Green Talk

This year I am deterimed to create my vegetable garden.  I am a newbie when it comes to growing vegetables.  Last year’s garden contained organic heirloom tomatoes seedlings from California because I was too late to grow them from seed.   I also planted 4 blueberry bushes, 2 cherry tomatoes, peppers, and cauliflower.  I bought organic compost and mixed it up with my soil.  My heirloom tomatoes took off like they never had it so good.  They became six foot bushes overnight. Everyone kept saying that I  gave them too much nitrogen.  I planted them too late so my first tomatoes did not show up until September.  I kept praying that I would get some tomatoes but it turn cold here earlier than expected.  Garden covers were my only hope that the plants would stay warm so I could just save the seeds.

 In the end of October, the tomatoes did not grow much and the weather started to really turn.     I must have pulled off 40 different size tomatoes that were not ripe, and  held my breath for many weeks hoping they would ripen.  Out of those 40, maybe 3 ripened.  I saved seeds from 3 plants and tried to save one tomato plant’s seeds but I think they were too green.

 So, this year, I vowed I would start on time.  Well, Green Talk, my new infant, has gotten in the way, keeping me up at night and sleep deprived.   I just started planting my seeds indoors using an seed starter tray.    All you seasoned gardeners are saying, “you are suppose to start 6 weeks before the last frost!”  I know…I know. 

I read that if you soak the seeds before you plant them, they will germinate sooner.  I know I am not going to be able to catch up that quickly but every day counts at this point.  I had stored my seed packages from http://www.heirloomseeds.com in the refrigerator during the year.  I noticed that the seeds were kind of floating in the water.  I am hoping that the seeds are okay…  

My seed starting mix is made of peat moss.  As I was planting my seeds, I realized that there are enviromental concerns  about the overuse of peat moss, which is depleting the blogs.

 There are alternatives that I could have used, such as Canadian sphagnum peat moss, coco peat moss, or Terracycle’s worm poop cell storage unit.   I ventured onto a site,  Journey to Forever, which is an interactive site about the journey from Hong Kong to Cape May Africa through the rural areas of these countries.  Its aim is to “help people fight poverty and hunger, and to help sustain the environment we all must share.”  The site contains many interesting articles about sustainable living.  One article deals with peat moss and was my jump start for this blog post.  See http://journeytoforever.org/compost_peatmoss.html

Users of Canadian sphagnum peat moss are divided into two camps regarding whether or not its use affects the environment.  Canada, unlike England and Ireland whose blogs are disappearing ”boasts 270 million acres of peatlands. Canada harvests some 40,000 acres of sphagnum and exports 90 percent of it to the United States for lawn and garden use.” according to a  1993 article written by Marc Lecard in Sierra Magazine.    However, the article goes on to say

“Some wetlands scientists, however, point out that a managed bog bears little resemblance to a natural one. Like tree farms, these peatlands tend toward monoculture, lacking the biodiversity of an unharvested bog.” 

The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association states that peat is a renewable resource and the the “peat in Canada is growing more than 70 times as fast as it is being harvested [According to an issue paper entitled "Canadian Peat Harvesting and the Enviroment," published by the North American Wetlands Conservation Council (Canada)]”

See www.http://www.peatmoss.com/concernphp for more information on Canadian peat moss.

 My  favorite finds has to be Terracycle’s seed starter kit.  The seed starter mix is made of vericompost, which is worm poop, which every gardner knows is the best type of compost.  In addition the seed trays are made out of recycled paper not plastic like most seed starters.  Once your seedlings are grown, you can literally tear off the cell and plant it right in the ground.  The paper decomposes and there is less stress on the plant.  When I try to switch a plant from its pot to the ground, I inevitably lose half of the soil and distrub the roots. As exicited as I was about the worm poop, Terracycle must have had me in mind with these tearable cells to plant.  Go to http://www.terracycle.net/seed_starter.htm  to see a video about this product. They also have great fertilizing products too.  Terracyle products are in Home Depot, Lowes and Wal-mart.

