Blue Moon Nursery

People always ask, "What can we do to help the bees?". Well, this is a project that I have been working on to educate people about how spraying an unwanted col...ony of bees can kill many colonies nearby. We are also working with MicheLee Puppets to create an educational puppet show to illustrate this problem. We need your help raising funds to complete this project. Please donate at: www.gofundme.com/beerescue Video by John VonMutius

So daunting. We spent the last 3 days exploring the area burned by the 2013 Rim Fire next to Yosemite... and participating in a US Forest Service tour. Every st...atement of fact about the value of dead trees, every plea to not kill thousands of nesting birds with salvage logging, was met by USFS resistance and denial. A board member of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy (a state agency) rejected the need to care about the thousands of baby birds that will be killed by USFS logging over the next few months. After all, he said, future fires will kill them anyway. $70 million dollars, your dollars, from a Housing and Urban Development grant will be spent logging trees far from any significant housing and urban development to "protect" development from wildfire. What?* Send an email to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and ask them to put pause on this grant so the birds can be saved and an objective review of the science can be accomplished: https://sierranevada.ca.gov/contact-info/ *Addendum. This project is the first major attempt to remove fragile post-fire habitat and grind it up to create "biofuel." Promoted as a fire safety and jobs project, it will actually seriously damage the forest, not protect communities, and cause increased pollution in the poor community where the biomass plant is located... plus increase atmospheric carbon levels.

HOW TO MAKE LEAF COMPOST Compost is the best way to put your leaves to good use. Its many benefits make your lengthy leaf cleanup and composti...ng process well worth it. Best of all, compost is simple to make! Though, it does take time. There are two ways to compost leaves. Leaf compost is a mix of leaves and organic materials, like grass clippings or food waste. Leaf mulch (also called leaf mold) is just leaves and water. If you want mulch to help retain soil moisture, make leaf mold. If you want more plant nutrients and pest and disease control, compost is the way to go. How to Compost Dry Leaves in a Bin or Pile: 1. To start, shred the leaves with a mower, catch ‘em in your mower bag, then: 2. Add leaves to a compost bin, or pile them up in a corner of your yard. 3. Top the leaves with a nitrogen-rich item, like cottonseed meal, grass clippings, food waste, or manure. 4. Build the pile up until it’s three feet tall and wide. 5. Alternate between leaves and a nitrogen product. A good rule of thumb is to use four parts leaves per one-part nitrogen. 6. Turn the compost once a month. But, in winter, the compost process often stops because of the cold temperatures. So, only turn your compost in winter if it’s insulated. 7. When you turn, check for moisture. If you spot dry patches, add water. If your compost smells rotten or looks soggy, dry it out by adding ingredients like leaves, straw or sawdust. 8. Continue turning and moisture-monitoring your compost until it’s ready. 9. Finished compost is dark in color, dry and crumbly in texture, and smells earthy. If you continually turn the pile, you can have compost in a couple of months. But if you don’t turn it in winter, it can take up to a year. Making Leaf Mold in Garbage Bags: Remember, leaf mold is different from compost because it doesn’t add as many nutrients to the soil or fight pests and disease as well. But, it’s great for mulching and controlling weeds. Here’s how to make it: 1. Shred leaves with a lawn mower, and place in a large garbage bag. 2. Water the leaves until they’re damp but not soaked. 3. Tightly seal the bag, and cut a few slits for air flow. 4. Shake the bag every few weeks to turn the pile. 5. Add water to the bag as the leaves dry, which is usually every four-to-eight weeks. 6. The leaf mold is ready when the leaves have become a brown or black crumbly material, which usually takes about six months. So, this leaf mulch will be ready to use in spring! How long does it take to compost leaves? It can take leaves anywhere from a couple months to a year to become compost. So, patience is a must. Or get rid of them faster by simply running your lawn mower over the leaves. The grass will soak up all the leaves’ nutrients! How to Compost Leaves Quickly: If you want to create a traditional compost, use these tips to speed up the process: 1. Turn the pile every week or two instead of monthly. 2. Be sure to use the watering tips above. A pile too dry or too damp will take more time. 3. Keep the leaf mold bag sealed tightly, or cover the compost bin or pile with plastic to help retain moisture. Happy Gardening