Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[Terry Wereb <frosted-acres@sbcglobal.net>]

Okay, I must admit, I have been remiss is keeping up
to date with list mail-- I finally sat down and I see
a long line of posts about Ethanol being a "net energy
loss' and I can only assume it is about production
using energy. AM I going to have to get out the
Chemistry notes to figure the overall gain or loss of
energy available for work in regards to the end
product?  Darn!! I thought I could keep Chemistry OUT
of my life! At least the hard stuff, anyway!

The Apartment Gardens are developing-- I have found a
partner in crime-- we are designing a tenant friendl;y
area that will be accessible to all, and-- we are
requesting that all ammendments be natural in form.
there is not much  lawn around the building, so we are
raking up the grass clippings and incorporating them
directly into the dirt. Neither one of us feels
comfortable calling this stuff "soil."  we are
designing the beds with terraces to avoid erosion, and
will be moving some bushes of unknown  species to act
as a windbreak and barrier to unwanted human passage
between our building and the parking garage.

 The rabbits are being dutiful fertilizer factories,
and have provided plenty of nutrition for the berry
and eunonymous that I have  potted behind my parking
space. Those will be moved to their permanent
locations in two weeks-- when it dries up a bit more
out there. Meanwhile, I foresee no shortage of
fertilizer, and maybe in about 3 months, there will be
more fertilzer factories "on the ground"

 I have acquired a few 30 gallon aquariums that I can
use to raise seedlings in. Sort of like small, self
contained greenhouses. I am considering using a kiddie
pool to raise duckweed in- does anyone know if a 4
foot diameter pool is sufficient to raise duckweed in
sufficient amounts for a small flock of hens? Any
ideas if protein content of the Lemna trisulca (Ivy
leafe) is less than that of Lemna minor?(small)

Oh, I Graduate on Sunday, May 7th
 BS in Environmental Science 
I finally will have that piece of paper that gives me
permission to know what I already knew!

Terry  Now, off to read this Ethanol stuff-- how much
are you guys gonna confuse me?