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Sunday, December 12, 2010

VERMICOMPOSTING AND HERB GARDENING IN QUEZON CITY: UPDATES

I haven't really taken a lot of pictures lately, so I'll have to describe my updates.   I guess one reason is that I've been getting acquainted with uploading videos on Youtube.  Yes, I'm a little late in the game but it's fun nonetheless.  Anyway, since I mentioned the video already, I'll start with that.  Over the past month or so, I've been able to harvest about a grande cup worth of vermicompost every week.  So that's also about how much I've been feeding my worms.  In the video, I talked about how to keep vermicompost fresh.  It does have an expiration date you know (or so I've heard).  That seems logical enough since vermicompost is called living soil and one of its key benefits is having beneficial microbes.  For example, in one video, it explained how vermicompost changes the chemical signals released by seeds so that pathogens "can't detect" the seed.  This helps in the germination process.  So keep vermicompost long enough and the microorganisms decline.  In some sites, I've read that the microorganisms become dormant.  Whichever is more accurate, it seems safe to say that vermicompost is best used fresh.   Please correct me if that's soooooo wrong.  ;-)

ANYWAY, my small advice was to keep a few worms and add some moisture in the harvested vermicompost.   Worms will eventually die down if the contents are nothing but castings, but in my case it looked like it was about 85% processed.  So it was accurately termed vemicompost and not pure worm castings.  I figured as long as the worms keep processing, the microbial activity will remain high.  BUT, I added too much moisture in the cup and it started to smell.  I would stick with my suggestion to keep the moisture, but in moderation.

Oh dear, this seems long already.  I'll talk about the tedious process of harvesting basil seeds next time.  I am betting there's an easier way; I just haven't discovered it yet.  Oh I should also talk about the really huge worm I found in one of my bins.


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