are guilds the same as companion planting?

No. Guilds can also be observed in nature. An example is the White Oak guild. Companion planting, as the name suggests, is a type of planting (actually a form of polyculture), used in gardening and agriculture. Guilds can be thought of as an extension of companion planting.
Probably the best known companion planting technique is The Three Sisters. It consists of corn, which provides the support for climbing beans, which fix the nitrogen for the squash, which in turn serves as a mulch. This type of companion planting was pioneered by Native Americans.


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Deciduous Guild (eg. apples, plums, pears, peaches)

Require coldest places, will tolerate heavy soils, will tolerate windy positions (esp. peaches and nectarines). Once established are most tolerant in wet/dry fluctuations.

Support species include comfrey, clover (white, red, subterranean), parsnip, spring bulbs, violets, borage, phacelia, yarrow, forget-me-nots, goldenrod, nasturtium, tansy, alfalfa, vetch, cow parsley.

Here is one helpful Chart from Gaia's Garden book, but i saved a larger comprehensive one as a pdf.

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And A Chart for edible weeds:

Upsidedown Tomato Canning

I have a neighbor that said her family has canned tomatoes every years for ages...and she never uses a waterbath canner. They just cook the tomatoes for awhile (which loses some nutrients, but hey...it's homemade and not an everyday eating item, so I'm okay with that) and then put them in bottles and turn uupside down to seal. I didn't want to type that all up, so I googled it and found another lady who has done this for ages too. She's got great instructions. However, this is not recommended by canning experts...as you can read in the last step. By I say it's been proven with these two ladies and many more, so I'm fine not going by Industry standards....after all, look at the FDA anyway (they're way off for lots of things). :)

Happy canning! I just finished my first little batch , with hopefully many more to go. My tomato hopes this year include salsa (pints) and basic tomato sauce (quarts and a few pints;12 each--one for each month of the year at least--quarts for pasta sauce and pints for little sauce jobs like a pizza night or spanish rice).

	Canning tomatoes is much easier than you may think.  The rewards are fresh tomatoes anytime you like.  Buy your tomatoes ready to can. If they are home grown try to have them ripe but still firm. From 1 bushel you can expect approximately 18 to 20 quarts of canned tomatoes. A half-bushel equals 9 to 10 quarts.  7-8 medium tomatoes to fill one jar.
	1.  Boil Water. Start a large pot of water to boil.  You will need enough boiling water to pour over your tomatoes later in step 4.
	2.  Jars.  The perfect way to sterilize your jars is by using your dishwasher on sterilize setting. Leave them in the dishwasher after it finishes so they will remain hot. If you don't have a dishwasher with this setting, scald the jars in boiling water for 5 minutes and leave in a warm oven on lowest setting until ready to use.
	3.  Lids and Rings.  Boil the lids and rings for about 3 minutes.  Turn to low and leave in the pot until ready to use.
	4. Skinning Tomatoes. Place your tomatoes either in the sink or a large plastic tub container that fits in your sink.
	Pour boiling water enough to cover tomatoes.  You only need to leave tomatoes in this water for 1 minute. Immediately rinse them in cold water or move them into a large container filled with very cold water.
	5.  Removing Skins.  Next comes the fun part; removing the skins and cores and any tough green parts. This should be very easy and the skins should come right off.  After removing skins, Cut the tomatoes in medium pieces and throw them in your big cooking pot.
	6. Cook Tomatoes.  Now is the time to start cooking. Bring your pot of tomatoes to a boil.  Keep them at a light boil for 30 minutes, removing the scum that forms on top that looks like pink foam. This is easiest with a large metal spoon.
	7. Fill the Jars. Put 1 teaspoon of salt in each jar. Use a funnel that  fits on the jar top and is as wide as the jar opening.  Using a ladle, fill each jar not quite to the top, but leaving at least 1/4 inch of head room.  Head room is just another word for space.  This is necessary to allow for any expansion as your tomatoes cool. Place your lid and ring on and  tighten the ring.
	8.  Cool Jars. Place your filled jars on a table or countertop upside down so the heat from the tomatoes will seal the lids. You only need to leave upside down for about 20 minutes.  The lids will pop when they are correctly sealed.

from http://www.dinnerplanner.com/canning_tomatoes.htm#

Hen Haven: Our Chickens and Coop

So we got baby chicks near the end of March and had them indoors, heat lamp and all...but they were so big for their tub by this last week, that we were ready to move them outside and get them use to the outdoor temperatures and situation.

