Chicken Hawk Deterrents

We had an unfortunate hawk attack the other day at Better Farm, and sadly lost one of the Rapunzels, whom we rescued last summer from certain death at an egg factory. The tragedy caused us to do a bunch of research on chicken hawks and deterrents for birds of prey. Here's a quick rundown of what we found out, and the steps we took to ensure the Better Farm chickens can enjoy a predator-free, free-range life. (Note: These deterrents will work for most birds, so feel free to use these ideas near fruit trees or anywhere you have problems with birds.)

A shiny, fluttery scarecrow strategically placed (and moved every few days) will ward off flying predators.

Better Farm's terrifying new scarecrow. Fluttering pieces of bright fabric and shimmering CDs helped our scarecrow become more ferocious.

The Problem at Hand

Everyone's got to eat! For hawks, food is scarce in the early spring, winter, and late fall. So if the bird is lucky enough to come upon a property with dozens of grazing, slow-moving prey like chickens, you can bet the hawk (or any other bird of prey) is going to check out what's available—and come back for seconds. A chicken coop can quickly become a delicious buffet for a predator, so if you've got backyard chickens in an uncovered run (or free range), chances are you'll need to take some basic steps to protect your birds.

A Few Solutions

Hawks will be scared off by a few things, but it's important to remember that whatever you do, you'll have to continuously reinvent yourself so the hawk doesn't grow accustomed to your decoys. Here are a few ways people in the backyard birding community have protected their ranging hens during the day:

• Fluttering CDs—If you take some old, scratched-up CDs you're not using anymore and hang them around your coop or chicken run (or from trees throughout your yard), the reflecting light will frighten away birds of prey.

• Mirrors—Hang mirrors at an angle facing upwards around where your chickens like to spend time. Hang them facing all four directions. An easy way to hang the mirrors is to place them, face-up, in the bottom of a plant basket with handle. Hang the basket from a clothesline, fence, tree limb, swing set, or even a trampoline. Or, simply set the basket on the ground.

• Gazing Balls—Gazing balls put out throughout where your chickens hang out will work the same way CDs and mirrors do.

• Scarecrow—A scarecrow decked out in fluttery strips of mylar or shiny fabric and holding dangling CDs will scare away predatory birds—but be aware that you'll need to move the scarecrow every few days so the hawks don't get used to him (or her).

• Mylar—Whether you buy balloons or strips made out of mylar, you can fashion your own shimmery bird deterrent. Hang mylar strips on fence posts, tree branches, or anywhere else you choose.

Garden Days in Redwood!

There are two events slated for April that will give area residents the opportunity to learn more about cultivating gardens, and give people the opportunity to get seeds started in Redwood's very own community greenhouse!

April 9, Gardening Q and A
A question-and-answer session on on gardening is scheduled from 12-2 p.m. at Fellowship Hall in Redwood April 9. Sue Guise of Cornell Cooperative Extension will be there as gardening expert. Learn more about composting, using a greenhouse, keeping pests away, or anything else you'd like to ask.

April 13, Seed Starting
At 11 a.m. Saturday, April 13, The Redwood Neighborhood Association will provide organic, non-GMO seeds to anyone who would like to plant in the community greenhouse. You are also welcome to bring your own seeds. The community greenhouse is located directly next to the Kabel garage and across from the Redwood Tavern on Route 37. This event is great for children as well, who will have the opportunity to learn about gardening, seed selection—and have the chance to get their hands dirty!

Build a 14x14 Cabin for < $2k

Below is a nice video showing how the folks over at Simple Solar Homesteading built a 14′ x14′ cabin for less than $2,000 (for the full schematics, click here). Following that video is one discussing solar and wind installation. The last link is to all the builder's videos. If you are thinking of going off grid, looking to build a cabin or just interested in that lifestyle, his videos are really interesting and informative to watch.

 See all Simple Solar Homesteading's videos by

clicking here

.

Spring Gardening Update

It finally feels like spring! So this morning I went outside to clean out chicken coops, rake our mulched rows in the main garden, peel away some layers of mulch in the raised beds, and commune with 30 very special chickens. I can't even describe how good it feels to get outside and get my hands dirty.

I got half of our peas in the garden on Monday (a bit later than last year's St. Patty's Day planting) and will get the rest in next Monday. In other news, the main garden is twice as big (again), the seedlings are starting to pop inside the main house (they'll move into the greenhouse on Monday, along with a bunch more flats), our chives and garlic are up (!), and the chickens are beyond elated to be worm-hunting and roto-tilling to their hearts' content. Here's a pictorial tour:

(Disclaimer: This is the start of Spring, so please don't expect some designer landscape! The images you see here are of extremely healthy compost and hay working their hardest to bring us the healthiest soil possible. If you'd like more information on how mulch gardening works, please click here. And if you're a skeptic about using hay, cardboard, compost, and all things rotting to have the lushest garden imaginable, check out our 2012 gardens album here.)

I got the new garden rows (established last fall) raked up and ready for planting. The chickens were excited to discover what was underneath all that hay!

