Vermicomposting

We first got our Worm Factory Worm Bin in July right after the holiday. We set-up our bin on July 8th and on the 10th our live worms (Eisenia fetida or red wigglers) arrived in a relatively small cardboard box with holes punched all around it.

I hurried to the door soon after it was delivered around 4pm to retrieve it from the hot front porch. The high temperature was 106 degrees that afternoon. That was the hottest day we had had. Very unfortunate. I know the mail trucks don't have air-conditioning. We had watched the Worm Factory video about vermicomposting and we knew that the worms handle cool temperatures much better than warm and 106 degrees is very hot - too hot for the red wigglers. 

After bringing them into the house and opening the cardboard box to cool down for awhile, I opened the sack they came in and poured them into their new home. They were pretty limp and not active. Now was the watch and wait period to find out if they could recover from a horrendous mail trip like that. My take on it is that many of them (1000 to start I think) did not make it. After their rest period they did not go through the handful of kitchen scraps as expected. It has been very slow going.

We bought the 5 tray Worm Factory bin and of course started with one tray. Finally in Sept.-Oct. we graduated to two trays, with the first tray still containing egg shells with what we hoped were nests of babies and also some material that was still not completely broken down. 

Finally in December, after adding a third tray, I was able to make my first harvest of our very own worm castings. This is one trays worth of worm castings. This is so exciting!

The worm bin and its contents are so fresh. It smells good - a very very mild earthy scent and feels good in the hands. The small pieces that are not dark brown in the mixture are pieces of egg shells (brown eggs). I crushed many of the shells, but also added some that were half shells as well as small pieces. Part of the mix sent with the Worm Factory kit included some small pumice rocks which a couple can still be seen.  No other material is evident in our very first harvest of worm castings. Pumice rock and Coconut coir block for worm bedding came with the bin, as well as a thermometer, a scraper and the yellow rake shown in the picture above.

Below is some great information from the Worm Factory - there is a difference between Vermicompost and worm castings.

First you need to determine if you have true worm castings, or vermicompost.  What's the difference? 

Worm castings are essentially worm poop.  Worm castings are the result of the red wiggler worm eating the decomposed organic matter and passing it through their gut.

Vermicompost is a combination of worm castings, decomposed, and/or partially decomposed organic matter that has not yet been processed by the worms.  Vermicompost may contain some organic matter that is still identifiable.  Generally, vermicompost will mostly be made up of worm castings.  However, if you still have a small amount of decomposing organic matter it will decide how you store your vermicompost.

The partially decomposed organic matter in vermicompost continues to break down during storage. If you store actively decomposing organic matter in an airtight container it will cause anaerobic decomposition, which results in foul-smelling, plant-toxic by-products.  Also if the vermicompost dries out it prevents further decomposition, and often causes it to become impossible to re-wet (hydrophobic).

The best way to store vermicompost is to first dry it until it is damp, not wet.  This will ensure sufficient air penetration through the material to prevent anaerobia.  Once it is damp, you will want to store it in a non-airtight container.  If you store it this way the vermicompost slowly stabilizes in an aerobic environment and has a shelf life of more than three years.

Storing true worm castings is much easier, since they are essentially stable and can be both stored in airtight packages and dried to 5% moisture with no loss of plant growth impact.

In order to test if you have vermicompost or true worm castings you can seal a small handful in an airtight plastic bag.  When you open the bag after a few days and it smells like deep, earthy soil, then you have worm castings.  If it smells putrid and foul then you have vermicompost and should be stored in a non-airtight container.

Home Grown Tomatoes

This is great!  Especially since it is tomato season!!!

Thank you John Denver!



Enjoy!

Wonderful Wonderful Raspberries and More!

Raspberries and Boysenberries

It is that time of the year when fresh raspberries are available from early summer to fall when you grow them yourself.  Raspberries are easy to grow in most places. At this time I just grow the red raspberries, but plan on planting some black raspberries (which are firmer than the red) in the future. 

A year ago I attempted to transplant many of my raspberry plants to a bit shadier bed that I created under the edge of my grape arbor. The transplanted plants are growing okay (especially if I keep up the watering), but they are not producing this year. I was planning on moving some boysenberries into the old raspberry bed this year. These boysenberries where bred over a number of years for this area - in fact for my very neighborhood. Oh, and I forgot to mention that they are thornless.  

The old raspberry bed is producing lots of berries everyday (Yumm!), so I will leave them alone until the end of the season.  I have been eating them for breakfast on a little cottage cheese. Here was today's bowl of raspberries and a couple boysenberries. So wonderful as they melt in my mouth. And of course it is hard not to graze when picking a basket of them. They have such a rich delicate flavor. Raspberries are so easy to harvest and the tiny tiny thorns/stickers are almost indiscernible. The only time I feel them is when I am breaking/snapping out old dead canes. Yet, I have solved this problem by buying a new raspberry cane cutter. It is a very cool tool with a curved blade that makes it easy to snap/cut out old canes. It was a Christmas present to myself this last year. 

