Recycle Kitchen Wastes Using a Home Worm BinWritten by Sherry Palmer
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8.Each time you add food, stir bedding up to loosen it and keep it from becoming packed down. It is important to keep air circulating to allow rotting process plenty of oxygen. If your bin gets stinky food is not getting enough air as it decomposes. Frequent stirring will prevent this. Always cover food with additional damp bedding. 9.You may need to add moisture from time to time in addition to food. Never let bedding dry out. Sprinkle lightly with water. Fruit juice is even better. If bin is too dry, food will stop rotting and worms will not be able to eat it. 10.Place your worms into worm bin. Be sure to dump in all of old vermicompost that came with your worms. This compost material contains lots of micro-organisms that your bin needs to help keep wastes decomposing so worms can eat it.The process is fairly slow at first. You won’t see much change from day to day. The worms will grow if you provide basics: Moist dark environment Rotting Food (kitchen wastes) Bedding to allow air circulation Stable temperature between 60-75 degrees inside bin. You can learn more about your home worm bin or order Red Wiggler Worms at our web site: http://www.wormlady.com
Sherry Palmer studied horticulture at South Puget Sound Community College and established a small organic farm, Creekside Gardens, on the land where her parents and grandparents once farmed. She raises Red Wiggler compost worms and promotes recycling of kitchen wastes using a home worm bin. Her web site www.wormlady.com is a great guide to raising worms and offers online sale of Red Wigglers.
| | Budget Furniture Fix UpsWritten by Kathleen Wilson
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Next on list is what is known as “hardgoods”. Tables, chests, entertainment centers. A fast and inexpensive way to transform these items is, you guessed it, paint. Almost anything can be painted these days, including laminate. Simply prime it with a product specifically made for non-porous surfaces…I like BIN or KILZ. Then just use ordinary housepaint. Wood finishes can be just sanded and painted. Consider trying your hand at decorative painting or faux finishing for designed effects. I suggest visiting a few web sites for ideas like www.paintedhouse.com, www.paintideas.com, or www.fauxlikeapro.com. Another tight budget option for covering worn or outdated furniture includes using fabric on door and drawer fronts. You can use leftover fabric, fabric from thrift stores or garage sales, or search your own closet. Simply cut fabric slightly larger than drawer or door front, then use a staple gun to adhere it to back, stretching it snug as you go. Try painting rest of piece a color picked out of fabric for a great coordinated look. The last option I am going to throw out there is mosaic tiling. This can be very frugal if you have leftover tiles from another project, or ask your local tiling center if they have broken tiles they would let you have. Another good place to look for free mosaic materials is at residential construction sites, especially ones that are more upscale. Always ask first, but there are always broken tiles when an installation has taken place, and it’s only going to get hauled to dump! Mosaic can be as simple as laying broken tile in a random pattern and gluing in place, to laying out intricate patterns, and grouting and sealing your project. You can use it on table or dresser tops, drawer fronts, or even a door itself! You can even produce illusion of mosaic by using decorative paper in same manner, cut it into irregular shapes, and glue it on! Whatever you choose to do to update your furniture, impose your own style, take your time, and be proud of your creation!Copyright 2002 K. Wilson
Kathleen Wilson is the editor of a free ezine/newsletter called The Budget Decorator, dedicated to “budget impaired” home decorating. Visit her at http://www.thebudgetdecorator.com for more free ideas and projects, and for info on her soon to be released book “Quick Decorating Ideas Under $20!: The Budget Decorator’s Bible”.
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