 

 

Here's Big Mama vying for the handsomest rooster award: 

 

Rapunzels hanging out:

I went around to our raised beds and lined the insides with cardboard as a weed barrier (avert your eyes from the snow that is STILL hanging around):

Meanwhile, over in the raised beds, we have garlic!

...and we have chives!

Photos will be coming soon of our greenhouse layout, and more updates on the mandala garden started last fall. Anyone who would like to join us in getting the grounds ready for summer can e-mail info@betterfarm.org or call (315) 482-2536.

Natural Dye for Easter Eggs

(Editor's Note: If you don't have access to free-range eggs from well-cared for, happy birds, we'd recommend skipping the whole egg thing altogether and instead making your own

papier-mache

eggs this Easter

)

The Following Article from The Old School

Skip the food coloring and dye eggs the old-school way this year with vegetable dyes and spices. In this tutorial, red cabbage, beets, and turmeric will give you beautiful muted hues for your eggs.

Prep Time:45 minutes

Takes: 1-2 hours

Makes:12 stellar springtime eggs

Costs: $10

Materials

• 12 white, hard boiled eggs

• egg carton

• 2 tbsp turmeric (yellow)

• 1-2 beets (pink)

• purple cabbage (blue)

• salt

• vinegar

• water

• 3 bowls

• slotted spoon

• 3 pots with lids

Overachievers

Make a rainbow.

For orange eggs, try boiled yellow onion skins, carrots, or paprika. For red eggs, try pomegranate juice, canned cherries (with syrup), or cranberries. For purple eggs, try hibiscus tea, boiled red onion skins, or red wine. A handful of dyestuff, or two tbsp of spices per cup of water are handy ratios to follow.

Want To Learn?

Before you color the eggs, learn how to hard boil them perfectly.

Just let the Easter bunny and his basket of pre-manufactured plastic eggs go ahead and hop on by this year — you’ve got better options. Take an hour,

hard boil up a batch of fresh, white eggs

, then color them the natural way using common foods and flowers. Gorgeous springtime results promised — here’s how.

Lesson Plan

1. Boil one quart of water, 1 tbsp vinegar, and 1 tbsp salt in each of three pots.

2. Add a handful of chopped beets to one pot, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes. The longer you simmer, the richer the color will be.

3. Add a handful of purple cabbage to the second pot, cover and simmer for at least 30 minutes.

4. Place 2 tbsp of turmeric in a bowl and pour your third pot of boiling water over it. Mix well.

5. After your ingredients have simmered, pour the colored waters through a clean strainer into your remaining two bowls. You can opt to leave the veggies in, but your egg color will be a bit mottled.

6. Place four eggs into the turmeric bowl, four into the beet bowl, and four into the cabbage bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Remove eggs with slotted spoon. If they are the color you desire, set them in the egg carton to dry, being careful not to handle them too much, which can cause the dye to rub off. If you're looking for a richer color, return them to the water until they meet your needs. If you plan to eat them eventually, move to the refrigerator for the second soaking.

Better Farm Children's Book Now Available!

Cover image for "Starry the Fawn" by Amanda Treco

A new children's book about a very special baby deer is now available for purchase through Better Farm.

Starry the Fawn, written and illustrated by former intern Amanda Treco, is more than a dozen pages that tell the story of Star Wars, a fawn rescued from the wild when she was orphaned just a day after being born.

The cost of $12 includes shipping anywhere in the Continental United States. A portion of all proceeds will go toward sustainability education initiatives and art outreach at Better Farm. Click here to order!

Season Kick-Off Weekend at Better Farm

Community potluck dinner-party season has started back up!

We've got spring fever at Better Farm, and have kicked the season off right by getting seed flats planted, harvesting an aquaponic bounty and copious amounts of free-range eggs, rehabilitating some unwanted plants, making signs for our new trails system, and pasteurizing last year's compost.

Seed Planting
Our artichokes, peppers, mulberries, huckleberries, leeks,  and several other varieties of produce have been planted in flats throughout the main house at the farm. Aloe plants have been divided and repotted to encourage growth for a budding skincare and essential oil line (stay tuned for more information about that!).

Aquaponic Harvest

We have a variety of beautiful, organic lettuces ready to go! Please contact us at (315) 482-2536 or info@betterfarm.org if you would like to place an order.

Egg Heads

The chickens are hip to the season shift and are laying dozens upon dozens of beautiful Ameraucana, Leghorn, and Bard Rock eggs. A dozen eggs is $3 and includes a variety of all the above-listed varieties

Plant Rehab
A trip to Watertown on Friday yielded a handful of sick cactuses and orchids being discarded at a local store that we'll be rehabilitating over the next several months. This "plant hospital" will afford us the opportunity to educated visitors on bringing plants back to life—and keep these beauties from ending up in the garbage.

New Trail-System Signs

Over the weekend a group of us walked the new trail system in Better Farm's woods—and made trailhead signs to guide the way. By summer, we'll have a map to go along with the trails, as well as trail markers and camping sites. E-mail us if you'd like to volunteer on this project.

