Farm Expansion

After last week's pick-up, we decided that we would soon need the extra composting capacity represented by the two bins that had been serving as lids for our auxiliary worm towers. We filled the old lids with bedding material and cut new lids from plywood. Five air holes were drilled in each lid to complete the job. Air circulation is important to keep the worms alive, control odor, and ensure a proper composting process.

We have been "feeding" all of our worm trays to encourage population growth in our worms. A hardy herd of red wigglers is important to keep up with the expanded supply of compost, but the upcoming cold months and subsequent compost harvest requires that we have the capacity to allow the composting process to move toward completion in some bins. These bins will no longer be supplied with compostable material, but the worms will continue working as long as newspaper or food waste is available. As the months grow colder, these bins will be positioned at the bottoms and tops of each tower. Bins in the center of the stacks will be "fed" to entice the worms to the middle of the farm. This arrangement uses the compost as insulation allowing the worms to continue their work through the winter.