Welcome to Part 2 of the blog related to the importance of maintaining healthy soil at the Willits Energy Farm. If you followed the first blog, you will know that we will eventually need to do something about compost at the site. The soil is healthy and can sustain the crops that are being grown in it; however, to grow so intensively without the addition of compost is unsustainable. I felt that the addition compost would take the pressure off the land while we continued to work to establish the crops and the desired composting system. I consulted with David Drell and Jason Bradford and we thought that it might be a good idea, in this first year, to possibly import some compost if the source is not too far away. The plan to import soil is defiantly not how we want the site to operate in the long-term, yet, the health of the soil is a first priority and this is a consideration that we cannot afford to overlook, even if it means importing some compost.

There are multiple people offering “compost for sale”, however, one needs to be careful about the quality of compost that you are buying. Some stuff that is touted as “compost” is no better than mulch, and the processes in which the organic material was created may not have been aerobic or hot enough to kill weed seeds (150°F). If the organic material was composted anaerobically, it will contain natural alcohols that can turn a plant to slime by dissolving portions of the cell walls. Finally, anaerobic compost will lack fungi and the compost will thus lack the diversity need for a healthy soil food web. If the material has the potential of causing harm instead of helping the situation we will not bring it to the site.

David and I decided to visit a farm site that as been know for creating quality compost and take samples to view under the microscope. By talking with the person who makes the compost and by looking at the types of microbes inside it we can make a fairly good assessment of whether or not we want it on the site. When we arrived to the farm there were two different compost piles to choose from. One of the compost piles had been created using grape pomace from a nearby vineyard that had been mixed with straw bedding and spoiled hay. There were earthworms in that compost and also a great deal of little white bugs. Some of the bugs were spring tails and others were symphylums. These symphylums are particularly nasty if they do not have a good deal of fungal biomass to eat. If there is no fungi the symphylums will eat plant roots!

The other pile of compost was made in windrows that had not been turned for 8-9 months. It was composed of 70% horse manure, 25% made of goat droppings, and 5% chicken manure. It looked very nice and had an earthy smell, no visible bugs.

After getting the samples home I examined them under the microscope.

Grape Pomace Compost:

The grape pomace had a diversity of organisms. Lots of bacteria and large dark strands of fungal hyphae were present (large dark fungal strands are a good thing). Unfortunately, there seemed to be a large number of ciliates, which are protozoa that thrive in anaerobic conditions. I also noticed bacterial feeding nematodes (small round worms) that feed high on the soil food web. While the fungal strands looked promising, the presence of symphylums and springtails coupled with the knowledge that some of the material might have been fermented into natural alcohols made this compost into something that we did not want to bring to the site at Brookside Elementary.

Animal Manure Compost:

The animal manure compost was bacterially dominated and had beneficial protozoa in it. Beneficial protozoa include testate amoeba and flagellates. These protozoa are important because they eat the bacteria and help cycle the nitrogen contained in the bacteria into plant available forms. I noticed some large, dark fungal strands; however this compost did not have the fungal biomass that the grape pomace compost. I did not notice any nematodes. Out of the two compost samples, I felt that this one was the best.

Grape Pomace Compost

Grape Pomace Compost (Notice it is purple)

Manure-Based Compost

Example of a Bacterial Feeding Neamatode (The Spots Toward the Tail Are Bacteria)

Example of a Fungal Strand with a Red Spore

Example of Two Cilliates (Protazoa). They Are Feeding On Bacteria

When working the land to grow food and energy crops our first priority and greatest resource is the soil. It has been said if humans take care of the soil then the sun and water will care for the plants. At the Willits Energy Farm we are developing a mini-farm template that factors in crop rotation systems, bed preparation, and a multi-faceted compost center designed to preserve and grow soil. As is evident by the abundance of earthworms that fill almost every scoop of soil, the site at Brookside Elementary has a nutrient rich soil high in organic matter. A soil analysis from December 2005 indicates that the percentage organic matter is 6% and there exists large reserves of exchangeable nutrients.

The same report shows that the soil is rich in microbial life including fungi, protozoa, and especially bacteria. Micro organisms are important aspect of the soil because they participate in the process of nutrient cycling and nutrient retention. Nutrient cycling is the conversion of organic matter and the exchangeable nutrients within the soil into plant available “foods”. Cycling occurs when bacteria and fungi decompose and metabolize organic matter in the soil. These microbes store the nutrients in their bodies (retention) and are themselves eaten in the processes and interactions within the natural food web of the soil. When a diverse set of microbes are interacting in the soil the nutrients are less susceptible to leeching out and the fungal threads and bacterial glues help form soil aggregates that resist compaction. As you might expect, healthy compost is a primary inoculum soil based micro organisms.

