November 2002

During November 2002 John built the proto-type worm bin. This bin is still in use and all the kitchen waste, not for chicken

consumption, is deposited into this bin. Under the legs of the bin is a tray which catches the worm juice. This drips through

the holes at the bottom of the bin. Roughly every 6 months I scrape worm castings from the flap at the bottom of the bin.

Throughout November we also continued to design beds. The south side bed, around the apple tree was established,

and a semi circle bed was established at the end of the yard, behind the middle bed. This bed has Jerusalem artichokes

growing in it every summer.

The north side beds in the back yard were firmly established by the end of november.  In the first photo you can see the

permanent herb bed, which is not rotated to with the chicken tractor. The bed directly behind the herb bed, is the

holding bed. The chickens stay on this bed, under the shade of the crab plumb tree, during the summer months and

while the main beds have been planted with spring and summer crops. When the chickens are not on this bed,

a quick green manure crop is grown in the bed. The bed in the middle photo is a permanent bed, which is planted with

either permanent or bi-annual crops.  By the end of November we had planted our first crops on the first four beds

that had been established.