Well lets see. Today was a Sun day. The past few days have been overcast and rain with cold nights.
So to get something "Spring" done I started the recycling of the grow media from this winter's grow past.
I bought a new electric mower so that I could harvest fresh green yard plants ( grass and stuff ) so what went into the Mantis compact composter is a wheelbarrow of fresh greens heavy with rain water. Very moist and very taxing on the mower's batteries.
That mower did just fine! A bit strange to listen as that "Jet Engine sound" happening as it spins up before starting mowing.
We do not want to use a gasoline powered mower because they leak engine oil down into the grass cutting area and onto the blades. Petroleum in the compost is not a good thing in my opinion.
A fresh clean of "the boy's cage" and Guinea Pig bedding was added. Very mucked up and ready to let the microbes go to town.
Also I had, over filled the small batch porch composter so all that also went in the new Mantis. That was a bit on the stinky manure side. Too much stuff in there. I tried something new, I found out that I can use "wood s tove pellets" as cat litter. First off it's cheaper than clay and much cheaper than "Feline Pine kitty litter." The point of that is that the wood pellets soaks up the urine then turns into saw dust and that adds to a composting some Brown and some Green.
The recycling part is the inclusion of 15 gallons of organic soil from an Organic Soil Store believe it or not. I have good things to say about their "Store Brand soil." I have another 75 ~ 80 gallons of soil to process by Winter's chill and the 2022-2023 Winter grow! I look forward to that.
I went back when I had cleaned up and was closing up the shop for the day and I stopped to hand mixed things in the tumbler and already there is heat in parts where the Guinea Pig contributions are meaningful. Way cool that it is already heating up.
I also worked on repurposing cardboard. I bought things for a house and a shop so have a look at Cardboard box mountain in pictures.
What I did today was fill a 55 Gal Plastic barrel with "chipper/shredder" cardboard. It's all the "small stuff" I don't need to run on the band saw on first. It's good to know that my "mini" chipper/shredder is good enough to get all I want to do done. The quality of the product is very nice!
I'm wondering if I should try vermiculture with all that processed cardboard. There are lots of native worms here so it's possible I could lure them up into a construct for making worm-castings. I'll have to keep Black Soldier Flies out so it will need to be screened in.
Ah but that can wait. There is much more cardboard to do and I already have a compacted 55 gallon plastic drum full. It's all good.
So up with the Sun this morning and doing the Farmer John thing. It's time for us all to get up and out in the Sun when there is Sun.
One more time around the Sun my friends!
Best of times to you!