WINTER HAS ARRIVED
I know, what we have for a winter isn’t much, relatively speaking, but for us mild-weather nerds in Olympia, this has been a cold one so far. Snow last week and so far a cold December. This is news if only because we haven’t had a serious snowfall since 2012. Our chickens are almost three-years old and they had never seen snow up until last week so yes, this is an unusual winter for us.
Looking back, when I was a kid, back during the Ice Age, we would have major snowstorms every winter. In fact, as a pre-teen, that’s how I made some spending cash, going around the neighborhood shoveling sidewalks and driveways. But times are changing, aren’t they? And things will never be the same!
THE BIGGER PICTURE HERE AT OUR URBAN FARM
The bigger picture can be summed up in one word: community.
Listen, I’m as upset and worried about our world as the next guy. I don’t go online and flood the social media with my concerns, but I am, most definitely concerned. I want to change things, make things better, but doing that on a global level is a bit out of my reach.
But I can change my community. I can work towards the philosophy of localism. I can make a difference here in Olympia, Washington, and that’s really what this blog, and our urban farm, are all about.
I am fed up with huge retail chains and all-powerful corporations, so I shop locally whenever possible. I’m fed up with the complete disregard for the environment, and the waste of natural resources, so I’m doing my little part to counteract the damage that has been done. And by writing this blog, and sharing my thoughts with you, it is my hope that I can inspire some of you to follow my lead. I’m not selling a thing; I’m not forcing my ideas upon you; I’m simply showing you how we live and hoping some of it resonates with you.
And that, somehow, takes us to worms.
I’m going to give you a brief primer on worm tea and worm castings, and then I’m going to talk about something I think is important for all urban farmers and gardeners to hear.
WORM TEA
If you take worm castings (see below) and mix it with water and a bit of molasses, you get worm tea. You can find it on sale at select gardening shops. Great stuff for your garden and indoor plants.
WORM CASTINGS
Worm castings are, to be blunt, worm poop. It’s what is left over at the bottom of your worm bin after the worms have eaten all the food you gave them. It is superior fertilizer/compost/whatever you want to call it.
AND NOW, MY MESSAGE
Spread the word!
Talk to your neighbors. Spread the word about urban farming. Carry on conversations with others about it. Share ideas. If you don’t currently garden, start small but most importantly, get started. Turn off the television, go outside, and plan next spring’s garden. Read up on new techniques. Form a community garden. Form a community seed exchange.
Do something! We all benefit from this movement.
HOW ABOUT RABBIT POOP TEA?
I was thinking about worm tea the other day and I wondered if maybe making rabbit tea from rabbit poop was possible.
Turns out quite a few people already do it.
Take a gallon of rabbit poop (no problem for us), mix it with four gallons of water, let it sit for a couple of days, and you have an excellent liquid fertilizer, all-natural, flowing with nutrients. Of course, you can scale down the size of that recipe…just think one part poop to four parts water, and give it a try.
A SHOUT OUT
I like to support other blogs when possible. Here’s one I recently found, No Harm In Farming. Give them a look and see what you think.
THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK
I’ve got things to do, so I need to leave you for now.
Have a wonderful and blessed holiday season!
Bill
The Urban Farm Yard Sanctuary 