Composting with Worms - Vermicomposting

Your kitchen scraps can be recycled into a nutritious soil for plants with the help of worms. The worms produce castings that are full of beneficial microbes and nutrients, which makes a great plant fertilizer. Worms are very efficient at breaking down food scraps and can eat over half their body weight in organic matter per day.

The following is a short list of worm bins to help you get started in vermicomposting.

Nature’s footprint   

Sells a ready made worm bin they like to call the Worm Factory.

Triformis Corporation    

Their offering for a worm bin is the Con-o-Worms Composter.

Red Worm Composting   

They sell a product called the Worm Inn. Also, sells red worms, their site is full of help on how to get started and improve existing ventures. Very friendly, helpful and worth checking out.

Cathy's Composters   

They offer several products for vermicomposting.

The following is a list of sites who offer help on how to make compost.

Composting with Worms

Friendly Worm Guy   
Edible Landscape

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Organic Garden Seed Suppliers

Many home gardeners are beginning to seek out untreated, open-pollinated and heritage seeds for gardening. While organically-grown crops have many benefits over those grown by industrial agriculture, there is no definitive proof that organic crops grown from conventional seed are superior to those grown from organic seed. Growers are required to use organic seeds to maintain their 'organic' certification in order to sell crops labeled as organic. Home gardeners may find conventional seed comparable to organic in producing good results.

By far the greatest benefit that comes from choosing open-pollinated crops over hybrids is that preserving genetic variety is key to overall species health. By using good quality seeds, planting local heritage and heirloom varieties, and learning to dry and store seeds, we are contributing to developing and preserving our future food bank.

Hybrid seeds, while offering preferred traits that enhance a plant's growth and fruiting, as well as hardiness, are produced by cross-pollinating plants of different varieties in order to improve the characteristics of the resulting offspring. The process of cross-pollinating destroys the ability to produce seed that will reproduce true to type. That is, second generation plants are likely to produce different results. This takes the time-honored art of seed saving out of the equation of preserving bio-diversity.

Below is a list of online providers of organic garden seed and seedlings, for the U.S. as well as Canada. Some companies offer both organic and conventional seed, but those companies offering conventional seed must have taken the Safe Seed Pledge to be included here. According to the Council for Responsible Genetics (CRG), the Safe Seed Pledge states that providers do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.

 

All of the companies below listed in BOLD have signed the Safe Seed Pledge. Grow responsibly!

Organic Seed Sources in the U.S.

Abundant Life Seeds

P.O. Box 772 930 Lawrence St.

Port Townsend, WA, 98368

360-385-5660

360-385-7455  Fax

“Located inside our seed catalog are all of your favorite Abundant Life varieties - vegetable, flower, and herb seeds along with a great selection of garlic, seed potatoes, and live plants. All of which are 100% certified organic. We also have a wide selection of garden supplies to help your garden grow. Along with our products, you will find a tremendous amount of growing information including seed saving techniques.”

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds  

Great source for heirlooms

Botanical Interests 

660 Compton Street

Broomfield, CO 80020

720-880-7293

Family-owned company offering both conventional and organic seed. Seeds are untreated and have guaranteed germination rates.

Well known for their attractive, information-rich seed packets, Botanical Interests offers a variety of organic flower, vegetable and herb seeds. The prices are reasonable, with most packets costing less than two dollars.

Bountiful Gardens   

18001 Shafer Ranch Road

Willets, CA, 95490

707-459-6410

707-459-1925 fax

Heirloom, untreated and open-pollinated varieties of vegetables, herbs, grains and compost crops.

Dirt Works  

1195 Dog Team Road

New Haven, Vermont 05472

877 213 3828

A small, family-owned business offering a selection of organic and heirloom, non-GMO vegetable seeds.

eGardenSeed  

Boulder, CO

707-SEEDS-10 (707-733-3710)

A large selection of Heirloom, Organic vegetable, herb, flower and fruit garden seeds. High quality garden seeds hand selected, packaged and shipped direct to you.

Fedco Co-op Garden Supplies  

PO Box 520

Waterville, ME 04903

207-873-7333

Offers certified organic seed and non-GE conventional seed. Specializing in cold-hardy crops.

