This Saturday, June 12th at 107 10th St WDM, I will have a garage sale and will do a demo on how to set up a worm bin, and give a few tips for successful vermiculture composting. You can even take home a starter pack of worms!
Today the e bike got a work out. 2 BIG sacks of a great mixture of fruit, veggies and COFFEE grounds that I picked up from a member of the Nextdoor.com ladies group that I attend.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
Wanna be outside, but in a shaded cool place? Stop by 107 10th street wdm, and shread some cardboard for the worm beds. Or donate your shredded, or torn newspapers. Non shiney newspaper and cardboard makes great bedding, and it saves space and resources when it comes to recycling it. The best part is that it helps make some of the best, safest, organic fertilizer with just a little labor involved. Oh, and the worms LOVE it.
Hey We got the first part of the funding. It's time do some shopping! Here are some things we are going to need.
Large on site collection bins with a way for the depositor to weight and record the amount of the deposit.
Fencing
Cardboard and newspapers cure to 1x1 pieces or shredded.
Shovels and containers for the worm castings as well as bags to sell them.
We also need a marketing guru, so if you know anything about brochures, or getting the word out, please reach out to me.
If you have some time to volunteer, let me know
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY
I am having a Yard Sale this weekend, and I thought, what a great opportunity to meet many residents of Valley Junction to share the news about the Food Scrap Composting Program'. I will have a table dedicated to vermicomposting, and someday soon we will have some marketing material. (If there are any volunteers out there with mad marketing skills or connections, please reach out to me).
I will be available at the top of every hour this weekend to do a quick tour of the beginnings of the Food Scrap Program. You can meet the wormies, and view the area where a new bin will go in for community use.
Volunteers are needed to man the compost table at the sale and help sign up people to win the countertop composter that we will be giving away.
The plant sale will be held at 107 10th street WDM from 7 am to 4ish. Stop by anytime. Tours will be held every hour on the hour. (9, 10, 11, 12. 1 2. 3). Sign up sheet at composting table,
It's getting ready to rain. If you have any empty unwanted cardboard boxes, set them in a safe place and let them get good and wet. Then they are ready to tear into 1 inch x 1 inch pieces to make the perfect bedding starter for vermiculture. If you would like to start your own worm bin, let me know if you would like help. Thinking about having an event soon.
I am always accepting fruit and veggie scraps and newspaper strips or cardboard pieces. Hoping to get a break from the rain this week to work on the two new beds. These wormies are ready to expand!
Reply if you would like to volunteer and what days and times you are available.
Also, call if you have a pick up, or simply drop off on the front porch at 107 10th street WDM IA 50265
Thanks!
Teena
515 326 1845
That would be awesome Hanna! I am having a garage sale this weekend , and I hope to meet with community members about the program. How would you like to help with this for an hour or two, either tomorrow or on Sunday? I will be out there doing the plant sale and helping the grower sell stuff, so I may not have a whole lot of time to converse as much as I want to. I've got the gift of gab. I will have a new portable bed that I set up just for demos like this. It actually would be great for apartment dwellers. I'll wait for you to get there as I do need to do some moving worms to a different bin. I have several that I am trying. Just stop by anytime this weekend 107 10th Street WDM. I'll have some of the hydroponic plants too. so cool.
I would love a quick tutorial on vermiposting if you have time! I could stop by your house with my coffee grounds and food scraps at the same time?
Had a strong volunteer that I met at the Nine Square Feet plant sale that helped put some landscaping fabric down and move one of the raised beds into place.
Next step, prepping the interior of the bed, and building a stand so that the castings will simply fall through.
We also need a LOT of cardboard and newspapers ripped up. I soak it prior to ripping and this makes it very easy even for little hands. So let's make this a family event!
Please reach out to me if you have a hour here or there to help. I am retired and most likely will be available. If ya drive by the alley between 10th and 11th, right off of railroad, I will be in the back. If the gate is open, I am available. If it's shut, pull around to the front of the house and park in the drive. I am probably working in another part of the yard.
Teena McIntire
107 10th street
515 326 1845 (I try to check it about every hour or so).
Nothing like waking up to food scraps on your porch!
Things that make me and my wormies happy!!!
1 week and over 7 pounds of food taken out of our landfills.
I think it's time for the outdoor garbage disposal to break the scraps down quicker, and more worms!
The seed money will help to create some raised Continuous Flow Vermiculture bins, as I found that within a very close distance, there are literally tons of food scraps going into the general waste that could be used to make inexpensive organic fertilizer. Castings, and Worm tea could help a new gardener in an income depressed area like this, save money on the family's grocery bill, and iliminate food insecurities by growing their own nutrient rich foods. It could also lead to career opportunities as Iowa becomes more aware of the problems with methane gas in our landfills.
When the Food Scrap Conposting Program of Valley Junction is up and running it will help educate families in how to help illiminate food waste by showing residents how to pre plan shopping trips, and classes on how to prepare food scraps for vermacomposting in their homes, offices and community gardens, and more.
Because our area is opening up Covis 19 restrictions on restaurants and public gatherings, we had several events this week to promote the creation and opening of this community composting program. We have met with a large bank with 1500 employees who will recieve paid days off to donate time to community projects, and also met the a representative who works for the Department of Natural Resources, who mentioned that there is a 10 year forgivable loan for similar projects, and will work with me to write grants for more continues funding.
Next week, I have secured volunteers to help set up 2 in ground bins and have access to some fencing to protect area, and wood to make lids to keep critters out. Tools have been purchased, as I have made a couple of demo bins. This will allow us to start collecting scraps from residents and nearby businesses, as local covid advertisements allow.
We would like to use some of the money to purchase compost counter containers for residents that will have stickers with our contact info, logo and tips for collecting food scraps and what is accepted.
These buckets will be collected via bicycle and brought back to the composting area where volunteers will weigh and log donated food waste, and feed to worms, or put through proposed outdoor garbage disposal to break down food further for faster processing. (Volunteer and $ pending).
Our next event will be to show different DYI bins so people can have then in their homes, or under desks.
We donated a counter composter for a fundraiser and 200 bags to Nine Square Feet Gardening Club as they let us set up to promote the Food Scrap Composting Program of Valley Junction.
Not bad progress for the first month!
TONIGHT!
Kick-off Meet and greet
Big Acai in Valley Junction
5/5/21 @ 6pm
