Environmentally Friendly
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In this section : Mulching Worm Farms Chickens
Helping the Environment
As you know, the climate is rapidly changing - you have only to watch the news to see that cyclones, floods, droughts, are much more prevalent now than they used to be. The ozone layer is shrinking rapidly, and holes are developing. allowing damaging UV rays through into the atmosphere.
We'd all like to see the environment kept pristine and green, filled with healthy flora and fauna. Unfortunately, with the greenhouse effect, acid rain, too much landfill, litter in streams, and many other problems, it doesn't look hopeful right now!
We can all do a little to help, however. Pick up that empty bottle, or that plastic bag from the road outside your house. Recycle everything you can, or put it into your council's recycle bin. Got some old clothes which are perfectly good, but you'll never use again? Give them to a charity - they'll be glad to have them.
You can also cut down on greenhouse gasses, which damage the ozone layer, our UV protection.
Not using a room? Switch off that light
Dripping tap? Get it fixed as soon as possible, meanwhile, catch the water and use it
Grey water? Use the waste water from your kitchen for the garden
Insulation? Is your house insulated? Helps with cooling and heating, saving power
If you'd like to be really active, you can phone or write any consulate, embassy, or company which in your opinion, is adding to the global warming, endangering wildlife, polluting the ocean, or anything else of the many acts which are killing our planet.
If you're a gardener, don't put your lawn clippings, or trimmings from your shrubs and trees into the Council's recycling bin, put them into your compost bin (You have got one, haven't you?) or chop the pieces from the shrubs into small pieces to make mulch for your garden beds. This can be done by hand, but is easier if you have a small mulcher - mine is electric. I prefer to cut by hand if possible though - it's less damaging to the environment. You don't use power, and therefore don't burn coal, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.
Add a layer of soil to your bin every so often, and you'll help the composting effect, and also keep the flies away from the food scraps. Don't put meat into the compost unless you cover it with a good layer of soil, as blow flies will gather by the hundred, not to mention the European wasp, if you have them in your area.
Mulching will also help your water consumption - a good layer of mulch over your garden beds helps lower the evaporation rate, keeping your soil, and your plants roots, moist. Plants love it.
A healthy garden needs worms - you should see them in every spadeful of soil!
Perhaps you'd like to start a worm farm? I had one, until the worms escaped and populated my garden with rather large healthy worms! I didn't mind though, as worms are good for the soil. Now I just keep the compost bin full and they gather for the food.
Your vegetable peelings, and some of your grass clippings can go in here, as can stale bread, leftover food, and even meat, although this needs to be buried under a layer of soil, or flies will arrive in droves! The worms will eat everything, and the liquid that is gathered in the catcher is a terrific fertiliser for growing your own vegeatable - you'll even save money by growing them.
Your local Council will most likely have some details as to where you can get a worm farm. Some councils even supply them at a reasonable cost.
Have you ever though of keeping poultry, specifically chickens, in your garden or yard? They are often subject to council regulations, so check first, but usually the conditions aren't too onerous, and a few hens will do more than lay eggs for you.
First of all, they are great garbage disposal units, eating most kitchen scraps. Mine don't seem to like citrus very much, I must admit. Probably it's too acidic for them, but most things are accepted with great pleasure, judging by the clucking and rushing that goes on.
Hens are quite amusing, and can teach your children a lot about animal husbandry. Most children love to collect the eggs, and throw the layer pellets or grain to your hens.
Another benefit is chicken manure - yes, manure! It's very strong in nitrogen, so you don't use it straight on the garden, but keep it in a pile to dry out. When it's dry, it makes an excellent fertilizer. I also put a small amount into the compost bin to help fermentation of the compost, and to hold in the nitrogen.
If you have a fairly wild garden area, and don't mind the damage, let your hens out for a short time each day. They'll enjoy it, and will also eat bugs, snails, slugs, etc. If you do this, don't put snail pellets down - they don't do hens any good at all!
A warning also - if you have lots of tidy garden, with tender shoots, seedlings and young vegetables, don't let your hens anywhere near itl They have absolutely no morals and will steal the lot, and leave the garden looking as if the vandals have been through. Apart from that, they are a very useful addition to your environmentally friendly garden.
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