I spent some time last Sunday at the Headhouse Square farmers market with Shay. After we finished shopping, we stashed our veggies in the car for a little while so that I could wander around and take some pictures. Taking photos of the changing wave of seasonal produce is one of my favorite things. If you dig through my Flickr sets, you’ll find a bunch of pics from last summer, and now I’ve got my second set of this summer and up and ready for ogling.
After work today, I took my bike in to the shop for a tune-up, new tires and a front mounted market basket. This task has been on my to-do list since May and for one reason or another, I just couldn’t seem to make it happen. It becomes even more pathetic when I admit that the bike shop is exactly two doors down from the front entrance of my apartment building. I am thrilled to finally be able to check this on off the list and I’ll be picking it up sometime early next week. Next weekend, when I head to the farmers market, I’ll be doing it on my bright orange bike!
I’ve now had the indoor composter running in the apartment for about a month. It is amazing how it turns my veggies scraps and fruit bits into usable soil. However, I used some of it to pot some new herbs last weekend and they died immediately. I’m wondering if the pH balance of the mix is really off or something. Whatever the problem is, it’s a little disturbing and makes the further utility of the compost I produce a little worrisome.
Hmm. It is my understanding that compost (vermicompost in your case?) shouldn’t be used as a potting soil, but rather as a soil amendment. Try mixing your compost with a store bought potting soil or top dressing the soil of already potted plants. You can also make a compost tea by putting compost into a stocking abd steeping in water, and then spraying on your plants for a little pick-me-up tonic. See yougrowgirl.com for more advice…
Hmm… Is there a market for Marisa’s Compost of Death? 😉
i heard that you shouldn’t put any citrus in compost-it is too acidic. you’re not putting meat or anything in there are you? 🙂 love you!
This looks delicious!
I can’t find a good source of this info online at the moment, but I’ve been taught that compost that’s not completely decomposed and/or has been decomposing in oxygen-free conditions can be toxic to plants (phytotoxic). As I recall, the compounds created by the first wave of microorganisms need to broken down by the second and subsequent waves of different microorganisms so that there are no toxic substances left when the process is finished. If used too soon, this process is incomplete. If anaerobic critters are doing the work due to low oxygen, the problem can be worse. Before using your compost, try moving it to an empty flower pot with drainage holes, letting it “breathe” for a few days, and even water it a couple of times to pull air through the compost. And mixing it with potting soil is a good idea since compost is 100% organic matter and plants need minerals too. Does your composter have air vents?
That’s a nice composition.