Wiggling Around

I am really excited to test the ph of the compost and castings in the Red Wiggler bin!

More later!!!

My neighborhood is cool, especially my block. I live about a mile from downtown which is an easy walk to restaurants, shops and the beautiful Deschutes River. We are on a busy street, but looking at this picture you really couldn’t tell. That’s because this is the back alley. A place where the kids ride their bikes, scooters and skateboards, and the parents can let them without worrying about traffic. This alley has hosted many parties and gatherings in the warmer months and sled and snowboard races during the winter months.

I also have some really sweet neighbors. Yeah, they are sugar and spice and everything nice, well some of them (just being honest here), but what I mean is… they are sweet…. as in “cool”. Most of them know I am the Wonder Worman and have hoards of Red Wigglers on the side of the house. They tell me they don’t mind! Some actually think it’s pretty cool and some, well…. are a little “grossed out.”

Some have their own compost piles and others bring their food scraps to this blue bin located by the alley. They are helping to keep my sidekicks happy and healthy. I am thankful for their waste and am happy to see them do what is right for our planet!

I think this type of Neighborhood Drop Off Waste Collection Bin (I just made that up as I am typing this. LOL!) could work in many neighborhoods. If you have a worm bin and have neighbors who are not into composting, you could start a collection bin. Give it a try! Then after a year of feeding the wigglers, you could share the castings and beautify your flower beds in the neighborhood.

Just a thought!

Happy Wormin’

Yesterday, Little a and I raked the front yard so she could do the anual dive into a crunchy pile of leaves. I am pretty sure these are Maple leaves. The colors were beautiful last week when they were still on the trees. After being on the ground for a week, you can see they are turing colors. The once vibrant reds are now various shades of brown. The colors are still pretty cool!!

I remember diving into piles of leaves when I was Little a’s age. I always thought it would be like jumping on a mattress and so did she. After the first landing, she was done! It ain’t what it used to be!

So, what’s next for this pile? Well it was bagged and sent off to winterize the first worm bin of the season.

Lavabelles is shutting down their composting operation for the season. Fall and winter are not very busy, and we decided to pick it back up in May when they have more vacation renters.

As you can see, these leaves make a terrific 3inch layer of insulation and will also provide a feast for the Red Wigglers over the next few months. About one inch of leaves were placed underneath the newspaper blanket and the rest were placed on top. I will feed the worms during the winter, especially the rotting pumpkins after Halloween.