We got four types: Ameracauna--will lay green eggs ("Scratch-n-Sniff" because she's bi-polar and always scratching everything and seems kind of jumpy), Buff Orpington--will lay light brown eggs ("Sandy" because of her color--she's the smallest and most timid, but I assume she'll plump out when bigger), Plymouth Barred Rock--will lay light brown eggs ("Rocky"), and a California White Leghorn--will lay white eggs ("California" because the breed and color and it seems to just fit her). They definitely have personalities and are so fun to hold and pet. And I think they've finally outgrown their overly jumpy stage at every little noise.

I'm glad to be out of the baby chick stage, because although cute, they poop and throw pine shaving all over everything--in their food and water and such. They're not very clean. So, I was happy to hurry up and finish building the coop so I didn't have to deal with cleanliness-issues as much.

I built the A-frame last fall with scrap lumber from dumpsters in the neighbor (from all the house building going on our street). And then last week I finished the rest and painted it and added the chicken wire (which was the least fun part--that stuff is pokey!). And the most expensive part was the primer and paint and screws, because the rest of the stuff I scavenged for free. The green is called "Garden of Paradise," which I thought was pretty cool.

Honestly, it was hard to make and I didn't have any set plan to follow, since I just was using scrap wood and making the fewest amounts of cuts possible into a plan that seemed practical and most convenient for me--and so I didn't have to use the scary wood saw cutter thing that is ridiculously loud. And I probably won't do it again. But I'm glad a did it, and that it's now over with and I can just stare at it and think..."I have chickens in my back yard. Alright!"

Money-wise, does this make sense? Short-term, no. Long-term...break-even if not saving a little money, if you're smart about it and don't spend tons of money on a coop and fancy stuff you don't need.

The chicks cost between $2.50 and $3.50 each. Then we had to buy a heat lamp and bulb (abt. $15) and some pine shavings (abt. $12 that will last a year or more) and some medicated chick food for their first 18 weeks...about $15). Then we bought the water and food containers for about $8. Total that up and it's not bad, considering we buy between 2-3 dozen eggs a month I think. The coop cost about $40 to make (using paint and nails and hinges I had to buy, but we have tons of paint left oveR). The main cost that recurs is their food, but they eat anything and we made it so that the tractor will move and they can forage, so their food supply is supplemented by foraging and our kitchen scraps (that we choose not to put in the compost).
I'll probably post an update in a few months, once they start producing eggs and see if I'm still liking this all and how the coop is working out. I'm sure by then it will have the wheels, so we can move it around more easily--like a tractor. :)

Garden Highlight: Asparagus Patch

So, I've never known a thing about asparagus until I read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and read about this family that lived for a year on all local or homegrown things. And I thought, wow...a perennial asparagus plant would supply our desire for garlic roasted asparagus and asparagus soup.

So, I looked into it and planted an asparagus plant recently. And because we bought it mature, we've already been able to harvest one spear (though they can grow up to 6 inches in a day if you don't watch them--like this one grew four inches before I realized I should've cut it the day before).

In case you're unsure of how it works, you generally plant these dead looking long roots that look octupus-ish in a 12 inch deep trench and barely cover, then water. Each day you add more soil until it's back to ground level. They start shooting spears out of the ground. You cut them when 6-8 inches tall and 1/4-1/2 inch think. But don't cut the thin ones, because they either are the male spears that haven't gotten big enough this year, or the female spears that pollinate the other. So leave those all to reseed this fall and you'll start having a "weed patch" of lots of asparagus.

