Hi Martha: If I were you I would change your whole compost area so that it has no plastic hoops, and no pallets. Completely open to the air and in a shaded area if possible. Anything put around the pile encourages molds, etc and you definitely don't want this. If you write to us personally I will send you some pictures of good compost piles. Blessings, Barbara and Woody Aurora Farm. the only unsubsidized, family-run seed farm in North America offering garden seeds grown using Rudolf Steiner's methods of spiritual agriculture. http://www.kootenay.com/~aurora
-----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, January 23, 2003 7:11 AM Subject: compost and certification >compost first: John brought home a large hoop. Plastic, about 4 >feet diameter, 3 feet tall. He thought it'd make a good compost pit. >I'm currently using just pallets wired together. I like the air flow and >double wall system of pallets, but the front is open so I can haul >stable cleanings and just dump. It's easy access to both myself >and the chickens. They keep it scratched up (and often out) so >much of the household waste is eaten up before the compost can >activate it. >The ring would eliminate all the scratching and tossing, but I don't >know if it's a good choice for good compost. (Is it going to be too >airless or keep it too wet? ) OTOH, I can also just upend the ring >once a pit has been built and encircle somewhere else pretty easy >with this thing. > >Certification: I have always been uneasy with the process that >allows big farming corporations to put fertilizers and weed sprays >on our food, and NOT tell us about it, while anyone growing foods >without all the crap has to prove it. Something definitely wrong in >that scenario. >They say that a 'negative' is never a good advertising ploy, but >when I have extra produce to market I do use the negative. I just >tell them "Not certified but NO CHEMICALS." Until we start having >to barcode carrots straight from the farm (and I see that day not too >far into the future), I intend to keep on using this 'double negative'. > >And, if we all suddenly start getting junk mail from "99 Japanese >girls want to meet YOU", we can blame Hugh's certification post. >Hugh, was that intentional? >
