Fertilize Without the Smell

TerraCycle offers a range of earth-friendly fertilizers.

Gardeners like worms because they aerate soil, priming it for planting; as the critters burrow, they also leave behind nutrient-rich castings that fertilize the vegetation. So it's genius that concentrated, liquefied worm excrement is the secret ingredient in TerraCycle, a line of all-natural plant food. The odorless, spray-on fertilizers are formulated for a range of flowers and grasses; being organic, they are both kinder to the earth than chemical-based options and, according to some experts, are also more effective than their synthetic counterparts.

The idea for TerraCycle arose in 2001, when Tom Szaky, then a 19-year-old Princeton freshman, happened upon a friend's compost bin, which contained a mixture of soil, worms, and food waste. The friend used the resulting “worm poop” (aka, the broken-down organic matter and excrement) as fertilizer. It occurred to Szaky that eco-friendly consumers might be interested in the benefits of the resulting mixture, but probably wouldn't want the hassle and smell involved in making it. A business was born; Szaky and co-founder Jon Beyer dropped out of Princeton to focus on the venture. The duo successfully launched the outfit on their own, even turning down a $1 million prize after winning a business-plan contest funded by a venture capital firm because the investors wanted to work only with Szaky. Today, aside from food for a variety of plants, TerraCycle turns out everything from lawn fertilizer to deer repellent.

The New Look of Vanities

Gone are the days of boring bath furnishings. Give your powder room some character and style with these four combination wash basin and base cabinets. We promise they'll make you look good. —Nicole Sforza, Deputy Articles Editor

	Kohler Mersing This Malaysian-inspired model will add flavor to your bathroom. Bamboo and Burmese Mahogany are hand-scored to achieve the piece's rich, textured finish, while the soft-close hinges ensure that the two doors won't slam. Matching mirror included. $1,850. kohler.com.
	Vanity Flair Artistry Collection Splurge on this curvy Art Deco–look unit made from walnut and maple; it's available in more than 40 finishes. As shown, $13,265; without wood top, $11,675. 770-479-4108, vanityflair.net
	Walker Zanger Zen A meld of Arts and Crafts and Asian influences, this teak vanity features a hammered-copper basin, a limestone top, and two doors with reed inserts. $3,560. 877-611-0199, walkerzanger.com.
	Bristol and Bath Double Open Teak Vanity Put this teak baby in your bathroom or out on the porch—it can withstand the elements. The unit is available with an open bottom section, shown, or with one of five door styles. $1,840. 610-962-9329, bristolbath.com.

 

Happy holidays from our Home to yours!

Top row, from left: Carole Nicksin, senior decorating editor; Carolyn Weber, senior building editor; Angela Riechers, art director, Susan Weiman, assistant to the editor-in-chief; Donna Sapolin, vp/editor-in-chief; Marlene Sezni, deputy art director; Julie Taraska, articles editor. Bottom row, from left: Laura Dye Lang, executive editor; Joel Bernstein, features editor; Nicole Sforza, deputy articles editor; Kitt Harris, photo editor; Rachel Stinson, contributing photo assistant; Christine Cameron, assistant editor.

On-the-Go Gadgets

The latest multimedia electronics store your audio and video collections in one tiny, portable package. Here are my three recent favorites. —Nicole Sforza, Deputy Articles Editor

DogHouse Electronics RoverTv
Record TV content directly onto this handheld device then watch the shows anywhere at anytime. Less than 5 ounces in weight, the gizmo hooks up via A/V outlets to your television and DVD, DVR, VCR, and CD players; it has a programmable, built-in timer and a digital FM radio. Store up to four hours of video or 2,800 songs on its included 2-gig SD memory card. $299 (3.5" LCD screen) to $349 (4" LCD widescreen). rovertv.com.

Pink Gadgets Raise Breast Cancer Awareness, Funds

October is breast cancer awareness month, and now you can support the cause and flaunt the latest tech gear. Numerous electronics manufacturers are launching pink-colored gizmos to back research for the disease, which affects more than 200,000 American women a year. Here are our picks of the crop.

Polaroid I533P Digital Camera
This 5.1-megapixel cutie with a 3x optical zoom features a 2.5-inch LCD screen and 16 megabytes of internal memory. $129, with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Available through Target, target.com.

Gadgets To Get You Through an Emergency

1. Black & Decker's Electromate 400 offers portable power without a plug. Use its 120-volt charger to juice up laptops, cell phones, and radios, while its air compressor function can inflate tires and sports equipment. Leave your car lights on all night? The gadget can also jump-start your battery. $120. 800-544-6986, blackanddecker.com.

2. The ReadyFreddy Emergency Preparedness Kit is a red backpack stuffed with more than 100 items to get your through a power outage. The goods have been separated into five waterproof, labeled pouches; the Light/Power/Communications bag, for example, includes a shake-to-operate flashlight, a hand-crank cell phone charger, a 48-hour candle, and waterproof matches. Other goodies include a three-day supply of food and water for one, a breathing mask, blankets, and playing cards to get your mind off your not-so-desirable situation. $149. 800-731-2860, readyfreddy.com.

Home Grown

Click here to see a gallery of where the Home editors grew up.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Home blog—a multifaceted compendium of the latest and greatest tips, personalities, and products in the home design and retail arenas that goes far beyond what is covered in the pages of the magazine. In reading it, you’ll not only get a ton of fabulous solutions and info, but you’ll also get to know the Home editors a lot better. That’s because they’ll be the ones bringing you all this added insight—in their own unique voices. These folks are entertaining, totally in the know, and they love sharing their finds and ideas—in fact, they’re all but obsessed with the subject of home. I mean, why else would they walk around with pictures of their childhood homes in their wallets? (Well, okay, not all of ’em do, but they’re all willing to write about the same stuff they cover for the magazine, which is lots more work—and why on earth would they do that if they weren’t fixated?) I don’t carry a house photo on me, but I do have a shot of the place I moved into back in 1965 hanging on my bulletin board. I can trace my personal preoccupation with the topic of home to that period.