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This just in from the Organic Consumers Association

Category: Organics | Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:11 pm

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USDA PROPOSES RULE UNDERMINING ORGANICS AND SMALL FARMS

Hi,
I thought this might be of interest to you. It's from the Organic Consumers Association-
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USDA PROPOSES RULE UNDERMINING ORGANICS AND SMALL FARMS
The USDA is accepting public comments until December 3 on a new proposed rule that would force small farms growing green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce, to put into place industrial-style sterilization measures that reduce biodiversity and soil fertility. The proposal follows in the wake of the USDA's recent controversial crackdown on raw almonds, continued interference with raw milk production, and bans on the sale of locally produced organic meat directly to consumers. The proposed rules basically cover up the fact that e-coli 0157H contamination in lettuce and spinach crops comes from feedlot or industrial livestock-contaminated irrigation waters or contamination in large processing plants. The rule limits hedgerows, and other non-crop vegetation commonly found on and around small organic and sustainable farms. In addition, although every organic farmer knows that healthy soil is literally alive with multiple types of healthy bacteria, the rules also discourage the development of beneficial microbial life in the soil. Send a message to the USDA today:
Learn more and take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_8679.cfm


Last edited: Fri Nov 30, 2007 9:12 pm

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Weather is turning cold for the worms.

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2007 5:53 am

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So, the weather is getting colder. They have been predicting snow here but it hasn't happened yet.

I got out and turned another bin, I'm back to bin #1. It has been about a month - I have four bins, turn one a week. Most of the food waste I put down is unrecognizable but the worms are massed in this area because of the richness of bacteria that has been working on decomposing the food waste.



I have heard it said that the worms do not actually eat the food waste per se, but that they chow down on the bacteria that is breaking down the food waste. I don't really care as long as it all happens like it's suppose to.

I continue to harvest worms as I work the beds. I put them in holding bins and continue to feed them until I get an order for them.

I have a set of shelves I'm going to clear off and make more room for holding bins.

It is concievable for me to ship worms all winter if I have adequate stock held. My worms are very hardy and as long as they don't freeze they should be fine. I don't know, might have to give that some more thought, but especially if they are being shipped to milder weather there shouldn't be a problem.

The biggest problem I have if I don't have holding stock is that my beds are not workable once the weather turns cold. Especially this year since I have decided to turn the heat off in the bins. The material will actually freeze up around the edges and on the top. But if I have enough composting going on in the bin the worms will be fine. As a matter of fact, last year the bin that had no heat (in fact it has been two winters without heat) had the biggest, fattest, happiest worms of all the bins. Go figure. Maybe it's because the bins that had the heat had more active worms but they weren't getting the food and attention they needed because it was so blasted cold for the farmer. And that's reality. So might as well turn off the heat.

Tomorrow I'll probably try to turn another bin. This cycle around I'm not taking the material off the top but I'm turning it right into the bin and adding some fresh leaves to the top. Bins are running about 42 degrees F.

Hava Happy



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Worms Active Even At 40 Degrees

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:16 am

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Another day of rain. Mild temperatures are still at 45 degrees at 11:00 p.m.

Fall is my favorite time of year. To step outside of the heated house into the freshness of the cool fall air. Especially when it has been raining. The air smells all earthy and you can see your breath. And the renewed leaf pile is always a welcome site.



The worms have liked it to. I had to work today so wasn't able to get out there until tonight. All of the worm chow was eaten. Even the bin I had turned two days ago has worms up in it.

The corners and sides that are not exposed to the light, (I keep a light on the bins at all times)are covered in worms. I have a migration theory. The worms like to crawl when the weather is favorable and especially if there if no ready food.

Now I did say that they have food waste and bedding, but those are not as readily available as the chow.

Anyway, I fed all the bins and put down 1 gallon of water on each.

I have an order of worms going out, so Friday or Saturday I will gather and weigh the worms and set them up for fattening for a few days. I have a fattening recipe for the worms I will share with you another time soon.

Gotta go,

Hava Happy

Last edited: Fri Nov 09, 2007 7:17 am

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Worming Wednesday's Been Wonderful

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2007 7:28 am

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This is a sampling of what I use for my carbon material on my bins. Large or small, I layer shredded newspaper, leaves and manure with my food waste to create a homey environment for my worms. They love it. In the winter I mix it up more. In the summer not so much. The more you mix it up the more heat you produce. Good in the winter, not so good in the summer.