Given what has been said about the value of healthy soil, we have begun to plant out and seed spring annuals. These vegetables are transplanted in closely spaced sets and seeded densely in order to grow the greatest amount of food in the smallest space possible. On marginal soil this sort of approach may not produce desired yields as the plants struggle to find the nutrients in land that has been depleted or lacks the nutrient cycling provided by diverse microbial life. Although we have excellent soil to begin this project with we need to be careful not to deplete the reserves that have been stored up through the years. The Grow Biointensive method that we are pattering some of our crop spacing after admits that in order to produce large crops yields in a small space you will need to replenish the land and soil to make up for the nutrients used in the processes of growth. It is clear that we will need to amend the soil with compost after each section of annuals is finished.

Example of Intensive Planting of Onions and Lettuce

Intensive Planting of Peas, Beets, Cabbage, and Swiss Chard

Jason and I picked up a 150 pound order of seed potatoes toward the end of last week. Willits local, Michael Stewart, bought these seeds for us because he has a particular interest in discovering the actual yields that can be expected in this area. Michael mentioned that he is willing to buy potatoes for other interested farm sites, and I think there will be at least two additional sites growing similar varieties of potatoes in the Little Lake Valley. For our part, we will plant 1800 Sq Ft with 5 different varieties of spuds. We feel comfortable planting potatoes after the last hard frost date which is typically April 15th.

There is a good deal of work to do as we prepare the beds for potatoes. The bed preparation techniques for this section will not be as rigorous as the methods employed for the other spring and summer annuals. Potatoes will be sown about 18 inches apart in three rows down the length of the 5Ft wide by 66Ft long beds. The process is as follows:

- Remove the top layer of sod with the Glaser Hoe.

- Rake loose sod away from the bed and transport it in a wheelbarrow to the compost area

- Broadfork the length of the bed to loosen the soil about 10 inches deep and form rows

- Use a spade to dig out the furrows and pile soil that will be used to cover the potatoes as they grow

Potatoes have been selected because they are a food crop that yields a large amount of calories in a relatively small area. High-calorie foods include potatoes, grains, Jerusalem artichokes, and parsnips, and corn. Potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, and parsnips are considered high-calorie, area-efficient crops; while corn and grains are no doubt high calorie crops but take considerably more room to grow for the same caloric yield.

Vegetable crops are high in vitamins and diverse in flavor; however, they are low in energy (calories). When growing energy crops as a human food, potatoes and grains have more energy and can potentially be stored longer than fresh vegetables. Keeping this consideration in mind may influence the amount of area that one dedicates to the cultivation of vegetables vs. high-calorie foods.

Potato Section Ready to Be Prepared (1800 Sq Feet)

Six Beds For Potatoes (A bed is 5x66Ft)

The Potato Seeds in a Cellar

The Other Portion of the Seed Potatoes

Earlier in the week Rachael Adaire came down to the farm site to help transplant the cabbage. It is great to have her around because she is savvy and has worked by herself and with others to start two previous CSA projects. After joining us in February, she is the newest member of the team at Brookside Elementary working to develop the Willits Energy Farm. Rachael is participating in this project as part of a work study program from Mendocino College. During the course of this semester, she will develop an on-site mycelium habitat as well as source parts and help inform decisions on the irrigation system. At the end of her work she receives college credit, (and if we can), a positive recommendation.

Rachael is also working on another farm project in Willits that is intended to grow food for the soon to be built “green hospital”. I have talked with people from that developing project and they too are impressed by her hard work and positive attitude. Both developing farms in the community have been gifted with Rachael’s efforts and we are glad she is willing to share her time. Thank You for Demonstrating Community Cooperation, Rachael!

Side Note: For those who might be interested, Mendocino College has accepted the site at Brookside Elementary into the organic gardening curriculum. Organic gardening courses will be able to use parts of the site to ground the practices of their organic gardening courses. I think the site will be available to the college at the end of 2007.

Rachael and Friends

We are beginning to plant out the first 330 Sq feet of spring annuals. After prepping annual beds, we began to get our first plants into the soil. When you look at the picture below and travel from left to right you will get a sense of our planting arrangement. There are about 66 Sq ft of pole peas, 33 Sq Ft of Turnips, 15 Sq Feet of Beets, 66 Sq Ft of Cabbage, 56 Sq Ft of Russian Red Kale, 60 Sq Ft of Swiss Chard, 10 Sq Feet of Spinach. These plants are all companions- and in the case of turnips and peas- there is evidence of a beneficial interaction. The beets and turnips were sown in one pass with the three-way Earthway seeder set to 4.5 inches width.

