Team Worm

Upon arriving these young guys announced they were on "Team Worm."

We had great weather and a nice turnout for the Worm Bin workshop two weeks ago. I talked about the basics of home-scale worm bins and we worked to drill holes in bins and get people set up with ample starter worms and bedding. I passed out this PDF on worms and recommended Mary Appelhof's excellent book Worms Eat My Garbage. A nice benefit of giving away so many handfuls of worms for the starter bins is that our home bin is now light enough to move into the basement for the winter.

Anna and Alaina getting pumped for vermicompost. 

On the subject of moving the bins in for the winter: I'm planning to build a new wider, double-stacked model to contain the rich liquid that drains through the bin. Last year I propped the bins up on 2x4s on top of plastic garbage bags. While that set up probably mitigated the mess (slightly) it did little to stem the flow of the rich vermicompost liquid. This year I hope the bottom bin will not only prevent the same dark mess, but will yield a highly concentrated liquid I can add to plants in spring. We shall see.

In fact, there's a lot of room for (and not much risk involved in) experimentation in home vermicomposting. My efforts pale in comparison to those Bentley Christie, self described Compost Guy and energetic cheerleader for worms, vermicompost, and home experiments. If you're growing excited about these things, I recommend his website Red Worm Composting where he describes with great enthusiasm (and ample puns) various methods and techniques.

Onward, upward, and on into the coming winter. Next up in my Land Scouting: saving seeds before first frost and documenting the fruit trees in our neighborhood.

Bee Birth

Update: video has been removed from youtube but you can watch it here.

This stunning video comes  from a collaboration between photographer Anand Varma and a honey bee research facility at UC Davis. I've read some articles (none of which I can find and link to now) suggesting that caring for small creatures (like insects) can increase demonstrated empathy in children. This video suggests a possible correlation to that: considering or witnessing organisms as "babies" making us more inclined to think positively or protectively of them.

In his TED talk below, you can hear Varma talk about the assignment that led him to keep and document bees and specifically the mites that threaten bees. This work is also an excellent example of how visualization (art, design, alternative presentations of information) can elevate our understanding of complex ecological systems and situations.

Like many of the creatures in NE Wisconsin, I've been holed up and not very active with Land Scouts social media. Spring is returning (I saw violets today!) and so too increased opportunities to discover our flora, fauna, and ecology.

I'm looking forward to sorting through my worm bins (which have filled up over the winter) and add the castings to the garden. (The image below comes from Nancy Mathias's outstanding vermicompost barrel. More on that later.) What are you doing to greet the spring?

Seed Ball Production

These seed balls shown in production here include seeds for wildflower with orange and white blossoms. Those colors in honor of the University of Tennessee, where they'll be on display . 

I use this recipe to make seed balls: 

7 parts clay powder, 5 parts sifted aged compost, 1 part fine grog (if available)

Mix compost and clay together dry, add in water gradually and work mixture until smooth, picking out any wood pieces from the compost. 

Roll 1" ropes of the clay mix, pinch of 1" segments and lay them out. Indent them with your fingers to make a small bowl of each.

With clean and dry hands, portion out the seeds into the clay bowls. 

Close bowls, roll in palms vigorously and carefully, rounding into a ball.

Leave to dry on cardboard out of direct sunlight. Store covered.

Seeds prior to being mixed together.

Pond Gap Land Scouts

Cutting greens at Pond Gap Elementary School, Knoxville, TN

This is the second year of Land Scouts at Pond Gap Elementary School in Knoxville, TN. I've had the pleasure of working first with Matt Callo and now with Elias Attea, both AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteers through Pellissippi State Community College's Service Learning program. Both have given good feedback on how the Scouts work and can be improved to serve Pond Gap's after school program. Below are badges now en route to Attea's troop.

From back to front: Decomposition, Digestion,
Collection, Observation, and Propagation

If you're interested in hosting a troop or using the Land Scouts with an existing group I want to help that happen. In addition to the newly launched Land Scout Guide Book, there's a curricular outline of all ten core values and how to teach them with young people. You can download a free copy of the Guide Book here. It explains how to get started hosting a troop and earning the Observation badge. The rest of the badges and activities are spelled out in the aforementioned outline. It's still a rough draft and not yet published, please email me if you'd like a copy of it.

the Guide Book!

Behold: The Land Scout Guide Book is online and free to download. Read all about it, share with friends and family, and start yourselves a troop!

In the Works

I've been working on a Land Scout Guide Book this summer. It includes general information about the scouts, instructions for earning the Observation badge, and a guideline for starting your own troop. And photos and drawings! Yee-haw. Shown here: a printed draft.

If you'd like to collaborate on the Land Scouts by hosting your own troop and/or giving thoughtful feedback on this book, be in touch and I'll send you a copy.