Be patient. These plants are perennial and will produce for up to two decades generally, but they take about 3 years to really establish most of the time (except we bought ours already 1-2 years old, which helps. The crowns are just a few bucks and since they proliferate you don't need many. But plant them in full sun, good soil (with extra phosphate and good drainage). But they love water, as long as they don't sit in it and get root rot. And they normally just are harvestable in spring for a few weeks.

So, hopefully it will keep growing well and be a faithful garden keeper and mulitplier. :)

Homemade Compost 101

Every wonder what to do about scraps of food and old leaves? Why not compost them in your backyard? Whether or not you've tried it before, here are some helpful tips to helping you better understand composting. Afterall, you can't just throw stuff in your backyard and assume you'll have excellent soil next time you check. You need to understand the process--the formula. Then it's a breeze.


-First find a location for your compost with enough sun to help dry it out.

-Then decide if you're going to build something for your compost to be in or not, or if you'll buy a composter.

-There are many options, but it shouldn't be too far from your house...for accessibility and wanting to take stuff there.

-Then have something to store your food scraps in the kitchen. (I just use a bucket in the cupboard under my kitchen sink, but make sure I unload it every few days, before it stinks anything up. You can also buy a specific container at some stores that have a filter thing in it to allow air, but keep down the smell.)

-Then make sure you're getting the right "ingredients," and a balance between food/grass and dried leaves/staw...that way the nitrogen levels are balanced (frequently people only put in produce leftovers, and not enough dried leaves, so the pile never balances.) Make sure your food pieces are cut up small so they're easier to breakdown in the pile.

Acceptable              Not Acceptable
Grass clippings         Meats
Leaves, weeds         Bones
Manures                  Large branches
Coffee grounds        Dairy products
Wood chips,            Synthetic products
sawdust                   Plastics
Bark, stems, stalks   Pet wastes
Garden
Fruits and vegetables

Here is some more information.  How to compost video
The document is awesome! Must read if you're really interested. Composting 101 and troubleshooting chart

How to Start your Family Homestead (wherever you live)

I found this cool site that teaches average people how to live more sustainably wherever they are (city or suburb or rural): http://www.thehappyhomesteader.com/

It's fun. And it's just to get you started...or to know where to start. There are basics to how to start composting your vegetables, grass/leaves, and egg shells, etc. Or how to raise chickens, rabbits or goats (even o a little amt of land). Or how to grow your own vegetables and fruit trees, etc.

If you haven't thought about your family's "footprint" or about how to be more sustainable as a family, take a look at some of these options and see what else you could do....

Greenreads: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

 

By Barbara Kingsolver

This book is about a family that lives off local food for a year. That means no bananas from Mexico, etc. They move to some place in the East with a farm and grow a garden. IT's their experience and recipes included, and informative information on why they're eating local and about certain processes about how we get our food, local or not. (She's written the Poisonwood Bible book, but I didn't care for it...I felt she rambled and was way too openly commentative, and I lost interest.)

I learned about cheesemaking, more about canning my own tomatoes, raw milk, etc. It's very cool to hear about their struggles to get use to just eating what was available and to see that they were successful and it wasn't too hard if they made it their priority and were willing to give up certain foods for certain seasons.

I definitely had to skip some parts where she rattled off about food industry practices, which I can see where she's coming from, but sometimes she had a tendency to be a little harsh and punctuated in her statements. (which is enjoyable at times, but overkill at others) She writes very matter-of-fact, which I tend to appreciate, but sometimes don't need all her extra side thoughts.

So, I'd read it if you're at all interested in learning how to better live more locally and sustainably. I rate it 4 of 5 for greenreads.

GreenReads: Made From Scratch

Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life
by Jenna Woginrich

This book is written by a woman who is a typical 8-5 working woman from the city who's trying to live a more homemade life--not a country bumpkin who's grown up knowing how to do all this by-hand stuff. We can relate, no? Her premise is that we can all change the way we live, no matter where we are. "You can make better decisions every day; you can learn the skills for a more independent way of living. When you do, you'll start to feel more appreciation for those everyday tasks, because at the end of the day you're more in control of your life." She basically says that the point of this book is about self-sufficiency and being more RESPONSIBLE to everyday things we take for granted and have "become numb to" and get back to the real basics of where things come from--to gain a greater appreciation for getting dirty, working hard and slowing down. The author said it was starting her own "homestead" (at her rented place with a little garden) that made her life and work more meaningful.

