Showing posts with label preparing compost. Show all posts
Showing posts with label preparing compost. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Vermiculture How-To: A New Venture

Finally I can write my article on vermiculture composting, which I should have done in February when I started the regular habit of gathering compost materials. I've had this blog entry put on hold due to the long wait for the red wrigglers . Without those, this article would have served no purpose. And so, here I am :)
Since our town felt the brunt of Mother Nature from previous typhoons over the years - with unforgettable names such as Cosme, Pepeng and Juan - I began to think of small ways in helping save our planet. I believe that if each small earth-saving practice is done in every home, we can contribute largely to our earth's improvement. One way is proper waste disposal of our green materials which include fruit and vegetable peels and other scraps to prepare compost and/or compost food for the red wrigglers (African Nightcrawlers) Here is my simple step-by-step process:
We will need...


1.Green materials such as fruit and vegetable peels (limiting citrus peels), fresh grass, cow manure. These green materials are usually green or colorful and wet. They provide the nitrogen of the compost to grow and reproduce more organisms to oxidize the carbon.
2. Brown materials such as wood shavings, sawdust or dried banana leaves. These provide the carbon content of the compost.
The ratio suggested for the compost is one part nitrogen and 30 parts carbon (1:30) to keep the balance. Weighing the materials is necessary to get the right mix.
These are the green materials which we get from the market...

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... adding also some from the kitchen scraps we have at home.
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These are the brown materials: wood shavings we can get from the nearby furniture shop. We take extra care to remove sharp edges and nails from the pile before we mix them in.
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Occasionally, we add torn scraps of paper...

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(...hehe, that's me right there, mixing the greens and browns. This is the "tough" part as my vegetable vendor-friend at the market would grimace whenever I pick-up their market scraps. )
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Important: After mixing them thoroughly, don't forget to pour right amount of water on the mix to speed up decomposition. Add some decomposed mixture if you have some .

After mixing, tie the sack tight enough, place a plastic mat or tarp underneath to keep them ants away. Wait for 2 weeks to decompose.

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Eventually it's best to keep the sacks under the shade away from heat and sunlight. Occasionally, within the two-week span, open the sacks from time to time for proper aeration.
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