Kids and Composting

Summer is in full effect, Wow is it a wet one!

We are headed out to an Art Camp for Columbus Metro Parks & Rec today. I am excited to work with kids, many who don't know much about composting. We take advantage of the fact that recycling and composting is an everyday part of how we live.
But not to everyone. 

We love to ask kids what they know about composting. When we set the composting bin out, most kids have no fear of getting dirty. They dig right in, ask questions and root around in our worm bins. In fact, most of the time its the parents with the fear of dirt. "but it's dirty, don't touch it". Thankfully, most of the kids rebel and touch the dirt anyways. We just smile. 

We ask lots of questions to get the kids thinking. 

Why should we compost?

Why does it matter if food scraps go to the landfill?

 To hear their answers and as they start to think things out makes us, well, happy!

Get your kids out in the garden this week, dig in, and count all the critters you find. 

Dig in and see how healing the soil really can be!

Need more reasons to compost?

Some people need more reasons to compost. We see that as a challenge!

So we are happy to give you more reasons:

1. It will save you time. You'll also eliminate the need to bag grass clippings or raked leaves.


2. You will reduce your needs for fertilizer and water. Chemical fertilizers demand more water and garden will get more nutrients from the compost.


3. You will reduce your effects on the landfill. Yard and food waste amount to more than 25 percent — or 60 tons — of the material in landfills. If more people start composting, a significant amount of waste then can be diverted from the landfill.

for mroe tips on worm composting or Traditonal Composting, visit our website!

attention Facebook fans!

Share the worm love!

Suggest to your facebook friends they should become fans of One20farm! share on this post that you did and you will be entered to win a free pound of worm castings as a thank you! Do so before March 9th and we will announce the winner on March 10th! Spread the word!

How to speed up Compost

I found a nice blog that reminds me that composting IS a process. (I love the word process)

One of the biggest problems with outdoor bin composting is that it isn't a particularly fast process. This can be a little frustrating if you want that compost quickly in the spring to put it on plants. But there are some things you can do to speed up the process of composting.

They talk about several things to consider. One is look at the size of food you put in the compost. chop up large things like potatoes or banana peels and even crush up the egg shells. This helps the food break down faster.

Another thing they mention is that worms faster. Yes, they say worms compost 3 times faster the the standard outdoor bin method. those little guys are on a happy mission. I have started to freeze my food scraps in a large freezer bag, I smash things up once I put them in the bag, then bag in the freezer. When the worms need fed, I grab out 2 cups per bin, let it thaw and put it in. the freezing actually starts the breaking down process of the food, making the job that much easier and quicker for the worms. How cool is that.

little critters in your worm bin part 3

As we have talked about before, the food scraps you add to a worm bin today, isn't really touched by worms until at least several days later. The food has to start to break down first. How long depends on how quickly a population of microbes can begin to decompose that material, and make it ready for worms to consume. The frustrating part is a great variety of food waste harbors fruit fly eggs, which hatch quickly in the bin. They are actually a good sign of a healthy bin. But can be reduced, but that is for another blog.

If we could only encourage worms to start eating that food waste right away, before most of the flies are born. Actually, we can do this! Just let food waste develop this microbial population before it goes in the bin. If you collect food waste in a counter top food scrap container, try this:
1. cover the container with a towel (to prevent fruit flies from pestering you) and let it sit indoors for a week. For an even better start, sprinkle finished compost or vermicompost directly onto the food waste as you toss it into the food scrap tub.

2. freeze your food scraps until needed. let them thaw out, then put them in your worm bin. This reduces fruit flies and the freeze/thaw also breaks down the food faster. Thus, encouraging the worms to dig in quicker!

What CAN I compost?

I got this great list from our friends at Little Square Farm. Enjoy!

75 things you probably didn't know you could compost
... but you can!
>From the Kitchen
Coffee grounds and filters
Tea bags
Used paper napkins
Pizza boxes, ripped into smaller pieces
Paper bags, either ripped or balled up
The crumbs you sweep off of the counters and floors
Plain cooked pasta
Plain cooked rice
Stale bread
Paper towel rolls
Stale saltine crackers
Stale cereal
Used paper plates (as long as they don't have a waxy coating)
Cellophane bags (be sure it's really Cellophane and not just clear plastic—there's a difference.)
Nut shells (except for walnut shells, which can be toxic to plants)
Old herbs and spices
Stale pretzels
Pizza crusts
Cereal boxes (tear them into smaller pieces first)
Wine corks
Moldy cheese
Melted ice cream
Old jelly, jam, or preserves
Stale beer and wine
Paper egg cartons
Toothpicks
Bamboo skewers
Paper cupcake or muffin cups
>From the Bathroom
Used facial tissues
Hair from your hairbrush
Toilet paper rolls
Old loofahs
Nail clippings
Urine
100% Cotton cotton balls
Cotton swabs made from 100% cotton and cardboard (not plastic) sticks
>Personal Items
Cardboard tampon applicators
Latex condoms (It might be a good idea to bury these items in your pile).
>From the Laundry Room
Dryer lint
Old/stained cotton clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
Old wool clothing—rip or cut it into smaller pieces
>From the Office
Bills and other documents you've shredded
Envelopes (minus the plastic window)
Pencil shavings
Sticky notes
Business cards (as long as they're not glossy)
Receipts
>Around the House
Contents of your vacuum cleaner bag or canister
Newspapers (shredded or torn into smaller pieces)
Subscription cards from magazines

Compost even in the winter!

With a good indoor wrom composting bin, you can even compost inside in the winter time with little to no smell!

Using worms to break down food waste offers many advantages:

1. It reduces kitchen garbage disposal costs


2. It produces less odor and attracts fewer pests than putting food scraps into a garbage container


3. It reduces the cost of water and electricity that kitchen sink garbage disposal units use


4. It produces a free, high-quality soil (compost)


5. It doesn't take much space, labor, or maintenance

Did you know?...

That worm composting has 2 advantages over regular composting?

1. the worm compost (worm castings) is actually superior to regular compost
2. many of the odor issues that are prevalent in regular composting are not a problem with worm composting

Ready to start worm composting yet?

Free range Triceratops in my compost!

In September I made several batches of orange scented Triceratops cookies for
Milo's birthday at school. I know a little fancy for pre-k but they were good!

As usually by the last batch I am totally side tracked by another project, so the last batch always gets crunchy!. Ask Germ, - Always!

So this time I was easily amused as I set free the "crunchy"
triceratops in our compost!
All I could think of was free range dinosaurs as they headed towards the cabbage...

Did you know?...

« Worm Castings and Tea will out-perform chemical fertilizer and has been shown to increase plant size and yield.
« Plants grown in soil treated with Worm Castings and Tea are healthier. Why? This is because of the symbiotic relationship between the plant and the microbes in the root zone. Plants feed the microbes and the microbes produce or make available all of the food and medicine the plant needs to flourish.
« Worm Castings and Tea used as a fertilizer for potting soil will suppress airborne pathogenic fungi that can eagerly infect sterile potting medium. The organisms in Worm Tea also produce hormones, vitamins, nutrients, enzymes, amino acids and minerals needed by seedling cuttings and young plants.

www.one20farm.com