"Living the way you want has nothing to do with how much land you have or how much you can afford to spend on a new house. It has to do with the way you choose to live every day and how content you are with what you have. "

First step: Go Local, buy less packaged goods, etc.
Education in realizing the process of how everything gets to you (stores, farms cargo, gas, plastic....lots of factors)
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As I kept reading, I picked up interesting experiences she'd had trying to raise chickens and keep bees and such. She talked about buying second hand and learning to do things by hand, such as knit.

I felt as though it was a brief mention of a few experiences, but nothing super informational. She just gives you a look into her trying to become more self-reliant and homesteader-ish. So if you're new o this whole idea, it's a short read to open your eyes a little. Not more than that. However, she does list lots of resources for particular things she does....like books on raising chickens, etc.

I'd give it a 3 of 5.

Companion Planting and Rotation

So, I've been researching a lot about gardening and have come across lots of helpful info and tips regarding what plants to grow or not grow together and to which to rotate (which you only need to do if you are gardening the tilling or raised bed gardening method...not the organic natural no-till method--ideally). I got a ton of books from the library and am trying to compile a more comprehensive list of vegetables and herbs so I grow some of them together.

Classifications of Vegetables

Each type uses soil in similar ways and share similar pests, and therefore must be rotated with a different classification each year for four years.

• Alliums
  Include Onions, Garlic, Scallions, Shallots, and Leeks.
• Brassicas
  I include Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, and Kale.
• Crucifers
  include Turnips, Radishes, Rutabaga, and Collards.
• Cucurbits
  Include Cucumbers, Squashes (from zucchini to pumpkin), and Melons.
• Legumes
  Include Peas and Beans.
• Mescluns
  I nclude Arugula, Swiss Chard, Chicory, Endive, Escarole, and Radiccio.
• Solanaceae
  Include Tomatoes, Peppers, and Eggplant.

Perennial vegetables such as Asparagus, Rhubarb and Artichokes should not be rotated and therefore should be planted separately. The rest (most vegetables are hardy or semi-hardy annuals) should be rotated every year on a four year plan (so that the same family of vegetables is not planted in the same location within four years).

Companion Plants
 Companion plants are plants that mutually benefit each other. This can be anywhere from one plant being appealing (or unappealing) to certain pests which in turn takes care of it's neighbor's pests, to a plant that provides shade or nitrogen to it's neighbor plant for better growing conditions. 

Here is a short summary of some vegetables or herbs that grow well together (or not)... orange words in this list are herbs

• Asparagus Parsley, basil, borage, lettuce and tomato (not fennel or dill)
• Basil Tomato, most vegetables and herbs
• Beans Potato, corn, lettuce, eggplant, cucumber, strawberry, celery, carrots, cauliflower, radish, spinach, rosemary, marigolds, parsley (not fennel, garlic or onions)
• Broccoli Onions, leeks and celery
• Brussells Sprout Potato
• Cabbage Onion
• Carrot Peas, onions, leeks, lettuce, chives, sage, chamomile, rosemary  (not dill or fennel)
• Cauliflower Onions and leeks
• Celery Tomato, leeks and beans.
• Corn Lettuce, peppers, cucumber, beans and peas
• Cucumber Radish, lettuce, beans, peas, potato and artichokes (not sage)
• Eggplant Beans, peppers and lettuce
• Leeks Cabbage, celery, onion and carrots
• Lettuce Strawberry, radish, carrots, onion, corn and marigolds
• Mint Cabbage and tomato (but I'd plant separately because it grows voraciously, like a weed)
• Onion Lettuce, cabbage and carrots, spinach and tomatoes
• Parsley Tomato, asparagus, carrot and peppermint
• Parsnip Shallots, chives and lettuce
• Peas Cucumber, radish, turnips, corn, carrots, potatoes, spinach and beans (not garlic, dill, fennel or onions)
• Pepper Chili Cucumber, squash and lettuce
• Potato sunflower, green beans, peas and broad beans and marigolds (not cucumbers, squash or tomatoes)
• Pumpkin Corn
• Radish Peas, lettuce, zucchini and nasturtium
• Shallots Carrots, beetroot and mint
• Spinach Strawberry, peas, onions and many other plants
• Strawberry Borage (supposedly really good), lettuce, silver beet and bush beans (I'd plant separately due to their weed-like nature though)
• Tomato Asparagus, peppers and basil
• Zucchini Parsley, tomato, spinach, squash, radishes, corn and marigolds

