One other thing I am doing is recycling every bit of the plant back into the soil via the worms. I have a big net drying rack in a closet and have been chopping up everything and letting it get crispy-dry. The best worm beds outside are under dead logs - wood is good. The fat stems and trunks should get some of that woody goodness in their diet and overall reduce the amount of paper I need to add.
If anyone feels hesitant about trying a worm bin, dive in. This is all the room it takes up, under my mini tent. There is no smell. If there is you have problem to deal with just like anything else, but I haven't had that happen. There is an issue of a few escapees dying on the carpet...
This top level I have a piece of cardboard over that I keep moist. I add soil to the initial bedding, and obviously some barley found it's way to sprouting. They love it. And the stuff is growing in the dark. I bought a large supply of coir, which is the only investment other than the bin. The starting bedding is about half and half dry paper and soaked-drained coco, with a handfull of soil which has nutrients in it and a handfull of pumice . I have another tray ready to set on top today, those tomato scraps are the first food I added to this tray. I did that because I saw the worms migrating up to this level
I think they like the coir as much as the food, but it keeps me from under-feeding. This is the last food I am adding to the lower level. Great variety of local wigglers. In the mornings I'll go out and burn one, and scratch the dirt under a few trees. There are mostly fat earthworms, and whatever those skinny snake-y ones are. They try to escape like a snake when you uncover them and are easy to spot. I think their initial offerings to the compost add a shot of the local microbes and critters, because the castings are crawling with itty-bitty-critters and worm eggs.
This has a few more trays, but I don't know if I'll use that many the way I cycle through plants. The last re-pot I grabbed a solo-cup per plant, worms and all from the bottom bin. That is why the level on it ias about half. I just raked it back level and set the other tray on it. After that I got under the bottom dray and scraped out all the actual 100% castings and the little worms down there and divided that equally between the pots.
Anyway, it seems worth the investment like the soil so I'm sharing - And per the moniker High as Fuck from trying a wake-n-bake with GMO Cake. I'm going to hunt worms
Oh, I'm rural and have to haul my trash to the dump. I have to make fewer trips since I'm paying attention to not throwing away worm food. If it's more than the inside ones can eat I have spots outside I dump it, then hunt for worms to bring inside.
