As usual, we have been busy with tons of projects. Spring it seems has finally arrived in Wisconsin- my windows are even open today. However, I say that tentatively, knowing a snow storm could hit at any moment. And, can I just say how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE daylight savings time?! I really do. It's light out longer; and it means sleeping with windows open, sipping sangria on the porch, and nights of grilling on the patio are soon upon us. YAY!!!
Last weekend Tyler got busy and made our vermicomposter bin. I had meant to take pictures to post as directions for anyone who wants to make one, but he did it while I was busy making vegan cupcakes for our daughter's sleepover. Honestly though, it's soooo simple I bet a monkey could do it. Seriously! First order your red wiggler worms online. Get two of those plastic storage tubs; one needs a tight snapping lid. Drill about 6 small holes into the bottom of the bin with the lid. Line the bottom with cardboard and place it inside the other bin without the lid. Next add a few sheets of shredded/ripped newspaper to the bottom of your bin. Spritz it with a spray bottle so it's nice and damp. Don't soak it! Your wormies will be very unhappy if their environment is too wet or too dry. Add a layer of nice organic top soil (about 4-5c). Last, top it off with whatever rotted veggies forgotten in your fridge crisper, egg shells, coffee grinds and filters, apple cores, etc you have saved up. We added our worms into the bin once everything was in place and gave the whole thing another good spritz of water. Now it's up to the worms to do the rest and make us great compost for our garden. Make sure to check your bin every few days, spritzing with water as needed and adding your household scraps and newspaper shreds. We're keeping our bin out in our 3 Season room until it is warm enough for them to go outside.
{Note: Don't put meat, eggs, dairy or fatty/greasy things into your vermicopmoster. It will make your wormies unhappy and cause a foul stink}
Where did we get out wormies you wonder? Vericompsters require Red Wiggler worms, so you can't go dig some worms up outta your backyard. I called the UW-Extension of Agriculture to get their advice on where to go. Every company I saw on the internet I could order Red Wigglers was either from Canada or down South. I wanted local, and I really wanted not to have them shipped. The UW-Extension did help us find a worm farm in Wisconsin, but I ended up having to order them. We used Wisconsin Worm Farm (www.wisconsinwormfarm.com). You order your worms by the pound, and there are approx 1,000 per pound. Yep, 1,000. The total price, including shipping, was $31.34. I ordered them Friday afternoon, they shipped Saturday, and by last night our new pets were all happy in their new home. Now the hard part...coming up with 1,000 names and keeping them all straight. ;)
We also got the garden started this weekend in 4 72 ct. seed starter boxes. Our hopes and plan for this garden have grown a lot larger than originally thought. For two people who have never had a successful garden before, we are most likely over doing it. Our veggie garden plans include:
kohlrabi, lemon cucumbers, a carnival sweet pepper mix, heirloom tomatoes, regular cucumbers, zucchini, scallions, garden beans, casper pumpkins, and a hot pepper mix. Our herb garden plans include: lavender, chives, sweet basil, cilantro, thyme, and catnip & cat grass for our lovely kitties. We also seeded some flowers for our front yard and window boxes. Those include: black eyes susans, red hot pokers, ornamental grass, painted daisies, sunflowers, and a wildflower mix. Fingers crossed we are even mildly successful growing any of these this season.
A reminder to all our Madison readers that the CSA Open House is coming up this Sunday at the Monona Terrace from 1-4pm. Join a local farm and get a box of veggies delivered to you each week during the growing season. Several farms have events and picnics for members, and some even let you camp on the farm over night. There are also options to get cheese, eggs, meat, and fruit, or get your veggies delivered every other week. The CSA coalition offers assistance for those who are low income & even take food stamps for payment. You can also agree to work one four hour shift a week at many farms to receive your share free. Several health insurance companies offer their clients rebates for joining {Dean, GHC, Unity, and Physicians Plus}. Check out the CSA website for more info about the farms, pricing, and rebates {www.csacoalition.org}. And good luck choosing a farm, cuz they are all awesome! We've been trying to pick just one for over a week.
Lastly, thinking about putting in a rain barrel like us to water your garden over the summer? May 12th at the Alliant Enegy Center you can go purchase one from the city of Madison. The sale runs from 9am-3pm. The rain barrels are $55, and come with everything you need to attach them to your gutter. They even have a faucet you can attach a garden hose to.
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