Running Hen Microfarm » compost http://runninghenmicrofarm.com Two Non-farmers’ Experiment in Sustainable Living Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:30:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9 en hourly 1 August & September photos http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/327/ http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/327/#comments Mon, 18 Oct 2010 19:40:31 +0000 Ruth http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/?p=327

A mostly local dinner

Catching up on some pictures from August:

solar-dried herbs

Our 32nd anniversary dinner on the balcony! (this was pre-stink bugs)

This giant cherry tomato plant was a volunteer that threatened to take over the entire kitchen garden!! Below it you can see some small cucumber plants.

Now these are from September:

Here are the new chickens with the Buff Orpingtons investigating the new garbage deposited in the compost pile at left.

The new chickens are Barred Rock, Black Australorp and (I think) Golden Pencilled Wyandotte.

]]> http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/327/feed/ 0 More Busy Spring!!!! http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/more-busy-spring/ http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/more-busy-spring/#comments Fri, 21 May 2010 00:01:47 +0000 Ruth http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/?p=263 We’ve been up to our eyes in busyness…spring is that way.

Here are some more photos from March:

potting soil made from worm castings, sand, compost, peat

Rain garden at night in the rain...dug down a couple of feet & filled with mulch & rocks. It filled up with water and didn't overflow.

]]> http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/more-busy-spring/feed/ 0 Worms, Part Two http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/worms-part-two/ http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/worms-part-two/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:07:20 +0000 Ruth http://runninghenmicrofarm.com/?p=157 Worms need bedding…usually we use strips of newspaper, but in this case we had some shredded paper packing material from a Christmas gift of Vermont cheese.  Kitchen scraps are saved in an open bucket by the sink (I used to cover it, but it actually smells less and composts better if you don’t cover it) and maybe once a week or so bury the bucket contents in the shredded paper.  Then it is misted with water…the contents of the worm bin should be kept moist but you don’t want to drown the worms…the holes in the bottom of the upper tiers should keep it drained.

In the photo at right you can see the worms that were hiding under the bedding.  You can also see some tiny white insects…these are (I think) fruit fly larvae, which actually do aid in composting, but are also a sign that the compost is on the acidic side.  So, in addition to the water misting bottle, I also keep a jar of lime pellets nearby, and once a week or so sprinkle about a tablespoon on top to adjust the pH.  That seems to decrease the larvae.

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