Seeds for organic cover crops and soil amendments, certified seed potatoes and onion sets, seed garlic, hardy fruit and nut trees, berries.

Heirloom Organics Non-Hybrid Seeds  

Heirloom vegetable, fruit, legume, grain and herb seeds. Some organic heirlooms also available. Best bang for the buck: seed packs of assorted varieties and sizes.

High Altitude Gardens/Seeds Trust
www.seedsave.org, /  www.seedstrust.com

4150 Black Oak Drive

Hailey, ID, 83333

208-788-4363

208-788-3452 fax

Over 80 years experience growing gardens and seeds at high elevation. Seeds from around the world for the coldest climates and shortest seasons. Heirloom, organic, native and high altitude varieties.

High Mowing Organic Seeds  

76 Quarry Road

Wolcott, VT 05680

802-472-6174

802-472-3201

The catalog offers over 450 organic varieties of heirloom, open-pollinated and hybrid organic seeds. Also carries books and supplies. Free seed pack with every online order.

 

Johnny's Selected Seeds 

955 Benton Ave.

Winslow, ME, 04901

800-854-2580

800-738-6314 fax

“Since beginning in 1973 Johnny's has served organic growers, both professional and amateur. We continue to carefully strengthen our range of organic seeds, as well as fertilizers and pesticides permitted by the USDA's National Organic Program for use in organic production.”

Both non-GE conventional and organic seed, with an extensive organic collection including hard-to-find cultivars. Garden tools also available.

John Scheeper's Kitchen Garden Seeds 

Bantam, Connecticut

Vegetable, herb, edible and bouquet flower seeds. A delightful printed catalog with nice drawings, recipes and tips. Order online if you like, but be sure to request the print catalog.

Kitazawa Seed Company   

PO Box 13220

Oakland, CA  94661-3220

510-595-1188

510-595-1860 fax

They offer a tremendous selection of Asian Vegetable seeds and are the oldest seed company in America. Kitazawa has over 250 varieties of traditional and heirloom seeds native to Japan.

Local Harvest  

220 21st Ave

Santa Cruz, CA 95062

831-475-8150

831-401-2418 fax

An online service that helps you find local sources for sustainably grown food. They also sell a wide variety of vegetable seed and nursery stock. Read the product notes to see which are organic and/or untreated.

Main Street Seed and Supply  

401 Main Street

Bay City, MI 48706

866-229-3276 toll free

Main Street is a small company which specializes in offering small amounts of seed (with the home gardener in mind) for reasonable prices. Their choice of seeds is limited to the basic vegetable varieties.

Marianna's Heirloom Seeds

1955 CCC Road

Dickson TN, 37055

615 446 9191

615 441 6445 fax

Extraordinary heirloom and Italian seeds. Over 500 varieties, offering gifts too.

“All seeds come with a satisfaction guarantee. If for any reason you are not totally satisfied, you will receive a replacement or a refund. All seed packets contain 25 seeds minimum. Most will contain 25-40 seeds unless stated in it's description in the catalog. All seed is untreated. Our stand is firm in opposing genetic engineering. I grow using organic methods, but am not certified.”

Mountain Valley Growers  

38325 Pepperwood Road

Squaw Valley, CA, 93675

559-338-2775

Certified organically grown seed for basil, sunflower, annual herbs, gourmet greens.

The Natural Gardening Co.  

P.O. Box 760776

Petaluma, CA , 94975-0776

707-766-9303

707-766-9747 fax

Online catalog offers organically grown and open-pollinated vegetables and herbs. The organic items are clearly marked as such, and the prices are reasonable. Also sells gardening supplies.

Native Seeds/SEARCH 

526 N. 4th Ave

Tucson, AZ , 85705

520-622-5561

520-622-5591 fax

a non-profit organization that seeks to preserve the crop seeds that connect Native American cultures to their lands. Through seed conservation and community interaction Native Seeds/SEARCH works to protect crop biodiversity and to celebrate cultural diversity.” Online and print catalog, membership.

More than 2000 different seeds representing traditional native crops such as corn, bean, squash.

Nichols Garden Nursery  

1190 No. Pacific Hwy. NE

Albany, OR, 97321

541-928-9280

866-408-4851

800-422-3985

541-967-8406 fax

Family owned. Vegetable, herb, grass seeds. Bulk spices and teas, books, gardening supplies and more. Be sure to check out their Wedding Seeds if you or someone you know is having a wedding. Online and print catalogs.

