Compost Update 2023 - Restocking the Bioreactor
Compost Update 2023 - Restocking the Bioreactor
This is a tutorial and a love letter to friends who have helped me along the way. So I am throwing an Easter celebration with a compost update 2023 - Restocking the Bioreactor! If you know anything about compost, you know it's a feast or famine affair.
You Can't Always Get What You Want
In the spring, browns are hard to come by, but greens are plentiful. In the winter, greens are hard to come by, but browns are plentiful. How does an industrious Urban Farmer meet this paradox?
By being thrifty and frugal. I harvest and store back greens and browns across all seasons. Grass clippings get treated with hydrated lime and stored in a dark cool space. Leaves get collected and covered through the winter the calcium hydroxide slows the loss of nitrogen and the formation of ammonia.
This processing insures I have sufficient biomass to add to my systems across all seasons. It also helps me keep the greens and browns in suspension through the darkest, coldest paart of the winter. Then I can start resetting the IBC 1000L Bioreactor blocks on demand in the spring.
A Little Help From My Friends
None of this would be possible without the help from several friends. When we first started Mezzacello, we were tool poor. A dear widowed friend donated all of her husband's tools to us, many of which we still use - daily.
Another dear friend donated tools from their dad that are MISSION CRITICAL to the Bioreactor. Namely a leaf shredder and several pumps and hand tools. I have replaced the leaf shredder, but learning what a transformative tool this was was an amazing discovery.
Keep building, experimenting, planning and saving. Life cares and love shares. On this western holiday, I am grateful for rebirth and opportunity.
Let's change the world. Let's do it sustainably. Let's do it together - I love you all.