Today was a rainy day with the temps in the 40's. The worms like it when it rains. They seem to sense that it's safe to come out and they were all out chowin' down big time. Had to go out early and spread some chow and water lightly. When the worms are real active sometimes I have to feed twice a day. Better to feed more often than to put down too much for them to eat in a day. As the weather gets colder, and these inbetween days, sometimes it's difficult to predict what the worms will eat in a day.

It's good to have the mild autumn days to work the bins before the freezing weather moves in. The worms don't come out much when it's cold and quite frankly neither do I.

The Worm Factory worm have moved right on up into that layer of leaves I have put down. The older the bedding material they've been in is the quicker they are to move into the fresh.

Hava Happy,

See you tomorrow.

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What's With The Worms Tuesday

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Wed Nov 07, 2007 4:34 am

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So here is one of my bins, for those who don't know. I have four of these 4X8 foot fiberglas bins. I have them covered with hardware cloth to keep out mice.

One spring I broke my ankle and I wasn't able to get out to work on the worms(I did try it and almost regretted the effort). The mice moved in and built nests to raise their young. It was awful to try and get rid of them.

I discovered that the worms really liked the air circulation they got from the insulation being up on the hardware cloth instead of being right down on the bedding.

Today was another nice day. The sun was again shining with the air being a touch cool, reminding me of the time of year it is.

The night was comfortable as I carried my watering can out to check on the worms. The worm in the bed I turned last night aren't up yet. It usually takes a couple of days for them to settle in after being turned, topsy-turvy. But the other three bins had worms up chowin' down on the worm chow. Still, the air is cool enough and the bin temps only being 40 degrees, the chow was only slightly eaten in two of the bins. Only one bin needed any additional worm chow, and each bin got watered down. I used one 2 gallon watering can for the job so each bin got 1/2 gallon water. My aim is to keep the top layer moist where the worm chow is so the worms will continue to eat. They also have a layer of food waste that is rotting under the top layer, plus the shredded newspaper and leaves that have been turned into the bedding when I turn the bin. There is plenty to eat at all levels of the bin.

I brought in a bucket of leaves for my Worm Factory and the small bin I am holding harvested worms in. I put down a thin layer of leaves, breaking the leaves up well and watering to encourage the worms to move in. We'll check it out tomorrow and see how they like it.

Hava Happy



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Update on Neglected Bins

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2007 11:51 pm

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I have been fairly regular in taking care of the worm bins since the beginning of September and I am really amazed at how well the worms have come back.

In September I literally could not see worms present other than a few skinny straglers. Now look!



This is what the population looks like now as I turn the bins.

The weather has been freezing and the bin these worms are in is the bin that has been without the any supplemental heat for two winters.

These worms are fat and happy and we are getting ready for winter. The temperature in the bins right now is about 40 degrees F

The weather last night was clear with a star filled sky. Today the sky has been blue with lots of sunshine. Yesterday the wind blew and I didn't want to get out and work the worms. But today was perfect.

I took the top material off and turned the one Bin (Bin #4). My neighbor collects his food waste for me and in a weeks time he has collected about 1/3 of a 5 gallon bucket. I put this waste down the middle of the bed and cover with the material I took off. Then I put a 5 gallon bucket of leaves down. These leaves are from a pile I have been collecting for a number of years. These leaves were from the top of the pile and are there from last year. Some of the leaves are dry and some of them are wet. I see an occational worm in the leaves.

I water the bin with a two gallon watering can. I put about one gallon of water on the bin.

I feed the other three bins worm chow and add about one gallon water to each bin.

I love my worms.

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Confessions of a worm farmer...

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Wed Oct 10, 2007 1:23 pm

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It has been a busy summer and no matter how hard I tried I just couldn't seem to manage fitting 25 hours into a 24 hour day. That meant "things" went undone, important things when you're a worm.

It was hot here all summer and without the time to turn the worm bins and get a feel for what was going on in the deeper levels of the bin I didn't water the bins as much as I should have nor did I feed. Now worms are much more forgiving than many other forms of life (which is a good thing or I wouldn't have anything left to farm). Going without fresh food is not such a big deal as they eat the bedding they are in including their own waste, but they will get small and very skinny. But dry is a death-trap. They can not live through dry.