Complete garden seeds catalog featuring new and unusual vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Emphasizing short season varieties, flavor and performance.

Peaceful Valley Farm & Garden Supply  

PO Box 2209

Grass Valley, CA 95945

530-272-4769

888-784-1722

Extensive offering of organic garden seeds as well as non-GE conventional seeds, both in home gardening quantities and bulk quantities. Plus offers a good variety of bare root, root crop stock and mushroom kits. Gardening supplies also available. There is a good mix of edible and ornamental varieties here, as well as books and gardening supplies.

Plants of the Southwest 

Agua Fria Road

Route 6, Box 11A

Santa Fe, NM, 87501

800-788-7333

505-438-8800 fax

Specializes in drought-tolerant US native plants (wildflowers, grasses, herbs, vegetables, shrubs, and trees) and seeds.

Renee's Garden  

Boasts seed varieties from around the world and tested for the home gardener including unusual seed choices, time-tested heirlooms, international hybrids and open-pollinated varieties.

Seed Savers Exchange 

3026 North Winn Road

Decorah IA 52101

563-382-5990

563-382-6511 fax

Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization that is saving "heirloom" (handed-down) garden seeds from extinction.  SSE's 8,000 members grow and distribute heirloom varieties of vegetables, fruits and grains. SSE's main focus is on heirloom varieties that gardeners and farmers brought to North America when their families immigrated, and traditional varieties grown by Native Americans, Mennonites and Amish. Since SSE was founded in 1975, our members have distributed an estimated 750,000 samples of endangered seeds not available through catalogs and often on the verge of extinction.  SSE has always been the leader of the heirloom seed movement, and the diligent efforts of our members are making rare heirloom varieties available to gardeners everywhere.” Membership.

Seeds of Change  

P.O. Box 15700

Santa Fe, NM 87506

888-762-7333

A favorite among organic gardeners, Seeds of Change features a wide range of heirloom vegetable seeds and informative articles on organic gardening, tools and techniques.

Plus offers organic seedlings for a select variety of seed. Organic fruit trees available, as well as gardening supplies. 5% discount for online orders.

Seeds Trust  

Vegetable, wild flower, native grass and herb seeds. All are untreated and suitable for certified organic gardens and farms. Organic, heirloom and hybrids available.

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange  

Certified organic and primarily heirloom seeds, offering only select hybrids where open-pollinated counterpart doesn't exist or by popular demand.

Territorial Seed Co.  

P.O. Box 158

Cottage Grove, OR 97424

541-942-9547

888-657-3131 fax

Organic research farm. Seeds and plants particularly adapted to the Pacific Northwest as well as other regions. Their print catalog contains a wealth of cultural information. Offers both organic and non-GE conventional seed, plus mushroom kits for select varieties. Garden tools and supplies also available.

Territorial offers a wide selection of organic vegetable seeds, especially greens, tomatoes and lettuces.

The Thyme Garden  

Alsea, Oregon

Family-owned. An amazing collection of  organic herb seeds, everlasting seeds, live herb and flower plants, hops, bare root perennials, dried herbs, essential oils, herb and spice blends and more. They also have tours and serve group luncheons. Online and print catalog.

Tomato Fest  

PO Box 628

Little River, CA 95456

More than 600 varieties of certified organic heirloom tomato seeds.

Turtle Tree Biodynamic Seeds  

Camphill Village

Copake NY 12516

888-516-7797

678-202-1351 fax

Turtle Tree offers a wide variety of 100% open-pollinated seeds for farm, grain and cover crops as well as vegetables, flowers and herbs.

 

Underwood Gardens 

Organic by practice. Specializes in rare and heirloom seed. Paying for an annual site membership gives users 10% discount and more.

Victory Heirloom Seed Co.   

P.O. Box 192

Molalla, OR, 97038

503-829-3126

A small, family owned company that works to preserve plant varieties by locating, growing, documenting and offering heirloom and rare open-pollinated seeds to home gardeners. Catalog offers a wide variety of rare heirloom and open-pollinated vegetable, herb, and flower seeds.