Our planting method incorporates aspects of Grow Biointensive ™ plant spacing and the idea that a polyculture system allows flexibility and provides a setting that may allow a crop to avoid disease. Moreover, it allows us to plant crops in easy to access places in the bed. Although omitted this time, I think it will be excellent to add other companion plants like marigolds, nasturtium, calendula, and chives into our next beds. These plants have been reported to improve flavor and lure beneficial pest predators. There is clearly a value added component to a farm or garden anywhere that pests can be minimized without sacrificing the health of the body and environment to the use of pesticides.

I would like to include plant spacing numbers to give you an idea of how intensely the bed is being planted:

• 66 Sq ft of Peas: (2 rows of peas 66 feet long at 3 inch spacing)
• 33 Sq Ft of Turnips: (2 rows of turnips 66 feet long with 5 inch spacing)
• 15 Sq Feet of Beets: (1 row of beets 66 feet long at 5 inch spacing)
• 66 Sq Ft of Cabbage: (1 row of cabbage at 66 long at 15 inch spacing)
• 56 Sq Ft of Russian Red Kale: (2 rows of Kale 28 feet long at 15 inch spacing)
• 60 Sq Ft of Swiss Chard: (3 rows of Chard 30 feet long at 8 inch spacing)
• 10 Sq Feet of Spinach: (3 rows of Spinach 5 feet long at 4 inch spacing)

This bed is 5 Ft wide and 66 Ft long

From Left to Right (Peas, Turnips, Beets, Cabbage Spinach/Chard/ Kale)

Tentative plans are being made at Brookside Elementary school to secure a long term source of worm bedding. Worm bedding can be manure, shredded cardboard or paper, straw, wood chips, grass clippings, sawdust, or peat moss. The bedding source that we will try to utilize is the shredded paper that is produced at the school. This paper is often sent to recycling, but it seems feasible to divert the flow to the vermicompost system. Although we will not be collecting food scraps from the cafeteria this year, it is still important to include the school in the waste management process as it seems like the most natural source of material.

The carbon-rich worm bedding provides the following functions for the worms:

• Moisture: Worms need a moist environment to exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide through their skin. Without moisture this transfer of gases will not occur.
• Oxygen-rich air: Loose bedding provides air pockets that promote respiration and prevent the worms from suffocating.
• Protection: Bedding covers the worms and hides them from predators. This provides the same function that leaf litter or soil provides in the natural environment.
• Food: Worms will eat the bedding along with the food scraps that are buried in it. It also gives them an alternative to eating their worm castings if there is not a significant amount of food scraps to consume.

The bedding is also used to knock down the potential for flies and odor. Once food scraps are put into the system they are covered with some bedding, (similar to using sawdust in a composting toilet). Regardless of the bedding source it has to be non-toxic.

Shredded Paper that Can Be Used for Worm Bedding Material

Today I finished creating a four-foot wide by eight-foot long vermicompost bin. I used 18 cinder blocks ($40) to line the top of the bin and to provide long-lasting structure. This bin is one foot deep and provides 32 cubic feet for composting with red worms. It is important not to make the bin deeper than one foot because increased depth leads to excessive compaction of damp bedding and food scraps. Since worms are strict aerobes, they cannot tolerate the reduced oxygen environment of an anaerobic composting bin.

The bin is located along the northern fence line and takes advantage of the afternoon shade. For optimal feeding, the worms prefer a temperature that ranges from 68°F-77°F. Since the bin is rather large it has a greater insulation capacity should not be difficult to maintain temperature in the mild Mendocino county winters. However, I am certain that some form of shading will be necessary to keep the worms happy in the hot summer. After the construction of this bin we have plenty of room on the Northern fence line to create 2-3 more bins.

Binet Payne recommends starting with one bin and building up, from there. In her system at Laytonville Middle School, Binet uses four, 32 cubic foot, bins to manage the flow of lunchroom wastes. These are large bins and each bin can hold a maximum capacity of 64 pounds of red worms! As a general rule, 2 pounds of worms can consume 1 pound of food scraps per day. As you can guess, a fully stocked bin is capable of processing a maximum of 32 pound of food scraps a day! I have yet to determine the weight of food scraps produced daily at the restaurant we are going to begin to collect scraps from. I want to be able to match the restaurant's production, but I also have to watch the budget as red worms cost around $30 a pound. At present I think I will not invest too much and let the population ramp up in the next few months. Who knows, there might even be someone in the community with extra worms to spare for the project.

