January 2023

Happy New Year! I don't have any resolutions this year, but I look forward to the lessons 2023 will bring. This month we composted 1247 lbs. I've still been working on the outdoor beds, which are about 50% done. The only issue thus far has been a visit from a poor shrew, who I found dead shortly after sighting him (not sure if his death had to do with the food waste or not?). Since shrews love to eat worms though, I've been laying hardware mesh at the bottom of the beds to prevent further visits from burrowing rodents.

As I mentioned in my last post, December (and the start of January) were a very ill period for me. Thankfully, I've been feeling better these past few weeks. I was able to paint the side of the trailer, so now we can pick up compost in style ;). And inspired by the increasing sunshine, I started to build new raised beds for the spring. To fill the beds, I used a layer of food waste and then covered it with at least six inches of a coco coir and soil mix. I've read that this is a good way to fill raised beds cheaply. Since I have plenty of food waste on hand, I thought I would give it a try.

Fun Fact: Worms are 80% water...for comparison, humans are 60%. This water can easily be lost through their skin, so worm need moist condition to maintain homeostasis.