According to an October/November 2002 Mother Earth article, "Raspberries are high in fiber and vitamin C, and are a rich source of the anticancer compound ellagic acid. Black raspberries are especially fruitful in antioxidant and cancer preventive agents. Fresh raspberries are highly perishable and are best used within one to two days for peak quality, flavor and nutrient content. Rinse berries with cold water just before using."

This is my first year for getting a good crop from the boysenberries. I have only had them for a little over a year. I have been freezing them to bake a boysenberry pie. I am sure I have enough now, but they keep coming on, which is a wonderful surprise.

My blackberries will start later in the summer, which is nice. I have had these plants for many many years and they are thornless too! I freeze lots of blackberries every year.

I use my frozen berries in pies, cobblers and muffins. Sprinkle over cottage cheese, ice cream or pancakes and they make for a real treat.  Or one can make a quick raspberry (or any one of these berries) berry spread by mixing 2 tablespoons crushed berries with 1/3 cup soft butter and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.

So, the main question I am currently pondering is what kind of berry (other than blueberries - which I have 2 plants already) will I plant next and where in my very intensively planted backyard city farm/garden will they live?

I hope you seriously entertain the idea of growing berries. They are so easy to grow and offer wonderful rewards.

Things Grow Big in My Garden

I have had this pink grapefruit tree for about 30 years. It is so dependable. We just have to remember to harvest which is most of the year. I think the down time between crops is about 2 months. I can live with that!

That is an iphone next to the grapefruit.

This photo shows that it is about 6 inches in diameter
and also 6 inches tall.
Every year we get a few of these huge fruits.
The lemons are really large too.

I believe Spring is finally here!

This month we have had a lot of rain and thunderstorms, (much needed after such a dry winter with no snow to speak of in the mountains) and even had hail one day. A very cold and dramatic April it has been. A true 'April Showers for May Flowers' event!! 

As a consequence of all this cold weather, our usual spring plant date of March 23rd has been put off. I do believe that it may now be warm enough to plant my peppers, tomatoes and eggplant. They have (well some of them) been hanging out in our greenhouse and the others I will have to purchase still. 

Another reason to NOT get right out in the garden, is that everything around my raised beds is all disrupted with some hardscaping construction. My sweet husband pulled out the old redwood walkways that were starting to be a hazard to us due to their age and he is replacing them with concrete cobblestone on one part and we are working on another section to blend in with the brick walkways. 

I do have leeks, garlic, green onions and carrots that are doing well. I just pulled out my Kale last week that I had planted in early spring last year. Of course there are perennial plants and herbs that are always doing their thing too. 

The big job ahead of me is completely cleaning out the greenhouse and rearranging some of the furniture and staging (shelves). I couldn't do it before now because I couldn't leave the plants out over an extended time in the cold. 

I believe next week will be clean and plant time. It should be energizing, since working with the soil helps generate/stimulate the serotonin in our brains which makes us feel good (happy) and takes any blues away. The other part of it that makes me feel good is just being close to nature. It is always so satisfying. I will have pictures to share next blog post.

I do have to say that lots of baking has been going on in this extended winter season.  Each loaf is an experiment with different grains and seeds, and some with sourdough and some not. We have several favorites, but all were wonderful. Here are a few of the loaves.

This first loaf is made with whole wheat/unbleached, sourdough starter and two-seeds (sunflower and sesame seed).

This loaf is another sourdough whole wheat loaf with molasses and three-seeds (sunflower, sesame, poppy seeds).

This is called Indian Bread. This is a three-grain (whole wheat, unbleached, cornmeal) with sesame seeds.

This is a three-seed (sunflower, sesame, poppy seed), whole wheat/unbleached loaf.

This is a a three-seed (sunflower, pumpkin, poppy seed), whole wheat/unbleached loaf. I added the seeds after the first kneed, which leaves more on the top. Yumm!

This is another whole wheat/unbleached loaf with sunflower and sesame seeds.






This last loaf is a three-seed (sunflower, sesame, poppy seed) whole wheat/unbleached loaf. It had about 1/2 tablespoon of liquid too much, so the center is just a little sunken. It sure was wonderful though!!! I think this last loaf was our favorite so far. We eat a slice for desert. It is that good!

Tomorrow I will make another loaf, but don't know what yet. It will probably be sourdough, since my starter is bubbling really well tonight after being used for sourdough buckwheat pancakes this morn. 

But soon my energies will be focused more on the garden! It is all part of creating our own environment. So, I will soon post garden pics.