Compost Pasteurization

We blogged in February about how pasteurizing your compost can benefit from pasteurization:

Many people choose the safest route to prevent hitchhiking seeds and damping-off by buying a pre-sterilized package of potting soil, if you have a large amount of pots and flats to fill, this could be expensive. By taking a couple of extra steps before you begin, you can use your own rich, organic compost. Some people "bake" their soil in their oven to kill micro-organisms. But this process of sterilization kills everything, even the healthy organisms that you have worked so hard to create. The answer is simple: Instead of sterilizing compost and garden soil, pasteurize it. While sterilizing kills virtually all surface-dwelling microorganisms, when you pasteurize your potting mixture, it is only heated to a temperature that kills harmful organisms and leaves beneficial organisms alone.

We experimented with this process, which wasn't as smelly as you might initially imagine; and we've been left with fluffy black soil that's going to be very very good to our seeds and seedlings in the garden.

Recycle Your Cell Phone, Help BetterArts!

Now you can help the environment and support betterArts in one fell swoop simply by sending in your old cell phones, iPods, iPads, and other electronics to Recycling for Charities.

How it works is simple.

Step 1: Collect Old Wireless Cell Phones, PDA's, iPods or Digital Cameras
Those who wish to make a charity phone donation can initiate the process by simply collecting any sort of unused cellular phone, PDA, Palm Pilots, digital cameras or iPods. If you know many people who would like to donate their electronic devices, take recycling a step further by organizing fundraising recycling drive or corporate event. The more people that donate old cell phones, the more the environment and local charities can benefit.

Step 2: Select The Charity To Benefit From Your Donation (betterArts!)
Next, select betterArts from the list of charities. Recycling for Charities then makes a donation on your behalf for each mobile phone, PDA, iPod or digital camera you collect.


Step 3: Mail Items Using Recycling for Charities' Ready-Made Shipping Label
To complete the process, simply print out the shipping label directly from Recycling for Charities' website. Affix the label to your box, pack your collected donations and ship it. It's as easy as 1-2-3!

To learn more about Recycling for Charities, click here.

Spring 2013 Newsletter

Better Farm News - Spring 2013:

