CSA Share---May 20th

Another wet spring means late planting for this CSA. They apologized for the slim share this week, but rejoiced that the greenhouses were not flooded by all that rain recently.

• 6 eggs


• large sack baby salad mix and Asian greens (mixed)


• 50 worms

Yup, you read it right. Worms! Small red crawlers, to be exact. The kind you can use to compost kitchen scraps in record time. This CSA is so cool! I already have 2 compost bins sitting unused in the backyard and a 55-gallon rotating compost bin that gets occasional use so I figure "Why not try worm composting (i.e. vermicomposting) as well?" ;) And this is what happens...

I am far too lazy to assemble yet another special compost bin for the worms, so I decide that the 55-gallon rotating bin will have to do. First, I move the bin to the east side of the house where it won't get as much sun. I still have some of last year's compost in there, so it isn't an easy move :( Second, I dump in a tub of recent kitchen scraps and two tubs of water before dropping in the worms and closing it up. Finally, I mix, mix, mix, open the lid, and VIOLA! I see steam. STEAM?!

Oh no.

Our recent warm weather coupled with the bin's near-constant placement in the sun has led to a significant amount of heat being stored in that old compost. Even at 9 AM, the soil is hot enough to create steam. Good for killing weed seeds, but not so good for 50 small red crawlers. Erk.