Lastly, coconut coir bricks are another alternative.  Coconut coir bricks expand when combined with water and makes an excellent medium for seedlings.   It also holds water rather than sheds it.  According to Golden Organic,(http://www.ghorganics.com/Cocopeat.html) who sells these bricks,  coco peat expands with 2 quarts of water and makes 4 quarts of material enough to fill up two 72 or 36 cell flats. 

I will let you know how am doing with my seedlings.  This is day 4 and no signs of anything.  I am learning that Gardening and my weblog have a lot in common.  It is all about having patience for your seedlings to grow.

 

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Photo courtesy of Vermontwoods.com 

I  just happened to google the term, “eco friendly,” into google this morning to see what sites I can find.  There is alot of green websites out there and lots of information to share.  I clicked on http://www.ramsayhome.com which is a blog from a Canadian couple building their green dream home in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.  It is chock full of information from other people’s site as well as picture of their development.  This site is worth visiting.  I wish websites like their website were around when I was building.  Go take a look.

 Featured in one of their blogs was http://www.vermontwoods.com .  In honor of Earth Day, they are having a sale until the end of April on their outdoor furniture, which is made out of FSC woods.  I have to admit that the word, “sale” actually drew me to the blog post because green products can be so much more expensive.  I figured I could push off my exercise routine a little longer and take a look. 

I always like to read the “about” and “mission” statements on companies’ websites to get a feel for the companies. Vermont Wood’s website is beautiful.  I practically liked this statement on their outdoor furniture page:

           “When you buy these products from Vermont Wood Studios, you are not only buying a superior quality hardwood furniture product at a extraordinary price.  You are also recognizing the commitment of our company and our carefully-selected partners to conservation of the world’s forests.  You are doing your part to protect the forest and its inhabitants for generations to come.”   

When you look over their website, you will see that husband and wife team, Peggy and Ken Farabaugh truly believe in their mission to protect our forests as well as to draw attention to local artisians right in our backyard producing some of the finest furniture using enviromentally friendly materials.  On their page, Protecting the World’s Forests,  it reads:

         The link between imported furniture-flooring and deforestation-global warming has not gained media attention yet. For example, most people are unaware that up to 90% of the imported furniture and flooring in our houses comes from illegally harvested wood, logged mainly from the rainforest.  Fifty-four of our planet’s 193 countries have lost 90% or more of their orginal forest cover.  By purchasing sustainable eco furniture from Vermont Woods Studios, you are helping to preserve the world’s forests for future generations, and encouraging the further development and deployment of sustainable forestry practices throughout Vermont and all over the world.

I loved the look of their rockers.   Vermont Woods Studios has partnered with Bolivian furniture artisians of LaChonta because they are “well known for their work in crafting the very highest quality furniture, using traditional mortise and tenon joinery.”  Each piece is made out of Bolivian Cherry and Brazilian hardwoods, which far exceed in strength and durability than teak, which is a product used by many outdoor furniture makers.  In addition, buying these products from the furniture artisians of LaChonta helps “to preserve the Amazonian Rainforest and a traditional way of life for the South American furniture craftsmen and their families who work to protect the forest’s future. ” 

You ask why would some people buy a wood product from outside the country?  I asked this question to Peggy.  Her response was that the rainforest hardwoods were more durable than cedar, which is the american wood of choice for outdoor products.  So, I pressed further and asked her why not use a non-tree product such as polyprolene?  I have seen these products sold on the web as well as a local outdoor furniture place.  She further responded that many people do not like plastic and/or do not like to buy petroleum based products.  Good reasons to buy outdoor furniture from Vermont Woods.

 

Go visit their site and invest in furniture that promotes in saving our trees as wells as supports artisians who believe in that mission.  After all,  “Trees are your best antiques.  Alexander Smith “  Let’s keep it that way.

 

  

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I have been waiting for solar panels to become cheaper for years.  It just did not make sense to me that you had to install 96 panels for a 10K system which is suppose to create 13,500 kilowatts for the year if you are lucky.  I would be creating about $2000 worth of electricity per year.    I remember the pay back was over a ten years.   I stuck with my geothermal heating systems. (Another story)

I heard about Unisolar who creates the solar roof shingles.  Everyone told me they were not efficient.  Don’t even look into it, people would say.  I would tell them they are wrong.  So one day I decided to call a distributors to have my hopes dashed when I was told Unisolar only sells them in California.  All these years I have been waiting very patiently.