Construction of vermicompost bin

Halfway Finished With Cinder Block Border

Cinder Block Border Completed

Months ago I wrote about creating a vermicomposting system
at Brookside Elementary that would be capable of collecting food scraps
generated from the school cafeteria and transform the “food
wastes” into nutrient-rich worm castings. Since then, I have picked up a book
titled The Worm Café which outlines how to establish a mid-scale
vermicompost system of lunchroom wastes. This book was written by a local
author, Binet Payne, who has successfully created such a system in a town 25
miles north of Willits. Binet is a middle school teacher who used her
enthusiasm to support her school garden program and educate children and staff
about the benefits of recycling lunchroom wastes with red worms. Her book
covers each aspect of readying a school for such a program including: a
School-Wide Waste Audit, Creating Understanding with Cafeteria Staff and
Parents, Establishing Bins, and Managing the School’s Food-Waste Flow. I have
found the material inspiring and it has grounded my expectations for creating a
system in this 2006-2007 school year.

The population at Brookside
Elementary School is 450 students; Kindergarten to Second Grade. Each student
spends an hour a week with a Garden Enhanced Nutrition Coordinator (GENC). This
is a special program that ties directly to the mini-farm that is being
developed at Brookside. Once the farm is set-up,
the GENC will have an ideal setting to anchor the context of classroom
discussions about food, nutrition, and environmental stewardship. If all
parties work together, (i.e. farm manager, GENC, school staff, and parents) then
there is real potential to establish a successful vermicomposting system at Brookside in the near future. It is important to begin the
school year with the “recycling” program in place so that new students can
adapt to the cafeteria’s expectations.

At present we are over halfway through the school year, and
it is a little late to work with and coordinate the staff and the kids.
Nevertheless, it does not mean that we shouldn’t move ahead with developing the
appropriate infrastructure. We have been talking with a couple of local
“organic” restaurants who are more than willing to separate their food wastes
and allow us to collect and covert it to worm castings. Furthermore, the school
has an abundant supply of shredded “waste paper” that can be converted into
carbon-rich worm bedding.

This project is exciting because it allows us to make a
strong effort to capture material that would otherwise be thrown out. Instead
of rotting in a landfill, the food scraps can be used to grow more food and add
nutrients to the soil. This project also connects other groups of the community
to the processes of local food and fuel production. In the long term, these
local organic restaurants may become supporting members of the CSA and we will
be able to close a portion of the waste loop and convert it into a form of
useful energy. The vermicomposting system is yet another way that the Willits Energy farm is Reducing Consumption/Waste and Producing Locally.

The
motto of Post Carbon Institute is “Reduce Consumption: Produce Locally”. We are
demonstrating that motto at the Willits Energy Farm located at Brookside
Elementary in a number of ways. For example, a mini-farm is being established
that can operate with intermediate
tools that do not consume petroleum. As a Community Supported Agriculture
project, the food is intended for local distribution within the community. Additionally,
rotations of compost
crops are being grown to cycle nutrients back to the soil in the form of aerobic
compost. Through this practice, we generate a form of fertilizer that is used
on-site (local production) and is capable of maintaining the long term
viability of the farm by securing healthy soil (reduced consumption).

The
plan for this summer is to grow a small area of biofuel crops at Brookside. The fuel can be used to cover our on-farm use.
However, since we do not rely heavily on petrol, we can potentially distribute
the ethanol to another local farm that intends to grow food for the town hospital.
I will speak more about the ethanol project as we near the time to plant the Dale Sorghum in
mid May. If you are interested in learning about how sorghum can be used for
ethanol and food check out the following links:

A Sweet Idea
Converting Sweet Sorghum into Ethanol

Sweet Sorghum
Culture and Syrup Production

Sparetime Supply,
a local nursery and garden supply store, has continued to donate plants and materials to the evolving farm project at Brookside Elementary. In late February
and mid March, Sparetime donated seeds, water hoses, and fruit trees to the
project. These contributions have been quite generous and have gone toward
establishing the permanent infrastructure of the site. When combined with their
January donations, it is
clear that Sparetime participates in making Community Supported Agriculture a
reality.

I want to also mention that Chuck Mansell (the principal at
Brookside Elementary) and the Willits
Unified School
District pitched in some funds toward the purchase
of a basic tool set. This covered the cost for the toolbox, hammer, sockets,
screwdrivers, pliers, measuring tape, file, and razor knife. It is fun to have Chuck visit the site because he is excited to see the previously unused baseball field transforming into a mini-farm.

Another donor that wished to remain anonymous contributed eight,
6 Ft fence posts and 100 Ft of fencing. This will be most likely be used to
create a chicken run along
the far western fence line. The fencing will separate the chickens from the
annual section.

I want to express gratitude for the support. It is fun to work on a project that the community deems important and is willing to support with time, money, supplies, and words of encouragement. If you have not yet visited the Community Support section please check it out and get an idea of how many individuals and organizations are involved in this demonstration.