• Save the Date: Annual Alumni Weekend, Open House, and Fundraiser Set for May 25 • Rundown of Recent Events • Seeking Instructors for Summer Programming • Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities   Hello, Friends of Better Farm! The groundhog blew it this year. So much for the early Spring we were all hoping for! The season may be buried under several inches of snow right now, but we're determined to find it in the coming weeks. BetterArts has already started the season off right by partnering with the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival last weekend to help to raise money for various charities (more about that below). As we wait for the snow outside to melt, we're busy setting up programming for the Spring and Summer—and as we continue to expand and grow, so do the projects! To meet the growing demand for fresh organic produce, quality programming, and creative and cultural events in the North Country, we're busy as ever preparing for our best season yet. Our seeds have arrived amidst all this wintry weather, and we've been overwhelmed by applicants for the betterArts Residency Program and Better Farm Sustainability Education Program. Our volunteer roster sheet has exploded, as well—a good thing, since our gardens are doubling in size yet again, we're adding a fruit and nut orchard, and have several construction projects in our midst. This newsletter will cover the winter projects behind us, spring and summer projects ahead of us, all the information we've got regarding the big open house and fundraiser May 25, and ways you can get on board with all things Better. If you're in the North Country this April 4, please consider stopping in at a lecture I'll be offering out of the North Country Arts Council Space in Watertown, called "Where Sustainability and Art Intersect." Click here to learn more and register. Please contact us to schedule a visit or tour, swing through our open house and fundraiser May 25, or visit www.betterfarm.org to find out more about what we're doing. Until next time, better be. Nicole Caldwell Executive Director and Co-Founder Better Farm   Save the Date: Annual Alumni Weekend, Open House, and Fundraiser Saturday, May 25 Our annual betterArts fundraiser, Better Farm open house, and alumni weekend is scheduled from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, May 25, 2013, at Better Farm in Redwood, N.Y. This event will be in conjunction with the second annual Artists' Studio Tour. All money raised at the event will directly fund art- and sustainability-related community outreach initiatives in and around Redwood. The day-long festival will feature live performances by local and regional bands, a gallery showcasing artwork by painters, sculptors, photographers, and more, booths featuring art and handmade items for sale, tours of the Better Farm campus, information about Better Farm and betterArts summer 2013 programming, arts 'n' crafts for kids (and adults!), freshly prepared food, a refreshments tent, and more! Overnight accommodations are available as follows:  Camping (porta potties available) $10/night/person  Bunk in shared room $20/night/person  Private room $42/night Vacancy is limited, so please reserve your spot early by e-mailing info@betterfarm.org. We are offering accommodations Friday through Monday, or any night therein. We are currently seeking vendors, volunteers, artists, performers, and sponsors for this event. If you are interested in partnering with us for any of the following opportunities, please e-mail info@betterarts.org: VENDORS: We are looking for vendors who would like to set up a table at this event for informational purposes or to sell goods. A one-day vendor's pass is $15. VOLUNTEERS: We need people's help setting up, breaking down, running the refreshments tent, cooking, working in the gallery, and more. ARTISTS: Individuals who would like to put their artwork up in the gallery for sale are encouraged to contact us for the appropriate paperwork. There is no fee to hang your pieces, but betterArts does reserve the right to a 15-percent commission on all sold art. PERFORMERS: Bands, singer-songwriters, storytellers, and other performers are invited to participate in the festivities. We have a small stage in the Art Barn's gallery space and a larger outdoor stage on the second-floor deck overlooking a natural amphitheater. SPONSORS: Sponsors will have their names or business logos included in all press materials and prominently displayed at the event. Sponsorship levels begin at $50. Better Farm is located at 31060 Cottage Hill Road, Redwood NY, 13679. For more information visit www.betterfarm.org. --- Rundown of Recent Events We've stayed busy this winter! Here's a quick recap of what we've been up to in the North Country: BetterArts Nets >$2k for Irish Festival — In its first year running the first-floor children's room at the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival in Watertown, betterArts netted more then $2,000 for various charities at the event. Arts 'n' crafts and seed-planting projects in the children's room were available free-of-charge, but tickets were sold for all games and face-painting. Proceeds from those sales benefit “Project Children North”, which brings kids from Ireland to the United States, where they stay for 6 weeks with host families. Proceeds from the festival also go to scholarships and other charities such as Wounded Warrior, USO, Credo Foundation, Urban Mission and food pantries within the tri-county area. On first count, betterArts raised $2,147 throughout the weekend. Click here for photos from the event and more information. Better Farm to be Featured in 'Possible' Documentary — Possible is filmmaker Olivier Asselin's documentary project that goes throughout the Northeast visiting with people working on a more sustainable lifestyle. The filmmaker paid Better Farm a visit in February to see how we do things, and will be returning when the weather's warmer to check out the summertime set-up. The first cut of our role in the documentary is available by visiting www.possible.org. Autumn/Winter Construction Projects Completed — To take advantage of a reduction in numbers during the dead of winter, we got busy inside. Follow these links to see the new master bath, renovated downstairs bath, DIY wainscotting project, and new kitchen backsplash. Mandala Garden Installation — Mandala gardens are perfect representations of permaculture in their layout and circular design. Our fall intern, Jackson Pittman, laid the groundwork for a mandala garden within Better Farm's larger garden. Click here for information on that process; and stay tuned to see how we fill it this summer! BetterArts Partners with Hospice — BetterArts on Dec. 8 teamed up with Survivor Outreach Services of Fort Drum and Hospice of Jefferson County to present "A Time of Holiday Remembrance" holiday party for children ages 6 to 12 who lost loved ones. The event, held at Hospice of Jefferson County in Watertown, featured arts 'n' crafts, a lunch, and cookie decorating. BetterArts participated by inviting families to join in the making of a photo frame collage in honor of their loved ones for the last hour of the event. Children and their family members were encouraged to bring in photos for that activity. Funding for the collage supplies was made possible through a donation from Watertown Evening Rotary. Click here for photos from the event and more information. Art Class Draws on Our Adopted Fawn — An art teacher in Fayetteville, N.Y., brought something a little bit "Better" into the classroom this school year when she did an applied project with the students drawing on inspiration from our summer foster doe, Star Wars. Named "Star Wars" by the little boy who found her, we had the fawn in-house until one day she took off to be free (making several visits back to let us know she was okay). Joan Applebaum is an art teacher at the YMCA in Fayetteville (and a totally amazing artist herself), and read all about Star Wars on our blog. She shared the story and photos with her kindergarten students, who fell in love with Star Wars. So Joan came up with a "Nest for Star Wars" project... "The students are all 5 years old and we were working with the idea of drawing and cutting out a few simple shapes to help us form the body of the deer," Joan told us. "After the students glued all the parts to the paper, they added the white spots on the baby deer's back, a white cotton puff for the tail, and then used natural items such as twigs and leaves to create the nest. The project turned out great!" ---   Seeking Instructors for Summer Programming Do you have a special skill you'd like to share? We're looking for instructors for everything from outdoor survival to bead-making. Whether it's the arts or gardening that you're an expert at, we'd love to hear from you! Arts instructors should visit www.betterarts.org/teach-for-us to download an instructor's form. Those interested in sustainability-related education, please email info@betterfarm.org for more information. --- Upcoming Events and Volunteer Opportunities We're just getting started on Spring projects, and we need your help! Peruse this list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and North Country events to see where you'd like to get involved. To get on board with any of these activities, please e-mail info@betterfarm.org. Better Orchard — Better Farm is getting a small fruit and nut orchard this Spring! In addition to our Dwarf Reliance Peaches and apple trees already on the property, we will be planting almost two dozen more trees both inside and outside. The list includes: 3-in-1 citrus tree (indoors), Banana Plant (2 indoors), Brown Turkey Fig (2), Carpathian Walnut (2), Chandler Blueberries, Goji Berry, Kiwi Collection (2 females, 1 male), Manchurian Apricot (2), and Paw Paw Tree (3). The planting will happen in May (exact date determined by arrival of immature trees). Lecture Set April 4 — BetterArts President Nicole Caldwell will present a lecture, "Where Sustainability and Art Intersect", at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 4, at the North Country Arts Council gallery space in Watertown's Public Square. The lecture is part of the arts council's "Lucky Seven Lecture Series", a seven-part installment featuring different takes on the arts. The lectures are slated for seven Thursdays at 7 p.m., costing $7 each. Caldwell's lecture will address the intersection between sustainability, art, and social responsibility. Sustainability issues are steeped in science and fact; but the science of sustainability also involves values-based questions, which may be best answered creatively. Caldwell will share examples of this intersection from several specific projects she has been involved with in her non-profit organization betterArts and and offer insights on how art can provoke people to consider their perceptions of sustainability. Partnership with School Seedling Program Enters Second Year — Better Farm is entering its second year of a partnership with the Department of Environmental Conservation's School Seedling Program, which seeks to encourage young people to learn about the natural world and the value of trees in it. We will invite local youngsters this spring to join us for a morning of planting 50 white spruce seedlings on our property, our mission being to provide visitors to Better Farm with the knowledge of how beneficial trees are to the environment. Those interested in participating or volunteering can contact Better Farm. Better Farm to Host International Students This Summer — As part of its 2013 programming, Better Farm is partnering with Cultural Homestay International to host two college students from abroad on the Better Farm campus May through September while they work at Bonnie Castle in Alexandria Bay. Cultural Homestay International (CHI) is a non-profit educational organization founded in 1980 to promote international understanding and goodwill through people-to-people exchanges. The belief of CHI's founders was this: The best way to build bridges of friendship and trust among people is to experience directly each others' customs, languages and values. To live, study or work together leads to a transformational experience of acceptance and genuine affection. To that end, Better Farm will house two college students from May through Labor Day while they work in Alexandria Bay at Bonnie Castle. The students, who are studying hospitality overseas, will be part of the more than 250,000 students and young adults from over 100 countries who have participated in CHI's program in the last 30 years Future Volunteer Opportunities — We have many projects coming up (dates to be determined) that we are seeking help with. Get in touch with us if any of the following interest you: hobbit house or earth ship construction, planting seeds in the greenhouse, readying the grounds and gardens, compost bin construction, chicken coop repair and construction, drip irrigation, rainwater catchment, sauna construction, exterior painting, basic carpentry/construction, sign creation. Connect with us: Website Facebook Blog Merch Share this email: Contact Us: Better Farm 31060 Cottage Hill Road Redwood, NY 13679 315-482-2536 info@betterfarm.org view email in browser | unsubscribe | update your profile | forward to a friend

