A Beginner’s Guide to the Art of Organic DIY Composting

With “green” gardening becoming more and more popular, many gardeners are turning toward making their own organic compost for a number of reasons, from low cost (relative to store-bought versions) to reducing landfill waste, to simply benefiting from the high quality and mineral and nutrient rich nature of organic, homemade compost.

Greens + Browns + Oxygen + Water = Healthier Plants!

While reasonably easy to learn, there are a few tricks of the trade to ensure that your organic compost is mixed and aerated properly, that it stays at the right temperature, and that it will provide all the wonderful benefits it should.

Choosing a Bin

Compost bins come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and materials. Prices vary from practically nothing to upwards of $150.

Homemade bins can be created out of a number of recycled materials such as scrap wood, cinderblocks, wire mesh, bricks, or a combination of each. Regardless of the materials used to build the bin, it is important that the unit is constructed to withstand the weight of the composting materials and to maintain the proper composting temperature (140-160 degrees Fahrenheit) when it is full.  Additionally, it must withstand the elements and intrusion by wild animals while allowing proper drainage and air-flow.  And, of course, it should fit your needs and the space allotted.

Store bought bins are generally (though not always) plastic, durable, and lightweight. They come in any number of colors, shapes and sizes.  Features vary from manufacturer to manufacturer but often include built-in lids with venting holes for aeration and drainage, trays for sifting the different materials, and access doors for removing material ready for application.  Some even allow for “tumbling” the material, a practice that allows for more effective aeration or separating the material relative to when it was placed in the bin.  Depending on your budget and need, there are myriad commercial composting bins for indoors and out available at your nearest home and garden retailer.

Creating the Perfect Organic Compost: The Compost Equation

The goal of every composter should be to produce the richest, most nutritious and viably useful organic compost possible.  The materials you will be contributing to your compost bin, from household kitchen scraps and refuse to lawn clippings and leaves, will eventually break down.  Therefore, you will always be producing usable compost, though the time-frame will depend on your methodology.

Since compost becomes compost as microorganisms (bacteria known as actinomycetes and fungi) feed upon the materials in your bin, these pathogens require a few basics in order to do what Mother Nature intended them to do.  Therefore, it is important to have an understanding of what is going in your bin and when, as the effectiveness of the compost and how fast it will be usable is reliant on a balance between the “green” and “brown” materials introduced.

In short, for every pound or so of “green” nitrogen material you put in to the bin like coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable peelings, and grass clippings, you will want to include a pound of “brown” carbon-rich material like straw or dead leaves. Too much of either material can slow down the decomposing process and/or lead to unpleasant smells.

Oxygen and moisture are essential for the microorganisms to keep functioning aerobically.  Too little moisture in the bin will lead to a pile of dried-out, crispy matter as opposed to rich and slightly dampened material. Too much moisture will drown the microorganisms, depriving them of the oxygen necessary for life. Turn your compost once or twice a month with a pitchfork, shovel, or aerating tool and add a little water if needed. Proper aeration can result in rich, moist compost ready to use in a few weeks rather than a few months.

To Compost or Not to Compost?—That is the Question

Now that some of the basics of composting have been outlined, it is important to develop an understanding of just exactly what sort of items you can put into the compost bin and why.

Remember: for creating organic compost it is generally preferable to only include those items that are themselves organic or organically grown!

The following is a short list of materials that are suitable for composting and commonly found around the house:

Nitrogens:

• Coffee grounds
• Banana peels (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Flowers (but only if they are green and not dried)
• Vegetable and fruit peels (chop them up for quicker break down; do not use lime peels, as they can abruptly and detrimentally increase the pH levels of the material leading to the death of the beneficial organisms)
• Pet food (preferably not meat-based)
• Lawn clippings (again, only if they are green)

Carbons:

• Leaves (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried grass clippings
• Hedge clippings (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Dried corn stalks and cobs (chop them up for quicker break down)
• Pine needles
• Saw dust and wood shavings (but only from wood that has not been chemically treated)
• Peat moss
• Nut shells/peanut hulls
• Tea leaves

The following is a short list of unsuitable items for the compost bin:

• Ashes from the barbeque (charcoal)
• Dog and cat feces (may contain disease organisms so avoid at all costs!  If one chooses to use manure only use material from organically raised animals like cows, goats, horses, etc.  with ratios of 16-18:1)
• Meat, bones, fat, grease, oils (will not break down and will attract unwanted animal visitors)
• Lime
• Non-white/colored/dyed paper
• Toxic materials (household cleaners or water with cleaners added)
• Any materials that are not biodegradable

Upon following these very basic guidelines the DIY gardener will soon have what master gardeners have long considered the “bee’s knees” for their beds, lawns and gardens.  Use this homemade, nutrient-rich organic compost as a soil amendment, fertilizer, or mulch and watch your vegetables, flowers, and other plants flourish like never before, all while lessening waste in the home.