Wood Prairie Farm  

49 Kinney Road

Bridgewater, ME 04734

800-829-9765

800-631-8027

800-300-6494 fax

A beautiful selection of rainbow colored  organically grown potatoes and certified seed potatoes. Also Gourmet Organic Gifts including a monthly potato club, potato patch kit, samplers, cheeses, grains, nuts, beans, dried fruit and winter vegetables. Also tips on growing potatoes organically and cooking them.

Organic Seed Sources in CANADA

Dominion Seed House 

Box 2500

Georgetown ON L7G 5L6

A leader in gardening products by mail order: flowers, vegetables and herbs (available as seeds, plants, bulbs or cuttings), as well as accessories. Dominion is now a "certified organic enterprise".

Full Circle Seeds 

Box 807

Sooke BC V0S 1 N0.

250-642-3671

250-642-3671 fax

Open-pollinated, untreated and locally-grown vegetables, flowers, herbs, and more.

McKenzie Seeds  

30 - 9th Street

Brandon, MB R7A 6E1

Canada's largest seed packet supplier with over 1,000 varieties. Their catalog lists 27 varieties of organic seeds, representing the common popular garden vegetables and herbs.

Ontario Seed Company 

Box 7

Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z6

519 886-0557

519 886-0605 fax

Canada’s foremost supplier of native seeds for conservation and reclamation.

Richters Seeds  

357 Highway 47

Goodwood ON L0C 1A0

1.905.640.6641 fax

888-HERB-726

Over 700 varieties of herb seeds plants and gourmet vegetables. All seeds are untreated. Many varieties of open-pollinated and organic seeds are available, with a smaller selection of heirloom seeds.

Salt Spring Seeds  

Box 444 Ganges P.O.

Salt Spring Island, BC V8K 2W1

250.537.5269

All seeds are untreated, open-pollinated and non-GMO. Salt Spring grows all its own grow seeds and sells only the most recently harvested.

Stokes Seeds  

Box 10

St. Catherines ON L2R 6R6

Stokes seeds are not organically grown, but they do sell some heirloom varieties and some untreated varieties. Their collection favors hybrid seeds, not open-pollinated, because the superior vigor of the hybrids suit the Canadian northeast growing environment. They do not carry GMO seeds.

Veseys Seeds for Shorter Seasons 

PO Box 9000

Charlottetown, PE, Canada, C1A 8K6

902-368-7333

800-686-0329 fax

Veseys offers a selection of certified organic seed produced under strict guidelines which govern the production of certified organic products. Canadian-based, but sells to the US market.

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The Safe Seed Pledge

 

"Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, we pledge that we do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants.

The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families or kingdoms, poses great biological risks as well as economic, political, and cultural threats. We feel that genetically engineered varieties have been insufficiently tested prior to public release. More research and testing is necessary to further assess the potential risks of genetically engineered seeds. Further, we wish to support agricultural progress that leads to healthier soils, genetically diverse agricultural ecosystems and ultimately people and communities."

There are three governing agencies to enforce the adherence to this pledge, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the United States Department of Agriculture.

However, these agencies don’t yet require labeling to identify which seeds have been genetically engineered (GE). Therefore, looking for those companies who have taken the above pledge is your best bet that you are not getting GE seeds.

The safe seed pledge is sponsored and circulated by:

The Council for Responsible Genetics which was founded in 1983, and is comprised of scientists, lawyers, public health advocates and citizens concerned about the social, ethical and environmental impact of new genetic technologies.

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How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

By Mark Hyman, MD, via the Huffington Post

The slow insidious displacement of home cooked and communally shared family meals by the industrial food system has fattened our nation and weakened our family ties. In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent were eaten away from home and one in five breakfasts is from McDonald’s. Most family meals happen about three times a week, last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved “food.” More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen.

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less likely to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in U.S. preschool-aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don’t watch TV on weekdays.

We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network than actually preparing their own meals. In his series, “Food Revolution,” Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can’t recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don’t know how to cook.

The family dinner has been hijacked by the food industry. The transformations of the American home and meal outlined above did not happen by accident. Broccoli, peaches, almonds, kidney beans and other whole foods don’t need a food ingredient label or bar code, but for some reason these foods—the foods we co-evolved with over millennia—had to be “improved” by Food Science. As a result, the processed-food industry and industrial agriculture has changed our diet, decade by decade, not by accident but by intention.

