Workshop notes - II

Composting with worms: Ahhh, the most inspiring workshop of the day for me! Lea Ann and Meredith, two Tuolumne County women who call their work "Worms of Wisdom" (their card says that they support global worming!). They teach about worm composting and have a website WormsofWisdom.com. The worms they use are called "red wigglers" or red worms. Nightcrawlers, that you would get in a bait shop, would also work. Not earth worms.

They made a demonstration worm bin as they talked. They used an old ice chest (not the styrofoam kind). First they layered the bottom with rocks to create drainage. Over this they put some old shade cloth, just a folded layer or two. Then they add a sterile and aerated mixture of things - could be shredded cardboard or junk mail. About three or four inches of it, when wet. It should be moistened so it is not soaking but not dry. Then just add the food waste and the worms. They said it is not good to add very much citrus, and onion skins are not good. Also, not too much junk mail/paper because the created soil eventually goes into the garden and paper has no food value for the plants. The worms also need some sand or crushed egg shells; they are like chickens in needing grit in their gullets to help digest the food. It is also good to add some native soil from your yard. If you fill up one of these bins, leave the worms to do their work and start another one.

Lea Ann keeps a feeder box where she is just feeding and producing worms. In that one she uses only coffee grounds and llama manure. You can use any kind of manure in a worm box except cat and dog (they didn't say not human, but I think I wouldn't use that).

You need about two square feet of worm box per person in the household to consume the food waste. (In our household we generate a lot of organic waste, so I suspect we might need more.)

Their most exciting system, for me, is one they called continuous flow. You feed the waste in the top and rake out the soil from the bottom. For this, they built a large wooden box (maybe 8 feet by 3 feet or so), put on a hinged lid. The bottom is simply an old iron fence with bars. It is mounted on pillars. They put a solid four inches of matter in the bottom to start (paper, soil, etc.). The compost that is created just drifts to the bottom and it can be raked out from between the grids of the bottom. The worms stay up top and keep eating! Brilliant! We plan to go see this in operation as soon as possible.

If a worm bin should get smelly or moldy, you just adjust the materials in it. Once the mix is correct, whatever is off will correct itself; no need to start over. The natural composting process lowers the acid level of whatever is put in the compost, even pine needles.

The bins and worms should be kept at a temperature of 65 - 85 degrees and the moisture level like that of a wrung out sponge. They said that they have actually had a bin freeze and come back in the spring with worms.

With citrus and onion skins, you can pre-compost them. Put them in a bucket of water and let them sit a while to break down a bit before they go in the bins.

You can create compost tea from the finished compost. Just put a small amount in an untreated muslin bag and let it sit in a 2 gallon bucket of water for 24 to 48 hours.

I just visited their website; you can check out the continuous flow bin here:http://wormsofwisdom.com/index_files/Soulsbyville.htm.

Raising chickens: Mary Innes talked about her experience with chickens; she has about 50.

We have been wanting to avoid a rooster, but she said that a rooster plays an important role in the flock. The rooster is protective, often alerts the hen to good food tidbits if they are ranging around the land, and will break up fights between hens. She suggests 20-30 hens per rooster (but we would only have about 6 hens, so I still think no rooster). She also said that fertilized eggs are healthier, but I don't know exactly why.

She suggested getting the Murray McMurray catalogue just for all the information that it contains. It gives information on which varieties are endangered. Older breeds tend to be hardier, although they may also lay a bit less. She raises mostly Buff Orpingtons; they tolerate cold and heat well (and they are one of the kinds I would really like to have).

When the chicks are babies, they need 1/2 square foot of space per bird. As they grow, that space requirement grows. Chickens need daily care every day.

She told us about various resources for things that are needed for chickens. For building housing, Deutschman (spelling?) Lumber in Soulsbyville will sell scrap cedar. The owner mills his own cedar for making garden beds and furniture. He will let you forage in the scrap pile, and if you are willing to work for it you can quite a bit of wood for a good price. Chickens need water and a good idea is an automatic waterer with a float that can be attached to a hose (so they never run out of water). Modesto Milling in Ceres makes good organic feed; it is now being carried by Bolton's Feed on 108. They also now make a soy-free pellet, which is just slightly more expensive.

You can raise 50 hens on half an acre. Foraging for grass and bugs helps make the yolks very yellow and flavorful. Chickens like alfalfa.

The presence of chicks does, she said, draw predators. So not only do the chickens have to be protected but other domestic animals you have, like cats in our case.

Egg laying rate tends to start decreasing after about three years, but they can continue laying for many more.

Beekeeping: I didn't take a lot of notes in this workshop; there was not a lot of practical information. She did say there is now a Sierra Foothills Beekeepers Association that extends from Mariposa through Amador counties. They will have a beginning beekeeping workshop on April 30 (too bad that is one of the days of Sierra Green Days at Ironstone Vineyard).

Someone asked her (I am sorry I did not write down her name) what she thought was causing the bee colony collapses. She attributes it to commercial hive management practices, which is essentially another agricultural monocropping system that does not support the natural life cycle of a hive.