I learned about this nanomaterial a month ago and said someone up there (you know who) was rewarding me for my patience ( and of course for my recycling efforts). 

 So what is solar Nanomaterials?

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Since I am a new weblog, I was told by my hosting site (Asio.net–totally solar web hosting site!!) to get my name out in different blogs. I did the usual “green” searches and found Green Maven.  I thought what a funny name.  Someone who is a maven about green products?  Green Maven is the first search engine geared toward green only searches.  Their editors review the companies who submit their websites for listing on Green Maven for their green content. 

 Green Maven was started by Joey Shepp in 2006.  His goal was to help others to be able find green news and sustainable products easier.   There are at least 5000 green website on Green Maven.

In an article written by Shepp,  he quotes Lee Ettleman , a reporter at TIME.COM discussing Green Maven,

       “Going green has never been easier than with Green Maven. Editors at the site hand-pick web pages and news items related to the environmental movement—about everythingfrom eco-friendly cities to organic socks—that can then be searched using the Google tool on the homepage or browsed through using a directory.”

 So, how to do you use Green Maven in your daily life.  At the bottom of the website, there is a section called “Share”.  If you want to use Green Maven for your internet searches, then use the following as listed on the website:

 ”On the web:

1. Bring our green search engine with you anywhere on the web! Simply download our Firefox plug-in so your browser will display a Green Maven search box. Anytime you, or your friends and family, are on your computer, you can all use the Green Maven search engine.

2. Add us to your favorite bookmarking sites, such as del.ico.us, BlinkList, or Furl.”

Go visit www.greenmaven.com, and make your green searches easier, but come back here and see if anyone has any opinion about the green products you found.

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Everyone is talking about buying “green” or practicing the mantra, “recycle, reuse, and reduce”.  Different organizations all over the country started to put all these sayings into practice by creating salvage and surplus building supply centers.  Typically, builders order fifteen percent more supplies for their jobs in case some glitch shows up in the building process.  Instead of throwing away good lumber, excess flooring, or kitchen cabinets, a builder or homeowner can bring them to their local salvage center.  Homeowner can even dispose of their older materials when remodeling.  Remember someone’s trash is someone else’s treasurer. 

I decided to visit Build It Green!, a salvage and surplus building supply center in Queens, New York (“BIG!”).  Since I am always looking for reusable materials for my home, I thought this would be a good road trip.  I met with Justin Green, the programming director to survey the salvage center. (It’s just coincidence that the center shares the same name as Justin)   Justin told me that BIG! was formed when the Durst organization wanted to environmentally dispose of its excess building materials when they built One Bryant Park  and its 125 West 31st Street condo development. 

New York City disposes of approximately 13,500 tons per day of non-fill and demolition materials.   BIG! has been in existence for two year and in that time period, this small 17,500 square foot facility with  2 full and  2 part-time employees and trusty mouse catching Jack Russell terrier have sold an estimated 400 tons of building material.  As Justin stated, “It is equivalent to taking 150 automobiles off the road.”  Pretty impressive.

At the facility, there were yards of doors, Prego flooring, sinks, Jacuzzis, and enough kitchen cabinets that could fill up a couple of kitchens. In addition, there was recessed lighting, lumber, plywood, MDF, and two stand-up piano needing homes.  In addition, BIG! has the most beautiful ornate fireplace mantel with attached mirror for sale for $4000.  It is obvious it is worth so much more.  When I arrived even more kitchen cabinets were being delivered. 

BIG!’s most impressive donation came from a family that bought a 2 family townhouse fully renovated. This family decided to turn the two- family townhouse into a one family home.  So, they donated all of the duplicate building materials to BIG!, which included a magnificent German made stainless steel kitchen retailing for $70,000.  It is sitting at BIG! still in its original wrapping.   Built it Green sells their products at approximately fifty percent below retail.  Their goal is to lessening your carbon footprint on the Earth by reusing something that has already been made.  I love a bargain so this store is right up my alley.

I asked Justin what were his favorite materials that he received and he told me it was the lumber.  He believes that reusing materials that have already been manufactured is the ultimate “green” since no additional resources have to be expended (such as cutting down trees)  to create this material.