That we need nutritionists and doctors to teach us how to eat is a sad reflection of the state of society. These are things our grandparents knew without thinking twice about them. What foods to eat, how to prepare them, and an understanding of why you should share them in family and community have been embedded in cultural traditions since the dawn of human society.

One hundred years ago all we ate was local, organic food; grass-fed, real, whole food. There were no fast-food restaurants, there was no junk food, there was no frozen food—there was just what your mother or grandmother made. Most meals were eaten at home. In the modern age that tradition, that knowledge, is being lost.

The sustainability of our planet, our health, and our food supply are inextricably linked. The ecology of eating—the importance of what you put on your fork—has never been more critical to our survival as a nation or as a species. The earth will survive our self-destruction. But we may not.

Click here to read the rest of this article on HuffingtonPost.com

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Unplanned reflective moments are the best

Some days are for reflecting, either by design or by accident. This morning, Saturday, my wife and I had planned to drive to our apartment building, some thirty miles away, to prepare three vacant apartments for rental. They only need painting and some minor cleaning. But the weather and a touch of apathy conspired to prevent these plans from materializing. I honestly can’t say I’m disappointed. Maybe that’s just the apathy talking, but this morning just feels like it should be a lazy day.

Besides, there have been two recent deaths at the apartments lately, and it’s still a bit depressing to go there. Let me explain. One of the tenants, a really nice couple with two children gave birth to their third child four and a half months ago. The child was a preemie and struggled every day to stay alive. Well she finally lost that struggle just before Christmas. Never did come home. The parents are understandably quite broken up about it but their faith and friends have helped them deal with it.

The other death was a tenant who moved in with his newly wed wife two months ago. He had been diagnosed with cancer and was told he had a good chance of beating it. Three weeks later he died.

These sorts of things are never pleasant, obviously, but for them to happen at this time of year, just before Christmas, just seems especially difficult.

So, wordlessly, we both decided that perhaps we will stay at home, and after the hectic schedule of the past few weeks, I think we both need it.

Over the years I have nurtured this attitude about Saturdays. It is the day most people set aside for running errands, grocery shopping and the like, and perhaps because I don’t care for crowds, I have always purposefully avoided that day for shopping.

Since I am retired, there really is no need for a scheduled time to do anything anyway, so I choose early in the day during the work week. I never have a problem finding things I would rather do, having always been able to entertain myself, such as going through a backlog of garden catalogs, reading fiction, organizing photos, drawing or anything else that can be viewed, mistakenly I might add, as guilty pleasures. In my retirement years those guilty pleasures have become quite important to my well-being, thank you very much.

One of my daily routines is feeding the birds, a minor activity taking very little time really. This activity usually takes all of about 10 minutes and I typically choose to do it after dark when there are no birds sitting around waiting to be fed. Last night was one of those times when it just felt too darned cold to go outside so the feeders remained empty until this morning. By 9 am the temp had not broken 20F but as my guilt was getting the better of me, out into the cold I went, with large scoops of black oil sunflower seeds to fill the feeders. There were no birds in sight, perhaps they felt it too cold to leave their warm spaces as well. But, within minutes of filling the feeders the birds came and began feeding.

While I was going out anyway, it seemed a likely time to take a few photos. These are the result. While looking through the lens finder I saw in my mind the path I have been thinking about for awhile now. It probably should be a bit more twisty-turny but as it stands now it is very utilitarian. Made with a snow shovel the path stands out very clearly with all that grass poking through. One of my fears in committing to a walkway design is that it will look like an ‘X’ across the yard, running from one corner to the opposite in  both diagonals. This doesn’t appeal to me at all. So I will need to think on it a little longer and will probably come up with a something which will probably add a few extra steps. While plants are growing and there is a lot to look at, a few ‘extra’ steps is not a problem. But when it is as cold out as it is today, a few extra steps is not welcome. I can just see me using that snow shovel to make the same path you see in this picture regardless of how the true path actually runs.

If I build the islands I want, then I won’t have a choice, but until then it looks like utilitarian and the shortest distance will win out.

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