Composting

Today a group of girl scouts visited the farm to learn about composting.


Our compost bins are made from wood pallets fastened with plastic ties.

We talked about the organic matter that can be put in a compost pile.

There needs to be a combination of GREEN and BROWN organic material.

BROWN is the carbon
examples: dry leaves, shredded newspaper, woodchips. straw.      The GREEN is the nitrogen  examples: grass clippings, vegetable kitchen waste, manure.                                                                                

MOISTURE is needed.  Too little moisture -slows decomposition.  Too much kills aerobic (with oxygen) bacteria.

AIR is also needed. So turning the pile helps with speeding up decompositon.

A layer of GARDEN SOIL can be added to the green and brown layer to make sure that soil bacteria and fungi are present to help with the decomposition into compost.

Decomposition happens fastest at a temperature between 120-160 degrees F.  At this temperature weed seeds and plant diseases are killed.  Bacteria and fungi will produce heat as they go about their life processes.

How long should you wait before you can add your compost to the garden?

With proper conditons of air, moisture, and materials, green organic material should decompose within 2 months.

PLEASE remember grass clipping need to be pesticide free.  Please DO NOT use pesticides!

THE EXPERIMENT

I wrote up a lab sheet for the girls to fill in and use as a guide.

We looked at a variety of organic materials: here are spruce cones and shredded paper. 

Everyone chose a different organic material for the middle layer of their decompostion column.

Finished Decomposition Column.  We will make observations and recycle the water once a week.

Horse manure is very high in nitrogen and can burn plants if used fresh.  I like to wait a year for manure to decompose before using it in the garden.  Here, a manure pile is already growing grass.

This is a well cover I have left as an example of ECOLOGICAL SUCCESSION
Algae- moss- stonecrop. Nature recycling for the next organism!

Dye Project

How do we make natural dyes?
We can use plants, animals and minerals



Photo:
Spinach leaves
Red Onion skins
Hematite -mineral (Iron(III)Oxide
Red Cabbage
Marigold

Marigolds and Red Cabbage simmering
in crockpots

3 different Koolaids ( Not natural dye), but is an example of a dye substance that contains its own mordant, citric acid.

Pot on the right is red onion skins.






Red Cabbage juice in test tubes















Many household products can be used as mordants ( a substance that helps "fix" the dye to the fiber)

The household products can also produce color changes in the red cabbage.

Red Cabbage juice can be used as an Acid-Base indicator.

Red onion skins with tin chloride and cream of tartar as the mordant.

Kool-aid results

Turmeric- a spice from India, is an example of dye substance that does not need a mordant.   The spice is from the root of the plant.
















Spinach with its bright green leaves, you think it would make a better dye, but because chorophyll b is more soluble than chlorophyll a, a yellow color is produced. Chorophyll b is yellow.







 

                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                           

 Wool, handspun and hand-dyed hanging to dry.

More May Blooms

lilac


















Quince                                              

Bugleweed

May Wildflowers at Blue Button Farm

Pulmonaria












Lamium

Bleeding Hearts

Red Trillium
















Jack-in-the-Pulpit

Heartleaf Brunnera (flowers look like Forget-me-not)

Viola
















Garlic Mustard - invasive and must be pulled

May apple