Andy Grove

Nice bike Dale! Does pedaling charge the battery? Saddlebags are a good idea if you don't mind the look or added weight because they would make your bike wider and more visible to motorists in cars. Are you riding on the street or the sidewalk? You could ride in the ditch with those tires!

Jd, that's ingenious (why didn't I think of that!)! I could layer grass clippings and green food waste between the layers, water, cover with a tarp, and have a vertical compost stack! "Turning" wouldn't be necessary if I waited long enough but if I wanted to speed it up, I could simply "re-stack" with the top layers to the bottom and the bottom layers would end up on top.

Steve, I have two boxers that could have accomplished that back in their puppy days but thankfully they're less destructive in their old age!

Hi everyone! I've been lurking around but this is only my second post in a couple of years. I logged back in and will continue to post when questions arise as this is the most interesting and helpful forum on the internet!

I have access to an almost unlimited supply of newspaper and want to use it in my compost because it's FREE and in practically unlimited supply. Yes, I know that there are concerns about low level toxins and metals in the colored portions of newspaper, but I will limit the amount of colored pages that are going into my compost. I'm just trying to use the resources that are readily available to me.

I am wondering what methods you use for shredding newspaper before composting. The newspaper comes to me in folded stacks (envision a stack of Sunday papers at the store). I have shredded by hand, but am curious about other methods. I have thought about soaking in a kiddie pool of water before shredding or even building a mulcher/shredder out of an old lawnmower, but I'm not sure how effective it would be on newspaper (as opposed to mulching wood).

What's the best/easiest method you use?

Thank you guys for your great responses! We live in a surbaban neighborhood on a surbaban lot. Our backyard is definitely multiple-purpose and we use it as a playground for our three kids (all under the age of four), entertainment (built a large brick patio, grilling, etc), area for our dogs to run around, gardening, and general landscaping. I very much appreciate the idea of introducing new predators into the yard, but at the same time don't want to compromise what we use it for. I think chickens would solve the bug issue, although seperating the dogs from the chickens would mean keeping the dogs in their dog run all of the time which I just wouldn't feel right about. I'm also not sure that I want to constantly hose off the patio from their mess! I like the idea of introducing toads, lizards, and a safe snake (especially to keep away the mice). You mentioned birds as possible predators to crickets and spiders. Are there any birds other than chickens that would enjoy a feast on these bugs and, if so, how would I go about attracting them?

Hi everyone, first time post here! I love reading about the practice of permaculture and the idealistic lifestyle of living with the environment every day as a way of life. I'm new to the concept and frankly am overwhelmed with all of the information out there! My wife and I (and our three young kids) just planted a fall vegetable garden in the backyard and I realized that I really have a big bug problem. First I noticed an unusually high number of crickets. I also killed three black widow spiders. I saw four millipedes. I also noticed new mole tunneling in the yard. My kids play in the backyard quite a bit but now we aren't allowing them to play out there due to the black widows. I could nuke them all (except themoles, of course) with pesticides but really don't want to go that route. We had a warm winter and so bugs in Tulsa have been crazy this year! I would like to find a quick solution in order to protect our new plants, and to protect my kids from both harmful chemicals and dangerous spiders. I feel like this is a complex problem and although I feel a little overwhelmed, I know this is a learning opportunity. Where should I start?