The Modern Victory Garden

It seems we always come up with projects for our garden and homestead.   In fact, I don’t think a year has gone by in my adult life where there has not been some improvement, change, or addition that was undertaken.   This year, I thought our big project would be installing the cross fencing, but in retrospect our involvement was fairly minimal as we just staked it out and then paid someone else to come in and install it.   It seems that this was not near enough to satisfy the “Project Demons” that apparently reside within my husband and myself, because lately one of our wish list projects has repeatedly come up for discussion.   Specifically, the notion of getting a worm box established has suddenly elevated in interest level for both of us.    The clincher was last Saturday while I was working some volunteer hours at the Kingston Farm and Garden Co-op Giving Garden, some of the volunteers were working to assemble a worm box (from a kit) for the Giving Garden.    I really liked the simple design of the box, the cedar lumber used to construct it, and how easily and quickly it was assembled.   Seeing this nifty worm box just threw gasoline on our worm box fire and after getting home that afternoon and having a brief discussion with the spouse… the same worm box kit was ordered and on it’s way.                       

We purchased it from a local supplier, so it arrived incredibly fast.   In fact, we ordered it Saturday and it was here on Tuesday.   Today (Wednesday) while I was away at work, my husband assembled the box in the shop.         

You can see in this last photo that the bottom is open (you can see the table top it is sitting on).   This weekend, I will help my husband carry this to its designated spot.   It is too bulky for one person to do alone.   We are waiting for the weekend to do this because the ground where this will be located must be dug out before setting it in place, and neither of us wanted to do it on a weeknight.   Once it is put in place it will end up being partially buried below the soil line, which provides an insulation effect that protects the worms.   The next step after that will be to layer in the compostable items and the bedding material (peat moss, shredded paper, etc) in the first bin and moisten it thoroughly (just like regular compost pile assembly) so that it is moist like a damp sponge throughout.   A couple thick layers are all that is needed to get started.   We can then add the red worms (we will be adding 2 lbs of worms) and then just continue that process of regularly adding layers of food wastes covered by a thick layer of damp bedding until the first bin is full.   When that happens we start layering in the second bin.   When the worms have used up all the food supply in the first bin, they will migrate to the second area where the fresh supply has been provided.   This is when we will be able to start harvesting the worm castings from the first bin to use as fertilizer and a soil amendment for the garden.     The cycle then just keeps repeating back and forth.   We have been doing lots of research on this and feel ready to become worm wranglers, but I know we will learn a lot more through actual hands on experience.    I will provide updates later on how this project progresses.                     

So I wonder… what will next year’s project be?                 

Laura

kitsapfreedomgardener