August 2022

In August we composted 1,630 lbs. I've been moving the worms beds around (see pic below of my worm bed with the sidewall removed). I need to build more beds to accommodate the increase in food waste. I had been experimenting with building a worm bed on a conveyor belt so that it would dump into the harvester. However, the experiment has not been going well. The food waste is so heavy that the motor is unable to move the load. In retrospect, this makes sense. Food waste is mostly comprised of water. Have you ever tried to carry a 5 gallon bucket of water? It's a workout. 

Unfortunately, I've also been developing an issue with flies. A lot of the food waste I have coming to me has already been infected with fly maggots, presumably from members leaving their buckets outside and not sealing them all the way. In these cases, I try and let the buckets sit a few extra weeks with the lid sealed to kill off the flies, but it seems some survived any how. All this to say, I have some troubleshooting ahead of me.

On a positive note, the plants are doing well. I've been propagating my Golden Pothos plant in my Indoor Jungle Mix and it's been shining.