domestic delights

NEW: Bokashi Basics - Smale scale composting for small spaces.

lish — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 01:18:12 +0000

NEW: Bokashi Basics - Smale scale composting for small spaces. lish Tue, 05 Nov 2013 - 12:18

Links

http://www.bokashi.com.au

Sidebar

Tips and tricks.

Bokashi buckets cost around $80. A bag of bokashi mix is ~ $10. You can also make your own.

Bokashi is not really composting. It works on the principle of fermentation.

The bokashi bran is the secret ingredient. It's a mixture that contains 'EM' - effective microorganisms - that ferment the waste. It smells good. Without the bokashi mix, the waste turns putrid and smells like something very nasty. You can never add too much bokashi mix but a spoonful over every lot of waste is a good start.

The bokashi system works in an anaerobic (oxygen deprived) environment. You need to squash the waste down to remove oxygen. It doesn't release methane like normal anearobic composting.

The process is efficient - much quicker than normal composting. The smaller the pieces, the quicker it ferments.

It sounds like it wouldn't work but it really does. No smells or flies - the tight fitting lid keep it all neat, tidy and smell free.

The bokashi is a great compost activator. My compost is now going like a rocket thanks to the addition of the bokashi buckets' ballistic bacteria.

It's a pretty simple process: Kitchen scraps are added to a bucket. A small amount of bokashi bran is sprinked over the top and the lid is snapped on tightly. You keep layering up the scraps and bokashi mix* and regularly draining of the bokashi juice and using it as a liquid fertilizer or drain cleaner! When it's completly full you can either dig a hole and bury the waste, add it to your compost or present it as the perfect gift. Wrap in a pink bow and take it to a friend to add it to their compost.

WATCH NOW: How to read your electricity bill

lish — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:36:25 +0000

WATCH NOW: How to read your electricity bill lish Mon, 11 Jun 2012 - 22:36

Sidebar

Tips and tricks

Look at the kWh (kilowatt hours) average daily use. This is how much electricity your house uses each day.

The average Australian home uses 15 - 20 kWh/day.

This is the number to try and bring down. When kWh's come down, costs and emissions come down.

The average daily emission will differ depending on how your electricity is generated. Brown coal will have more emissions than black coal, hydro or green-power will have almost none.

WATCH NOW: How to fix a slimy, smelly, fly-ridden worm farm

lish — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 23:45:44 +0000

WATCH NOW: How to fix a slimy, smelly, fly-ridden worm farm lish Fri, 14 Oct 2011 - 10:45

Fact sheet

If your worm farm isn't operating at peak performance or your worms aren't winning awards at the local show check out these trouble shooting ideas and check out the video.

Too hot: Move to a well shaded area. Cover worm farm with wads of wet newspaper or some wet hesian or carpet. They like to be cool.
Too wet or too dry: Worms breath through their skin and need their world to be moist. Make sure their bedding material is damp but not dripping wet. If too wet add dry leaves, straw or newspaper. if too wet add wet leaves, straw or newspaper.
Too much to eat: Feed worms enough food for them to get through. If they are not eating it quickly it starts to ferment, turn acidic and attract little black vinegar flies. Worms don't like acidic conditions and don't eat this food. Remove the slimy stuff and refeed them with a small amound of frest scraps. You can also add eggshells or garden lime to get the pH balance right.
Wrong food: Don't feed worms onions, garlic, citrus, acidic foods (pineapples, salads with vinegar dressing etc) meat or dairy. They will eat almost anything else.

Sidebar

Top tips and tricks

Worms are uncomplicated creatures. They don't ask for mulch - food, a cool moist place to rest and some oxygen.

If they get too much or not enough of these things it messes with their doshas.

If your worms are not working at peak performance it is most likely due to being:

too hot
too wet or too dry
too much to eat
wrong foods

These are easily fixed up.

WATCH NOW: What's an all-in-one (AOI) cloth nappy?

lish — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:04:16 +0000

WATCH NOW: What's an all-in-one (AOI) cloth nappy? lish Wed, 14 Sep 2011 - 14:04

WATCH NOW: Building up a worm farm.

lish — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 14:34:00 +0000

WATCH NOW: Building up a worm farm. lish Sun, 04 Sep 2011 - 00:34

Links

http://www.livinggreener.gov.au/waste/kitchen-food-waste/start-worm-farm

Fact sheet

What’s this video all about?

Worms worms kitchen scrap and worms. How to build a worm farm using a pre-fab worm farm what to feed them and how to look after them.

Why bother?

Sending your scraps and organic waste to land-fill causes your bin to stink and causes all-round planet-problems. Green waste in landfill produces methane gas – which is 21 times more potent a greenhouse gas than CO2

Worms are natural recyclers. For hardly any effort on your half you they take what we don’t want and turn it into something we do.

Worm farming is easy and rewarding. A discreet worm farm on a shady corner of your balcony or garden will turn most of your kitchen waste into fantastic fertilizer. You will have the healthiest looking plants on the block.