Here's a summary chart of all vegetables companions.  (In this document, green is best to plant; red is worst)

Here are some other random tips:
- plant garlic near roses to keep away aphids
- don't plant potatoes or blackberries near raspberries
- try to keep grass away from apple trees (cuts down pest problems)
- marigolds are great to plant as a border, because they inhibit a variety of pests for vegetables
- dill, coriander and fennel can cause a lot of problems for many vegetables, so be careful with those (maybe co-plant those in a separate pot).

----And here is a helpful chart on helpful bugs and such, from Gaias Garden book (about permaculture--see my post about that).

Air-filtering Houseplants & Herb Gardening/Sprouting

So, I found this research study that was done by NASA on the top ten best air-filtering houseplants.
Here's the link for the list: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_air-filtering_soil_and_plants

But...I realized that my work had at least 3 or 4 of these that I could get (adopt-a-plant program) for free for my workspace. So I got a peace lily and a spider plant. I had killed my first spider plant a year ago at work (never had luck with plants and never wanted any really).

Since I've been sucessful with those two plants and some ivy also, at work, I've decided to get some plants in my house. Not only to real plants look nice in your home, but they provide oxygen and also can absorb some harmful polluntants in the air (read that study about formaldehydes and such).

Luckily I found a guy on KSL who had free spider plant seedlings here downtown. So Paul and I went and picked a ton off his spiderplant, so we could plant our own. I ended up getting about 30, becuase I gave them away at my baby shower as the party favor/thank you (green theme), and I included a little card/print out I made about how to care for the plant and also the top ten houseplants list so they can get other plants too if desired. Our two spinder plant seedlinds we got were just a few inches long when we got them, but now they're potted in our litte Ikea pots, one for each bedroom, and are growing taller each week (it's been about 2 months).

I also got a Topsy Turvy tomato plant holder to hang on my balcony outside, along with our basil plant. Talk about urban gardening...I also saw a strawberry growbag you can hang on your balcony to grow strawberries...which I'd love to try sometime.

I've found out that KSL occasionally has people giving away free plants and such. So far I've seen free tomato plants, strawberry plants, tulips, spider plants, trees, and some others I'm not familiar with so I don't remember them. IF you want to garden, but aren't sure where to begin, or don't want to invest money until you know what you're doing...try getting some free plants and begining there.

Also, herb gardening is a great place to start. I grew basil, chives and parsley last year (the dill flopped). We'd make our own pesto out of the basil and parsley...deliscious! I'll put a separate post in here that is the Pesto recipe, if you're interested. Also, we make dill, cheese popcorn all the time and it's delicious. So, these are four great herbs to have on hand fresh! (Cilantro is rather tempermental though and doesn't do well in high heat, so careful if you do that.)

Also, I went to our local Farmer's Market last year and bought some alfalfa seeds. There are a ton and will last for a long time. You can grow your own sprouts in 4 days that are great to top sandwiches and salad. You just take one tsp of seeds and put them in a glass jar with water, with a piece of clean panty hose (makeshift) over the top and leave on your counter. Each morning you pour out the water and rinse the seeds. By the third or fourth day you have sprouts. They last about one week I think. But this has got me interested in other types of sprouting. Be careful though, because there are certain beans you shouldn't try to sprout because they're bad for you when sprouted. You can google which beans to sprout and how long each take, etc. When sprouted, your body can actually digest it better anyway, so there are great health benefits from sprouting.