Better Farm is an education center and artists' retreat founded in 1970 on the principles of the Better Theory—a belief that every experience brings with it an opportunity for exponential personal growth. Through educational workshops, artist residencies, work-shares, and an ongoing commitment to sustainable living and community outreach, we strive to apply the Better Theory to all our endeavors while offering the curious an opportunity to expand, grow, and flourish. Copyright (C) 2013 Better Farm All rights reserved.

Whet Your Pallet

This pallet adirondack chair was featured on Green Upgrader.

Building with pallets is a great starter upcycling venture. They're made of solid hard wood, they're readily available (just track down some friends who work construction), and they're oft-abandoned after they serve their purpose. Here are just a few wonderful ideas we tracked down online over the last few months.

For compost bins:

...For tables...

...For shelving...

...For storage...

 ...For seating (or sleeping!)...

...For outside bars:

...For work-room stairs...

...For bringing in-house forts to a whole new level...

 ...for plants...

...for storage...

Got a great upcycling idea you'd like to share? E-mail us at info@betterfarm.org.

BetterArts Raises Funds for Charities at Irish Fest

In its first year running the first-floor children's room at the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival in Watertown, Redwood-based nonprofit betterArts hosted a successful fundraiser for various charities at the event. 

Arts 'n' crafts and seed-planting projects in the children's room were available free-of-charge, but tickets were sold for all games and face-painting. Proceeds from those sales benefit “Project Children North”, which brings kids from Ireland to the United States, where they stay for 6 weeks with host families. Proceeds from the festival also go to scholarships and other charities such as Wounded Warrior, USO, Credo Foundation, Urban Mission and food pantries within the tri-county area.

The cover of Watertown Daily Times' Northern New York Section March 17, 2013.

Here's what the children saw upon entering the room:

And here are some photos of the event in full swing:

Here's a closer look at all the activities betterArts offered Saturday and Sunday:

 ...A "Plant the Seed" station, where children merged art and sustainability by planting organic seeds into biodegradable pots, then using water-soluble paint to decorate said pots:

...A table where kids of all ages could make leprechaun ears:

...A jewelry-making station:

...Face-painting...