Worm Facts:

Worms like dark cool, damp (not wet) dark conditions.
You must get red wriggler, tiger or indian blue worms for your worm farm. These are the most voracious eaters. Worm farm worms are different to earth worms that live in your garden.
Worms eat almost anything but don’t overfeed them – that is when the worm farm starts to smell, slime-up and attract flies.
The smaller and mushier it is the quicker they eat it. The love: most food scraps, coffee grinds, tea-bags, ripped-up moist paper and cardboard and egg-shells. They have been known to eat children’s homework.
They don’t eat: acidic foods (citrus, pineapple and vinegar), onions, meat and dairy.
Worms have simple needs: that want to eat food scraps, excrete them out as worm castings and reproduce ever 6 weeks.
Worm farms do not smell. If you have a smell worm-farm with little flies (vinegar flies) watch the ‘Trouble Shooting’ Worm farm video to find out an easy way to get your worm farm back on track.
Worm wee (the liquid stuff collected in the bottom tray of your worm farm) should be diluted with water 10:1 and used on your garden.
To make worm-tea take a scoop of castings, mix in a bucket of water and leave for up to 8 hours – no longer as bacteria develops. Pour tea on plants.

Fact Sheet Attachments

Fact Sheet - Building a Worm Farm.pdf

Shopping list

You’ll need:

1 worm farm. Cost: $100

Several companies make these or you could paste an ad in your local Freecycle network or paper to find an old one that is no longer used.

Some local councils also offer worm farms to their residents.

If you want to make your own you can use old Styrofoam boxes or a bathtub (preferably one that you don’t want to have a bath in!)

1 starter box of worms $30/1000 worms

You can buy a box of worms from garden shops/hardware or ask friends if you could have some from their worm farm. 1000 - 2000 is a good start. Global Worming sell boxes of worms bred to munch through scraps http://www.globalworming.com.au/

Common earthworms cannot be used in a worm farm – they aren’t hungry enough to compost your scraps quickly.

Coir (coconut fibre block) $3.00

Available in most garden centres and hardware shops.

Shopping List Attachments

Shopping list for setting up a worm farm.pdf

Sidebar

Top tips and tricks

Worms are low-fuss green waste recycling machines.

Great way of composting green-waste.

Well managed worm farms smell sweet and earthy.

Earthworms are no good in worm farms. You need to get specific composting worms - red wrigglers, tiger or indian blue. These guys are voracious eaters.

Worms like to be kept in a cool dark spot - in Summer make sure they are in a well shaded area and protected from the heat with wads of wet newspaper.

Worms like it to be moist but not dripping wet.

Don't over feed your worms - if they don't eat it your worm farm will turn slimy, smelly and attract little black flies.

The vermicast (worm poo) makes fantastic garden fertilizer. (See how to keep the worm in your worm farm when you harvest it in the GIY video 'Harvesting worm poo')

Troubleshoot worm farm 'issues' with the GIY video on 'Problem Worms'

WATCH NOW: An introduction to modern cloth nappies

lish — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 03:54:01 +0000

WATCH NOW: An introduction to modern cloth nappies lish Mon, 08 Aug 2011 - 13:54

Sidebar

Quick Tips and Tricks:

Modern Cloth Nappies (MCN’s) are, in many ways, like using a disposable but instead of taking the rubbish to the bin, you take it to the washing machine.

Costs:

Rough estimations using 6 nappies/day

Cloth nappies: $8/week (includes up-front cost of nappies, wipes, washing etc)
Disposables: $23/week

Over 3 years bubba is in nappies:

Disposables ~ $3,000 - $4,000/baby
MCN ~ $800 - $1,500/baby

These costs go down if you are using them for more than one child, and passing them on down the line.

What they're made of:

They have 3 main parts:

Waterproof layer – made of wool, PUL, fleece or plastic fantastic (this can be built in or separate)
Absorbent layer – made of cotton, bamboo, hemp, microfibre
Stay dry layer – made of fleece or technical fabric

Sizes:

MCN can come sized or as one-size-fits-most.
Sized nappies will have a slightly better fit but you will have to buy different sizes.
One-size-fits most will be a bit bulkier but last bubba from birth to toddlerhood.

Washing/drying

Most MCN can be washed in a cold/warm wash with the occasional hot wash to give them a good clean out
MCN shouldn't be soaked in a napisan as it ruins the waterproof-layer.
Fabric softeners shouldn't be used as it affects the absorbancy
The more absorbant and thicker the material the longer it will take to dry.
Microfibre dry quickly, bamboo and hemp take longer.
Dry in sunshine for extra-added natural sanitising.

How to choose an energy efficient appliance.

lish — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 03:08:02 +0000

How to choose an energy efficient appliance. lish Mon, 20 Jun 2011 - 13:08

Sidebar

Top tips and tricks

Appliances use around 25% of your household energy, just buzzing away.

The Energy Rating Scheme is a mandatory national labelling scheme for:

Refrigerators.
Freezers.
Clothes washers.
Clothes dryers.
Dishwashers.
Air conditioners.

TV's, computers and home electronics don't have mandatory energy ratings. They are rated under 'Energy Star'.

You might need to do some fiddling of knobs to enable this energy saving function.

REQUESTED: How to get rid of mould in bathrooms without harsh chemicals.

lish — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:02:20 +0000

REQUESTED: How to get rid of mould in bathrooms without harsh chemicals. lish Fri, 25 Mar 2011 - 16:02

COMING UP: Planting and growing your own seeds and seedlings.

lish — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:54:40 +0000

COMING UP: Planting and growing your own seeds and seedlings. lish Fri, 25 Mar 2011 - 15:54

COMING UP: Bokashi Bucket Bits - a great way to recycle your organic waste if you live in an apartment.

lish — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 04:45:06 +0000

COMING UP: Bokashi Bucket Bits - a great way to recycle your organic waste if you live in an apartment. lish Fri, 25 Mar 2011 - 15:45