Therefore, when I finally got my hands into the bins the beginning of September what I found was disheartening to say the least. I have never seen such a pathetic population of worms. I was sick.

So I started on a regular regime of feeding, watering, and turning. Little by little I have added layers of fresh bedding, water and food, being ever so careful not to get anxious and overload the bins.

The results of having a bin that has been healthy and then neglected is that you will have worm cocoons (eggs) that will go dormant when the conditions are not right for babies. Then when the bin returns to prosperous times the cocoons respond by hatching and before you know it you have a newly thriving batch of worms.

I'm happy to report that after a month and a half of laboriously, loving tending that the worm population is back on the rise and the bins are looking like there's a worm farmer on the property.

Fall is my favorite time of year for worm farming. You can really start mixing things up and incouraging some composting as the weather cools. Next month I will begin removing finished product and continue building the bedding material up in preparation for the coming winter months.

I'll be in touch.

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Take action or "Raw" or "Organic" Almonds will be no more...

Category: Organics | Posted: Thu Aug 23, 2007 9:49 pm

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Unless we, the people this legislation will effect, take action now politics will win!! This is a post I read on a compost tea forum I belong to. Use the link provided to let the USDA know how you feel.

"Under pressure from industrial agriculture lobbyists, the USDA has quietly approved a new regulation that will effectively end distribution of raw almonds, while putting many smaller almond farmers out of business. The regulation is scheduled to go into effect on September 1st, unless thousands of consumers take action now. The rule requires pasteurization of almonds, including organic, yet allows those same almonds to continue to be labeled as "raw". Nutritionists point out that raw, organic almonds are far superior, in terms of nutrition, to pasteurized almonds. One of the FDA-recommended pasteurization methods involves the use of propylene oxide, which is classified as a carcinogen in California and is banned in Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. Organic and family-scale almond farmers are protesting the proposed rule, saying it will effectively put them out of business, since the minimum price for the pasteurization equipment is $500,000."
Take action: http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_6747.cfm

Don't let the industrial ag lobbiests win this fight. Fight back with your input. Take a stand!!



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My Solution To Holding My Harvested Worms

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Sat Aug 18, 2007 11:29 pm

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Greetings fellow earthlings,

Apologies for being gone so long. Time flies and I had no idea I had been away and without a post since April?

Life has been busy here with the start of Market and active worming season.

Summer has been hot, high 90's, but the bins have remained in the 60's so the worms have been happy.

With time being of short supply, I have had to be creative in order to not have to re-harvest my worms over and over every week if all of the worms did not sell at market. This is what I have come up with for holding bins for the active season.



Before I had my Tortilla Redworm Holding Bin I would spend valuable time harvesting worms, packaging them in my brown paper bags and then if they didn't sell I would have to just dump them back into the worm bin.

Now I can harvest worms, take them to market in the holding bin, package them if they sell, or hold them in the bin for the next week if they don't sell. In the holding bins I can continue to feed the worms, keeping them happy and in fact fattening them up until the next opportunity to sell them.

As I continue to work the big bins, turning and harvesting worms I rotate the oldest harvested holding bins back into the big bins.

Thanks for checking in with me.

Happpy Wormmming!





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Harvesting

Category: Worm Bin Composting | Posted: Wed Apr 04, 2007 1:36 pm

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Yes, that time of year has arrived for me. It is always exciting to finally be able to dig around in the worm bin after a long winter and see how things are going.

The temperatures are still cool enough that you can mix things up and really make the worms happy.

Orders are coming in and that makes me happy.

Everybody's happy.

This is also a time when I can start taking material out of the bin for seed starting, soil amendment and mixing organic fertilizers.

Tomatoes love castings so using the worm product to get your tomatoes started and each time you transplant is going to get your tomato plants off to a terrific start.

If you start your own tomatoes from seed, or if you buy starts from someone else one of the most important things to remember is to not allow them to become root bound. A tomato plant that has become root bound will almost never perform up to optimum standards. Also, if you smoke or have friends/family who smoke 'DON'T TOUCH THE TOMATO PLANTS.' Always wash your hands really well before handling the tomato plants.

Well, just thought I ought to check in. Life's busy right now, for all of us I'm sure.

Til later, happy gardening, or worming, or just be happy.

Wormnwomn

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