...A "Make Your Own Insect" table where children used egg cartons to create ladybugs, bumblebees, and caterpillars (or anything else they could dream up):

...A build-your-own planter station utilizing strips of newspaper:

Cornhole and bean-bag toss:

...A fishing game:

A million thank you's are in order for the entire betterArts family (in particular marketing director Holly Boname for organizing the event and programming director AmberLee Clement for coordinating volunteers), all the amazing volunteers throughout the weekend, the support of all the children and parents who stopped in to play and be creative with us, and of course the North Country Goes Green Irish Festival for welcoming betterArts into the fold for the festivities. We've signed on to bring all the fun back again in 2014—in the meantime, please be sure to stop in at betterArts' Annual Open House and Fundraiser May 25 at Better Farm.

If you would like to book betterArts for your next event or help us out at ours, please e-mail info@betterarts.org. BetterArts board meetings are held at 7 p.m. the first Thursday of every month at Better Farm, 31060 Cottage Hill Road, Redwood. For further information about the organization or to become a member, visit www.betterarts.org.

Spotlight On: Insect Hotels

From Inspiration Green:

Tidy gardens, chemically fertilized lawns, and a lack of dead wood in suburban/urban areas mean less and less habitat for wild bees, spiders, and ladybugs. You can combat this issue by creating an "insect hotel" to attract beneficial insects (read: pollinators and pest controllers) to your yard and garden. Read on for some beautiful ideas!

Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the approximately 20,000 known species of bees. No honey bees existed in the Americas before their introduction by Europeans. An insect hotel will attract these and many other kinds of bees, as well as hundreds of other beneficial insects.
 
Insect hotels are also known as:
Bug condos, bug hotels, insect habitats, wildlife stacks, insect boxes, insect houses, insect walls, wild bee walls, insect accommodation, wild bee houses, solitary bee walls or wild bienenhaus.

Who lives in Insect Hotels:
Wasps (cuckoo wasps, parasitic wasps, and many other kinds), dragonflies, beetles, lacewings, ladybirds. moths, spiders, frogs, newts, hedgehogs, and bees (leafcutter bees, masked bees, mason bees, digger bees, bumblebees, and hundreds more).



Another thing about bees:
Bumblebees nest in hollow trees and in rodent burrows. They are among the first bees to emerge in the spring and the last to disappear in fall. They are superb pollinators of tomatoes, blueberries, cranberries, clover, and more. Bumblebees can “buzz pollinate” by hanging on a flower and vibrating with their flight muscles to release pollen. Mason and Leafcutter Bees select existing hollow stems and bored holes in which to build their multiple nest chambers. They carry pollen underneath their bodies rather than on their legs like most bees. Mason bees are first-class pollinators of many fruit crops, toiling long hours and in inclement weather. Squash and Gourd Bees help pollinate up to eighty percent of squash, pumpkins, and melons. They are ground nesters, so it is important to leave some open dirt for the these very important bees as well.

The Photos
Here are some photos of particularly amazing insect hotel designs. The basic execution of the idea can be facilitated using scraps and things you have lying around your garden shed, garage, or yard. Check these out:
  


A wildlife stack can harbor numerous beneficial insects and amphibians. www.metrofieldguide.com



Wildlife stack. Some creatures like it damp, others (like bees) dry. Ladybugs hibernate during winter in piles of dry twigs and leaves, which you can provide in your insect hotel. Might be better to think of it as habitat or a condo, as you really want long term residents. Photo by Sarah Barker at the Shrewsbury flower show.



Bug hotel in Oakham, UK. Although often called a hotel, some bees will live in a nest for up to nine months as they develop from egg, through the larval stage, into adulthood. Photo by Anne Crasey. www.flickr.com


Solitary bees like sun. The ideal location for an insect hotel is in full sun and protected from the weather. This will ensure that the heat required for the brood is present, and wind or rain will not destroy their nest. Provide that, and the flowers, and they will come. www.sav-überlingen.de



Insect hotel in Hamburg, Germany. Wild bee houses have been popular in Europe for many years. insektenhotel24.de




Insect hotel at the Heimanshof, North Holland.
Many solitary bees are very small and you may not have realised they are bees. More species of bees live alone, than in hives. Wild bees are considered to be as important to the food chain as bumblebees and honeybees. Honey bees are not native to the Americas (see below). Photo by Bob Daamen www.flickr.com.




Insect home or bug bank, on the grounds of Oxburgh Hall in North Norfolk. Because solitary bees have no hive to defend, they are not aggressive, they rarely, if ever, sting. Photo by Mabvith flickr.com.



Insect hotel in Helmsley, UK. Hotels should be relatively close to flowering herbs, wild flowers and native shrubs and trees to cover the food needs of the insects. Photo by Munki Munki, www.flickr.com.



Solitary bees are different from social bees (such as honey bees) in that every female is fertile and makes individual nest cells for her offspring. Some native bees are ground nesters but more than 30% are wood nesters. The female wood nester will look for pre-existing cavities such as hollow stems or holes in wood that are just the right size to use as a nest.

