So it all starts with worms. Well not only worms but the thousands of species that live in our soil. For our kitchen waste, we focus on Red Wigglers becasue we can see them and they are industrious helpers in consuming organic waste and turning it into worm manure. For the organic matter produced by our farm, we focus more on fungi and microorganisms. But before we dive into the two processes we employ a word about our Town Lot Love Farm.
Right from the beginning, when we started building “The Biggest Little House in Sidney” we decided to strive for a kind of homeostasis on our town lot. As much as possible we didn’t want to bring stuff in or haul stuff away. So for better or worse, we kept all the clay we dug out to make room for the foundation and to this day are mining rocks and gravel from our own overburden for concrete and drainage projects. When it comes to organic matter it means we don’t just compost all our kitchen and garden scraps but also chip and compost all pruning and weeding that we do throughout the year.
So let’s start with kitchen scraps and our “barnyard in a bucket”. We are vegan so no need to worry about meat or dairy scraps. We take all the food scraps from our kitchen and dump it into a large plastic bucket we keep somewhere out of the sun in the garden. When it’s full, we top it with water and seal the lid on tight. Then we let it do it’s thing for a couple of months. When we open it up, the anaerobic action has created a slop that smells just like cow manure. And the worms love this!!!
So we layer it into our compost bin along with some garden weeding, leaves and a bit of soil. It is delicious food for the red wigglers but of course they need a place to rest after they gorge themselves. So a layer of any old soil offers them that resting place before they go feed again. It’s also where they lay their eggs and the new babies hatch.
The nice thing about this ‘slop’ is that no rodent will touch it and so our composting method is 100% rodent free and does not support a rat invasion like many other composts do. When the worms are don, we end up with a whole compost bin full of rich worm manure.
To find out how we process the rest of our garden waste into soil, you will have to stay tuned… but here is hint: Chipper.