Black Gold

One haybale, a shadow of its former self

The sandy soil in the kitchen gardens here means that the discovery of a 10 cm plus layer of worm castings at the bottom of a haystack was cause for celebration!

 When this black 'gold' watered in and /or added to the soil the vegetables respond almost immediately.Salad lettuces seem to grow overnight sending out lush new leaves just perfect for salad greens.

At the bottom of the haystack

Teema (from Finland) collecting worms and worm castings

Some of the straw not fully decomposed was collected along with worms and castings so that a worm nursury could be established.

A sheet of black plastic was placed on the ground ..... four hay bales placed ontop and the middle filled with the collected material.

A layer of green waste from the kitchen and the fine debris from the juice machine was placed under the surface straw layers for the worms.

Everyone is happy tonight!  People, worms and plants!