BIG!, like every not for profit, has its own wish list.  They could use a truck instead of renting one, more full-time staff, and a larger facility so they can take more materials.  If you can help in anyway whether to donate or buy, it is one more step towards conserving the Earth’s natural resources and reducing the impact on our landfills. 

   BIG! is just the tip of the iceberg.  All over the country there are salvage and surplus building supply centers just like BIG!   Each center is unique in its size and what it has to offer.  Construction Junction, a 65,000 square foot center in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania offers a multitude of building materials and salvage items.  Their website contains a catchy slogan, “You can reuse, we can help” reminding you of Home Depot’s saying with a recycling twist to it.  They provide deconstruction services, offer an old window restoration seminar, and give free building materials away to not for profit organizations including women’s shelters and senior homes. In addition, they provide low income families discounts to buy their building materials. 

Maine Housing and Building Material Exchange is located in Gray, Maine. Its founding mission was based on helping low income families and the environment.  Eighteen years later, anyone can shop in one of their three stores but low income families receive discounts for building supplies.    If you need building supplies, searching for that treasure you have always wanted, or just need a place to donate your unwanted building supplies or materials, contact your local salvage center.  Either way, help do your part to “recycle, reuse, and reduce.”  Remember, we only have one Earth.

  For resources to find a salvage center near you:

Redo lists all sort of recycling centers.  Go to “find a redo center”.  Also look at “Redo Subscribers”.  A quick way to find your state on the Subscribers is use ctrl then F (which is “find”) and type in what you are looking for.

  Northeastern Recycling Council, Inc:  Lots of good information on this website.  Also, I noticed Re-do and this website had different information. 

Habitat for Humanity Restores 

Building reuse:  This site contains both not for profit and for profit salvage centers in Canada and the United States.

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Photo courtesy of Professor Christians

I met my friend, Karen, the other day. She looked upset and I asked her what was wrong. She proceeded to tell me this story: I just lost my 2 beautiful dogs to cancer in the last year. They were wonderful dogs. I spoke to the breeder about why both of my dogs died of cancer and she told me the cancer gene runs in their breed. I started thinking about all the pesticides that I have used in my yard over the years and how much my dogs loved being outside. I decided to look into more organic ways to take care of my garden. I have so much crabgrass in my lawn? I have been treating it with a pre-emergent weed control chemicals all of these years. What do you suggest?

Karen knew she could turn to her eco-minded friend and asked how she rids her lawn of crabgrass without toxic chemicals. She reminded me that spring is just around the corner. I am also facing this dilemma because my lawn is new and is eighty percent crabgrass. Pulling it out was not the answer. I tried that last year and the crab grass just laughed at me and said in true Schwarzenegger style, “I’ll be back!”

I had told Karen that we should use corn gluten to treat the crabgrass but I needed to do some more research.

I started to do some searches on the internet and immediately found Iowa State’s Corn Gluten Meal Research Page featuring Professor Nick Christians. His research led to the discovery of corn gluten as a herbicide. I then went to the list of who supplies corn gluten to the public. There were so many distributors and their products had different names. Are all of these products the same?

On another internet site I read that the corn gluten was genetically modified (GMO). That raised a red flag. Would this harm my vegetable garden?

Another internet site stated you should install the corn gluten by your second grass cutting. I knew from all the information that I was reading it is better to apply the corn gluten too early than too late, but what happens if my second cutting was too late? The questions were endless but not enough to keep me up at night, thank goodness.

I took a chance and called Professor Christians. When I reached him, I asked him all of my questions. Of course, my first question was about corn gluten being a GMO product. He explained corn gluten is a byproduct of the corn, and even as a GMO product, corn gluten will not alter anything in my garden or soil. I asked him why they have not created non-GMO corn gluten, and he told me that this version of corn gluten would be very expensive. I still felt uneasy about the corn gluten being a GMO product. So, I asked again how he knew that the applied corn gluten did not cause any genetic modifications in the soil or the turf. He replied, “I have put it on the same plots for more that 17 years and have seen no detrimental effects. In fact, the plots look great every summer.” If you are uncomfortable with using a GMO product no matter what the research shows, this is not the product for you.