The female typically creates a series of compartments (cells) and within each cell she will lay an egg on top of its future food source. The female bee will make numerous foraging trips to flowers collecting pollen and nectar that she will pack into each cell. It is on these trips that the female wild bee acts as a pollinator for plants and food crops. It can take anywhere from 20 to 30 trips to fill each cell with food. When she is satisfied with the amount of food, she lays an egg, compartmentalizes the cell, and moves on to creating the next cell. When she feels the chamber is complete, she seals off the end, and moves on to filling a new chamber. The last cells (those closer to the opening) contain eggs that will become males, as males hatch before females. Although each species is different, mason bee females live for about a month, and can build a cell nest for about two eggs every day. The larva hatches from the egg after a week or more and begins to eat the provided pollen and nectar. After the food has been eaten, the larva spins a cocoon and pupates within the cell. By the end of summer or early fall, the bee transforms but remains in the cocoon as an adult throughout the winter. In spring, the males begin to emerge by chewing their way out. The females, which are almost always in the deeper cells of the tunnel, emerge a week or two later.

While solitary females each make individual nests, some species prefer to make nests near others of the same species, giving the appearance to the casual observer that they are social. Nest photo by Mike N. of Vancouver, BC.



Insect hotel in Hoofddorf, Holland. Drilled 4 x 4s, logs, twigs and sticks. There are many different species of solitary bee, all are excellent pollinators. Photo by Bob Daamen, www.flickr.com





Insect hotel in St. Poelten Landesmuseum, Austria. That shutter will keep the birds out. Photo by Klasse im Garten, flickr.com.



Bug stack. Keep an eye on activity as some ants will eat bee larvae.



Insect Hotel.



Bug Mansion.
Ladybugs are always looking for places to hide and escape from the weather. By the Harrogate District Biodiversity Action Group.



Wildlife stack by Dawn Isaacs. How-to: www.guardian.co.uk



Insect Condo in Scotland.
Photo by Sheila, flickr.com



Wild Bee Hotel in Austria.



Bee Condo.
Photo by Sissi de Kroon, flickr.com



Insect Hotel in a private garden in Austria.



Insect Hotel, Ebersberger Forest, Bavaria
Photo by Terry Cooke, flickr.com.



Insect Hotel (Zen-like)



Place cut bamboo in metal pipes.
Photo by Bob Daamen. www.flickr.com



Wire screening keeps the small stuff in place and protects against birds.
Photo by Joeke Pieters, flickr.com



Wild bee house in the Black Forest, Germany. Photo by Michael Bohnert. www.flickr.com



A fun learning project for kids.



Insect hotel in the Netherlands, close-up.
flickr.com



An 'Insect hotel' at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in Jersey ©RLLord,



Insect Habitat assembled from foraged organic materials and reclaimed scrap, a habitat-in-waiting for bees and other native creatures. By Kevin Smith and Lisa Lee Benjamin. floragrubb.com




Insect Habitat at The Garden Tulln, Austria.
www.flickr.com




Insect Hotel in Germany.
www.wildbienen.de




Bug hotel by Lisa and Andrew Roberts (Living Willow Wales) at Ysgol Pontrhydfendigaid. andrewroberts.net





Bug hotel created by kids at the RHS Flower Show, Tatton Park. flickr.com
 
How To:

(A Must Read: Our Polinators Need a Home!)
For a simple hotel, drill holes 1/4" to 3/8" in the ends of logs, or cut some bamboo sticks of equal length, and stuff in a wooden box. Layer old pallets. Logs, drift wood, cut bamboo, straw, dry reeds, roofing tiles, cob. Do not use softwood for bees, as the drilled holes might fill with resin and suffocate the bees! Make sure all wood is free of chemical preservatives.

Further Reading:

• www.foxleas.com/bee_house 
• www.merthyr.gov.uk 
• resonatingbodies.wordpress.com 
• www.guardian.co.uk 
• Ulster Wildlife Trust, how to build an ‘insect hotel’ habitat.
• Making a Bug Hotel

Lots more inspiration here: flickr.com/groups/insecthotels

Better Orchard

The goji berry is just one of the new fruit trees gracing Better Farm's orchard in 2013.

We have in the last several years made a few fruity forays in the gardens at Better Farm with blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, cantaloupes, and watermelon. Last year we upped the ante with two dwarf reliance peaches that can withstand -25° temperatures. This year, we're going all the way with a cacophany of fruit and nut trees that should begin producing in the next several years. We'll be able to can, dry, and of course eat and sell this produce fresh. Here's a rundown of what's going in the ground this year:

Better Farm's main garden. Orchard area will be outside the garden along Cottage Hill Road (area circled in green.)