Happy gardening!

Carpet Cleaning is one of the most toxic things you can do in your home, both for the environment, and your own health. Here are some good alternatives to conventional carpet cleaning.

Steam cleaning your carpet is the number one way to get rid of stains and germs, but standard carpet cleaning solutions contain a lot of harsh chemicals that can be dangerous for human health and the planet. Fortunately, there are a few substitutes you can use that may be better for your family and the environment.

Why are Standard Carpet Cleaners Dangerous?

Most people have never looked at what is in the standard carpet cleaning solutions. Most cleaning solutions for use in steam carpet cleaners contain perchloroethylene, which makes people feel dizzy and sick if it is breathed in. Opening the windows when you steam clean your carpet is a must, but even with good ventilation your family will still be breathing in harmful chemicals during the cleaning process.

Even more worryingly, the chemicals you use on your carpet hang around in the fibers, potentially causing a health hazard for young children who play on the floor. As perchloroethylene is a known carcinogen, it is a good idea to keep it out of your home, particularly if you have a young family. Using a natural carpet cleaning solution in your steam cleaner protects your loved ones and stops harmful chemicals from being released into the atmosphere and the water supply.

How to Naturally Steam Clean Your Carpet

To make your own non-hazardous carpet cleaner that won’t destroy the planet, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and warm water. You can use this solution in a steam cleaner to gently lift out stains and sanitize your carpet. Vinegar is a natural anti-bacterial agent and the mild acidity of the solution helps to lift stains from the carpet fibers. For stubborn stains, use a higher ratio of vinegar to water in the steam cleaner.

To make the carpet smell delicious, add a few drops of eucalyptus or lemongrass essential oil to the cleaning solution. These harmless oils are released into the air when you clean the carpet, filling your home with natural fragrance.

To make a foaming carpet cleaning solution, you can mix natural dish soap or laundry soap with equal parts baking soda. Apply the foaming solution to stained areas before steam cleaning with warm water and vinegar. The vinegar helps to break down and remove the soap residue to leave your carpet looking clean and stain free.

Steam Cleaning Your Carpet

Choose a warm, dry day with low humidity to steam clean your carpet. Open the windows to allow air to flow through the house, helping the carpet to dry as quickly as possible.

Post contributed by Lucy Massey for Empire flooring.

Bonus – How to Eat Raw Eggs Safely

For decades, the need for Calcium and Magnesium for growing and maintaining a healthy body has been well established. Absorbing these nutrients isn’t so easy. Most mineral supplements come from inorganic matter that is not bioavailable. In fact, taking a calcium or a calcium magnesium supplement will often do you more harm than good.

The fact is that most supplements on the market are toxic. It doesn’t matter how many milligrams of calcium a supplement has if it causes kidney stones. And while supplementing your diet with calcium can rid the body of many common health ailments, taking the wrong kind of calcium overtaxes the body and can actually cause arthritis and many other degenerative diseases. The only inorganic Cal-Mag formula to date that I know of that benefits the human body comes from this lemon-egg recipe. All the rest are junk.

Lemon Egg Recipe – the best organic calcium supplementation

1. Carefully place whole, clean, uncooked, uncracked, organic eggs in a clean wide-mouth jar or glass container. How many eggs is up to you, but the lemon juice needs to cover the eggs.
2. Cover the eggs with freshly squeezed organic lemon juice (concentrated lemon juice is pasteurized and should never be used as a substitute).
3. Cover the jar loosely and place it in the refrigerator. A few times during the day, gently – very gently – agitate the liquid in the jar. As the Calcium from the shells is leached by the lemon juice, bubbles will appear around the eggs.
4. Approximately 44 to 48 hours later, when the bubbling has stopped, carefully remove the eggs from the jar, being sure not to break the egg membranes. Replace the lid tightly on the jar containing the liquid and shake the mixture. You now have “Lemon Egg”. I love to drink it straight or mix 2oz in my smoothies. It can also be used for recipes calling for lemon juice as well. If there is no more than twice as much lemon juice per egg volume I take a tablespoon to two of the lemon mixture and up to six if I don’t eat enough vegetables.

