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Vermicomposting - The First Snow

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The First Snow fell yesterday.

It was melted by the time it hit the ground. I counted a dozen flakes. Nothing to write home about, but it does mark a milestone in the advance of cold weather here in Toronto.

The Masonite lid continues to channel moisture.

Moisture rises from the heap, condenses on the smooth underside of the lid, and runs to the slightly-depressed center of the lid, to fall back into the heap.

The result will be a cycle, a gradual migration of moisture to the center of the heap throughout the winter.

This morning I put the bin to bed, by (officially!) loading a mass of shredded paper over the top, to act as an extra insulating layer.

I’ll add no more kitchen scraps to the vermicomposter until next spring.

So what will I do with my kitchen scraps until next spring?

They will be “stored” in a second, smaller tower.

Above you can see inside the tower. I have placed about two garbage bags of shredded paper and dampened it just a little for some compression.

There’s a trace of vermicastings there, too, from a pot of soil used to weight down the paper. The bacteria will thrive.

Here’s a view of the tower from the side. I have another two bags of shredded paper available for use.

Each time I empty my kitchen scraps pail into the tower, I’ll cover it with handfuls of shredded paper.

Come spring, the bin will be ready for hatched worms!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch ... here's a last look at the bin. A couple of cardboard scraps have been tossed in.

A fresh covering, one garbage bag, of shredded paper, then down goes the lid and “nighty-nightys!” until spring!

By the way, using shredded paper in a Vermicomposting bin is an excellent way to add security to your office operations!

See also Covering My Bets .

Tuesday, December 30, 2008.

I continue to tip my kitchen scraps into the bin. The air temperature is below freezing. When it’s cold I don’t bother to cover each pail of scraps with paper, but when we get a ten-degree (Celsius) thaw I’ll drop several handfuls of paper on top.

By the time spring arrives this bin won’t be anywhere near full, but the first batch of worms will be in bacterial heaven!

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