ORCHARD LIST

• Banana Plant (2)— The Dwarf Musa Banana is a fast-growing plant that grows 5-6' tall indoors and has big, shapely, leathery-looking leaves. It usually bears tasty, yellow 5" bananas within 2-3 years. No extra care needed. This plant is hardy outdoors in areas that do not encounter frosts. Otherwise, plant should be kept indoors during the winter.
• Brown Turkey Fig (2)—These figs make for great eating, fresh or dried. The Brown Turkey variety is selected for winter hardiness and fruit quality. The hardiest variety known, it grows in New Hampshire, Northern Wisconsin, Iowa, and South Dakota. This tree must be covered before temperatures drop below 10°. Brown Turkey Figs are grown successfully here in Canandaigua. Plant 10 ft. apart or in tub. 1 1/2 to 2 ft. trees. Shipped spring only. Zones 5-9, self pollinating. 
• Carpathian Walnut (2)— Carpathians produce large crops that are easy to harvest. Trees start to bear from four to seven years after planting. An average crop for a 15-year old tree is about 3 to 4 bushels of shelled nuts. At maturity, the hull opens and the nuts fall to the ground. This planting stock comes from the Carpathian Mountain Highlands in Poland. Beautiful, dark-green tropical foliage. No roots near the surface. Grass grows right up to the trunk. The Carpathian Walnut grows in beautiful symmetrical form with strong sturdy limbs that won’t break from wind or ice. Fast-growing, cool, dense shade. Free from most diseases. Carpathians have survived 25-30° below zero with no dieback or winter injury. Carpathians grow fast. The first year while becoming established, growth is only medium. Once established they make as much as 4-5 ft. of new growth each year. They grow best on deep fertile clay, loam or sandy soils. Carpathian Walnuts Produce Large-Fine-Flavored Nuts Nuts are almost identical to California walnuts. Many are much larger and we think better flavored. The thin shelled nuts crack easily in halves and whole. Kernels have a delicious flavor, free from bitterness with an attractive light color. Zones 5-9. Plant two trees for proper pollination.
• Chandler Blueberry (1)—Chandler has all of the qualities of what makes an exceptional blueberry. Delicious, sweet flavor makes the Chandler ideal for baking and eating fresh, the long ripening season that provides harvest from mid to late season. Ornamental plant is 4 to 5’ at maturity and hardy to approximately -10 to -15 degrees. Self-pollinating Chandler will also pollinate with your other favorite blueberry varieties. 1 to 1 1/2' vigorous plants. Zones 4-7 (Note: this plant will join our other three flourishing blueberry plants inside the garden.)
• Dwarf Reliance Peach (2)—Plant breeders at the University of New Hampshire developed this peach tree, which can survive and produce delicious fruit after 25° below zero. Reliance is tops in quality—fruits are medium-to-large, round, with bright-red attractive cheeks splashed over a yellow skin. Reliance has a bright yellow, firm flesh that is honey sweet, fine-flavored and comes free from the pit. The stone will not cling, even in coldest, driest seasons. The pit is smaller than any other peach. Reliance fruit ripens with Golden Jubilee or about mid-August. Zones 4-8. Peaches are self-pollinating. Plant dwarf trees 10’ apart. Mature height 8-10’. 
•  Goji Berry (1)—Goji berries have one of the highest antioxidant values of any whole foods and can be eaten fresh, dried, or frozen. Delicious taste is like a blend of raspberry, cranberry and strawberry. Leaves can be eaten as a vegetable or used to make teas. Purple and white flowers start in May followed by berries in early fall. This vine grows more than 10' tall, but should be cut back to 5' in fall for better fruit production the following year. Self-fertile and drought resistant, but avoid acidic soil. pH should be 6.8 or higher. Plant in full to partial sun. Also known as Wolfberry or Matrimony Vine.
• Kiwi Collection (2 females, 1 male)—This cold-hardy strain is a big improvement over the fuzzy, brown-skinned Kiwi. This rare kiwi is a much sweeter tasting fruit. Grows much further north than the regular kiwi. Fruits average about 3/4-1 1/2" in diameter. Tastes somewhat like a tangy combination of strawberries and pineapple. Fruit will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months. The hardy Kiwi is somewhat similar to the grape vine, only much faster growing. Under ideal growing conditions it will grow up to 5" a day—and reach a height of 8' the very first year! It will quickly climb a trellis or wall. Its thick mass of bright green leaves will soon cover ugly service areas, stumps, even old buildings. Then in late May, lovely white, camellia-like flowers will appear to fill the air with a fragrant lily-of-the-valley scent.
• Manchurian Apricot (2)—In spring, dazzling pink snowflake blossoms pop out even before the leaves. In summer this tree produces an abundance of rich-flavored, red-cheeked apricots for eating fresh, canning and freezing. Self-pollinating but more fruitful when you plant with another variety.
• Paw Paw Tree (3) — The Paw Paw Tree is an ornamental tree that produces sweet, banana-flavored fruit. It grows to 30', has fragrant purple blooms and large, drooping leaves. Fleshy, oblong-shaped fruit makes unique-flavored pastries and breads. Paw Paw Tree fruit grows 3-5" long and weighs up to 8 oz. with 3-7 in a cluster. Sub-zero hardy and insect-free. Plant two trees for pollination.