One whole medium sized eggshell yields about 750 – 800 mgs of elemental calcium plus other microelements, including but not limited to magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sulphur, silicon, zinc,  (27 elements in total). The composition of an eggshell is very similar to that of our bones and teeth.

Calcium-magnesium is not the only homemade supplement you can make. Check out our Homemade Vitamin C article.

How to Eat Raw Eggs Safely

If you’re looking for a way to eat raw eggs safely, without the risk of salmonella, this recipe can double as egg safety protocol! The lemon juice kills the salmonella leaving you with just the egg itself (like in the picture). Great for smoothies and any other recipe that calls for raw eggs.

It should be noted, we do not recommend the consumption of factory farmed eggs under any circumstances, raw or cooked. Salmonella is not an issue in healthy eggs produced by healthy, trulycage-freee, organic chickens.

Alternatively, instead of discarding shells after cooking eggs, as long as the shells weren’t cooked (no boiled egg shells for this), you can put those in lemon juice as well (thank you AeRhee Lee at Healing Foods to Go).

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Bullet Proof Your Immune System
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• Homemade Vitamin C

Make your own vitamin C at home, and make it better than any store-bought vitamin C

Vitamin C Recipe

So you may not know that almost all of the vitamin C supplement manufacturers are making their vitamin C from genetically engineered corn. What! You exclaim. How am I supposed to get enough vitamin C into my family if I don’t buy store bought supplements? Answer: You make your own! What you are about to read is something that the giant pharmaceutical companies don’t want you to see.

Even the health food stores don’t want you to know about this secret. You can make your very own vitamin C supplement that is ten times better than anything you could buy in a store at NO EXTRA COST TO YOU!

Does it have a 1,000 mg of vitamin C per dosage? Nope. Does it have the USRDA amount per dosage? Not at all. Has it been approved by the FDA?  Absolutely not!

What homemade vitamin C does have is live enzymes that allow the vitamin C to be 100% assimilated into your body.  It has its own natural source of rutin, hesperidin, and bioflavonoids. It’s easily acquired, easy to make, and even tastes good, too. It’s just orange & lemon peels.

It’s that easy. Any organic orange or lemon peels left over from the fruit you  buy will do the trick.  Save all of your peels after you eat the inside of the fruit and cut them into thin strips. Place them on a plate on your dining room table and let them dry at room temperature for a couple of days until dry and crisp. You can also dehydrate the peels with a food dehydrator and then store them for about a year in a dry container. For consumption, one idea is to break up peels into smaller pieces and mix them with your favorite tea. This makes the tea taste great, but the downside to this approach is that heat destroys the enzymes. A better option is to place the peel strips into your coffee grinder and grind them into a powder (which won’t hurt the enzymes) and use to mix with your early morning smoothie. One rounded teaspoon will supply you with more organic vitamin C complex, rutin, hesperidin, and bioflavonoids than your body needs for the day, regardless of your size. And this homemade citrus peel powder mixed in your blender with some fresh organic apple juice tastes good too.

Check out these articles if you are looking for tips to boost your immune system, or heal from chemotherapy. Also, be sure to read up on Leaky Guts and Autoimmune Diseases.

Recommended Supplements:

• Total Nutrition Formula

Further Reading:

• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula
• Homemade Calcium and Magnesium
• Things You Should Know About Garlic – DIY, Recipes, Other Tips

Our contributor, Dr. Shillington, tells us there are more enzymes in one papaya seed than in a whole store-bought enzyme capsule. The papaya seed also has all the nutrients necessary for almost instant assimilation.

Spread the seeds of an organic papaya (must be organic) on a wax paper covered plate or cookie sheet. Let them dry out for atleast a week. (If you have a food dehydrator it will take a few days). Then put them in a salt or pepper mill (or crush with a mortar pestle). Just grind them over your food as you would fresh pepper. In fact, papaya seeds are a bit spicy and taste similar to pepper, so they are an excellent substitute.

Fresh pineapple is another great source for enzymes. Buy one and eat it. Your body will thank you for days.

Enzymes in Food

Did you know your body is converting enzymes into other different enzymes all the time? By eating fresh, organic pineapple and organic papaya seeds, you’ll get all the enzymes you need, and your body will know how to convert
these enzymes into the ones it needs most.

Recommended Supplements:

• Systemic Enzymes
• Digestive Enzymes