Urban Homestead Project Update

Quick update on the project:

Officially put the container plants outside this weekend, as everything I've read says that May 1st is a good time for planting outdoors in my area. Missouri just needs to pull through with no more freakish overnight frosts now, as I'm not lugging those heavy things back inside again. So far they actually seem to be doing better after the initial shock of being outdoors. Went back to the nursery on Sunday and got a few herbs to replace the ones that didn't make it indoors. New basil, thyme, lavender, chives and dill seem to be settling in nicely, while the original sage, mint, parsley, and the tomato are going strong. I saw tons more vegetable, fruit, and berry plants I wanted to snatch up at the nursery, but after my last bout of overenthusiasm, I'm taking things slooow.

The worms are doing well. Last week they enjoyed some old bread, watermelon rind, and squash. I dug down through the layers a bit and am seeing some nice looking compost already! Also, the BF and I saw this at Target over the weekend and got really excited. Its a worm bin made by MIO for Target. We checked over it very carefully and decided that the design is actually really good. each of the two layers have holes in the bottom to allow for migration of the worms, and there's a little black plastic spigot in the bottom to drain of any liquid that accumulates. I'm not sure about the holes in the lid as the worms might try to escape out them, and there are no holes in the sides to
allow for ventilation of the compost. The price at $99 was also significantly higher than my $15 homemade setup, but this one is visually a lot better than mine. Overall it looks nice, and seems to have a good basic design. I'm excited to see a product like this in the mainstream.

Also thought I would share these instructions from Merwing's Flickr for making your own Swiffer duster reusable refills. I'll admit, I do love my Swiffer mop and duster because of the ability to start with a totally fresh cleaning tool, and let's face it, they work great. I don't feel like I'm spreading old dirt around. I don't like throwing away a bulky floor pad, or used duster head as often as I do though, so this could be a great solution. She uses microfiber cloths (I already have a bunch that I use in place of paper towels for windows and surface wipedowns) that can be found in the cleaning section of most stores now. They require a minimal amount of sewing that could be done on a machine or by hand, and they're washable!