nelsonic commented 4 months ago

Executive Summary

I want to produce ~3 Tons of High Quality Vermicompost per year 🏡 for use in the Braga garden using free organic matter. 🌱 🪴 🌳 🌴 This is the ultimate in "circular economy" worth at least ~€1k/year to us. 💰 Total cost to build what I'm thinking is ~€3k (2 weeks). ⏳ So pretty quick ROI. But more importantly, a system everyone can use. 🕙

Why?

Discarding organic matter - either by burning/throwing away garden "waste" or kitchen scraps - is like burning cash! 💵 🔥

burning-money

Most people we know that have a garden have a corresponding "green bin" where they dispose of all their "waste" organic matter, giving it to the council which in turn give it to private companies which compost it and sell it back to the same people with gardens ... 🤦‍♂️ I want to avoid this madness by having a small area (though large vertical volume!) of our @home garden (70cm x 70cm x 5m) dedicated to (vermi)composting. We will place all garden waste (leaves, clippings, weeds) and kitchen scraps (peels, spoiled produce and uneaten leftovers) into the sealed compost bin. The organic matter will decay and then be re-used in the garden and as "liquid feed" for the indoor plants.

What?

Anyone that has done gardening / plant growing knows that plants - grown in the ground - need organic matter to thrive. Yes, plants can be grown in hydroponic, aquaponic or even aeroponic systems that have no organic matter just liquid feed, and we intend to explore this option: https://github.com/dwyl/learn-aquaponics/issues/2 🐟 🌱 👩‍🔬 But for a traditional garden, organic matter high in nutrients is essential.

Compost

By far the most effective way of recycling/reusing organic matter in your garden is to have a compost bin/heap where "clippings", leaves and other organic "waste" is stored and naturally broken down. ⏳

Not all compost is the same.

Kitchen Scraps (Peels, Cores, Seeds & Spoiled Food)

Each time I prepare food, I collect the kitchen scraps in a stainless steel bowl, e.g:

Sadly, I feel like even though I do my bit for composting, we still don't have a system. Therefore others in the house see it as a nuisance rather than creating "black gold" from a free resource.

Not a great photo. I didn't take it. It was sent to me as a nag/reminder to remove it from the kitchen. This is why we need a clear system that anyone can follow.

Vermicompost

The "Gold Standard" in composting is using earthworms. The worms help to break down the organic matter and by "processing" (eating & poopin') it, they transform it into "black gold"

If you're new to this, recommend watching this quick video: https://youtu.be/IV_kkJy3s3Q

Fun facts: Aristotle called earthworms "the intestines of the soil" and in Ancient Egypt, Cleopatra put to death anyone who removed them from the soil. Ref: omlet.co.uk/guide/worm_composting

There are commercially available compost bins such as the "Hungry Bin": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hungry-Bin-Flow-Through-Worm-Farm/dp/B01CRJGUOG/

The downside of these, is that the plastic is relatively flimsy and decays in sunlight. The composter I bought and setup in Gerês during the 2020 Covid Lockdown is already disintegrating 4 years later ... 🤦‍♂️

Can't We Just Buy Compost or Fertiliser? 💰

Many people prefer to just buy their organic matter. Bags of compost are sold by the million to people who don't do composting ... The problem is that it's totally unsustainable! The bags are plastic and the whole system is fossil fuel driven!

For reference, a "big bag" (usually 1 Ton) of Vermicompost can be purchased for €366 https://www.amazon.es/dp/B09YBHLZ7T/

Searching OLX (the classifieds site) we see that someone in Aveiro has turned his composting into a side biz: https://www.olx.pt/d/anuncio/hmus-de-minhoca-adubo-natural-IDG4Cdl.html

But the cost per ton is still around the €350 mark with transport to collect it. Sooo much easier to just have a system @home to make it ourselves!

Why Not to have Compost?

The only reason I can think of to not have compost is the smell. But that's why Vermicomposting in a sealed column is the answer! The worms virtually eliminate the smell. And then sealing the lid of the composter will take care of the rest.

Todo

[ ] sketch design for the vertical column composter.
[ ] share sketch!
[ ] Build it!

iteles commented 4 months ago

I'm 100% for the composting! It's a wonderful zero waste solution. The only problem for me is the fruit flies invasion which lasts for the majority of the year, but which is easily solved by having a better solution within the kitchen area (sealed or in the fridge rather than out on the counter) or immediate disposal in the compost area.

As you say, we just need a system for collection and removal of the scraps.