Professor Christians recommended applying the corn gluten in the Midwest and North when the forsythia begin to bloom. This is an easier marker to remember than waiting for your second lawn cut.

In the coastal Pacific Northwest, you should apply corn gluten around March 15. In the South, he suggested that you apply it in February.

Apply corn gluten with a spreader at a rate of twenty pounds per thousand square feet. However, in order to not miss a spot in your lawn, apply ten pounds of the corn gluten in one direction and then begin again at a ninety degree angle (a crisscross pattern) and apply the balance of the corn gluten to your lawn. Corn gluten is applied again in the late summer for perennial weeds reduction.

When applying corn gluten, you must wait at least six weeks before seeding your lawn. However, it is best to seed your lawn in the fall. In my case, I will not be using the corn gluten in the late summer because I am still trying to establish a lawn. Since I live in the North, the best time to seed is late summer, which is also the time you would apply the corn gluten.

It takes three years of spring applications before you see the end results. According to the literature I read on the Iowa State’s Corn Gluten website, the first year you should expect to see about a fifty percent reduction in crabgrass and an 85 percent reduction in the second year with the caveat that you applied the herbicide correctly. In addition, corn gluten works best in dry conditions. If there is excessive rain, then the effectiveness of the corn gluten will be diminished. Be patient!! Crabgrass is pretty stubborn.

Since Corn Gluten is comprised of ten percent nitrogen, it is also a great fertilizer for your spring application. Nitrogen causes your lawn to become dense and green. In addition to killing crabgrass, the Corn Gluten Fact sheet on the EPA website lists that corn gluten reduces root formation in eleven other weeds. It takes five to six weeks to decompose and in the meantime, it deters the growth of any seed that is emerging in that time frame. Conversely, due to its nitrogen content, any weeds that exist will be fertilized by the corn gluten.

How do you know which product to buy? Each product is composed of other nutrients other than corn gluten. Everyone should test their soil every three years to find out what nutrients their lawn needs by obtaining a soil test kit at your local county agricultural extension or buy one through the internet. (Check out the link at Outsidepride.com.) Soil testing should be done each year thereafter if your lawn is deficient in any nutrient until your lawn is healthy.

I actually tested my soil last year because it was a brand new lawn. I was given a detailed report of what my lawn needed. Buy the product that contains the ingredients your lawn needs based on your soil test. For example, my lawn needs phosphorus because it used to be a meadow before we built our house. I would buy a product containing this additional ingredient. My friend, Karen, asked me would wildlife camp out at to your property because of the free food. Corn gluten is also in dog food. I thought that was a great question because I already had enough wildlife at my property and did not need to announce there was an all you can eat buffet waiting for my animal friends. Professor Christians assured me that animals would not be attracted to the gluten.

So, whatever happened to my friend, Karen? After my conversation with Professor Christians, I immediately called Karen to tell her of my findings. Karen misses her dogs so much she has started to look for a new puppy who will romp freely on an organic lawn. (Ah, another organic convert.)

As for me, well, stay tuned and I will let you know how my first corn gluten experience was.

For information about where to buy corn gluten, go to the following site to see who distributes it in your area.

Corn Gluten Licensees

Special thanks go to Professor Nick Christians for all of his help (and patience) in developing this article.

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Welcome to Green Talk. I built my house in 2005 using many green materials and found the process very hard. I am not talking about just using eco paint or glass tiles. I am talking about trying to make sure every building material that I used was energy efficient, nontoxic and sustainable. Weighing the costs versus the benefits and making some hard choices. It was a journey that surely is not complete. I am still looking for materials and each day learn more and more. So out of frustration and passion, Green-Talk was born.

This website is all about connection… Me connecting with you about my green experiences, you connection with me about yours, and others connecting with all of us to become more green

My mission is to connect those who made the large leaps and to those who still need a helping hand or those somewhere in between. Many of the posts on this site will be generated by my own personal experiences whether I am looking for an eco friendly material or someone stopped me to ask me a green question. I will be adding a forum to this site because I don’t have all the answers or all of the questions. So join with me on this ride and let’s turn the Planet green, one conversation at a time.   Anna Hackman

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