PermacultureandWormcompos1ng

WhatdoweknowalreadyaboutPermaculture?

WhatisPermaculture?

•   OriginatedinAustraliainmid1970s.

•   DevelopedbyBillMollisonandDavidHolmgrenaroundideasofstableagriculture.

•   “PermacultureOne”publishedin1978.

•   Permaculturecombinesthreekeyaspects:

•   1.anethicalframework.

•   2.understandingsofhownatureworks.

•   3.adesignapproach.

•   Thisuniquecombina1onisthenusedtosupportthecrea1onofsustainable,produc1ve,non‐pollu1ngandhealthyseQlements/systems.

CareofEarth

•   Provisionforalllifesystemstocon1nueandmul1ply

•   Workswithnaturalsystems,ratheragainstthem.

•   Usesmethodsthathaveminimalnega1veimpactontheEarth’snaturalenvironment.

•   Designingandcrea1nghealthysystemsthatmeetourneedswithoutdamagingtheplanet.

CareofPeople

•   Provisionforpeopletoaccessthoseresourcesnecessarytotheirexistence.

•   Ensuringthewellbeingofbothindividualsandcommuni1es.

•   Individuals,weneedtolookaYerthemselvesandeachothersothatasacommunitytheycandevelopenvironmentallyfriendlylifestyles.

FairShares•   Bygoverningourownneeds,wecan

setresourcesasidetofurthertheaboveprinciples.

•   Workingtoachieveastablehumanpopula1on,usinganumberofkeystrategies.

•   Recognisethat:•   a.TheEarth’sresourcesarelimited.

b.Theseresourcesneedtobesharedamongstmanybeings.

•   Seektodividetheseresourcesfairlyamongstpeople,animalsandplantsalike,notforge]ngfuturegenera1onswhowillneedfood,waterandshelterjustasmuchaswedonow.

•   ‘Oneplanetliving'.

WhatisWormcompos1ng?•   Wormcompos1nginvolvesthe

bioxida1vedegrada1onoforganicwastesviathejointac1onofearthwormsandmicroorganisms.

•   Aformofaerobiccompos1ngthatinvolvestheuseofspecializedwormstohelpbreakdownorganicwastematerials.

•   Alsoknownas‘vermicompos1ng’.•   Closelyrelatedto‘vermiculture’and

‘wormfarming’–althoughthosetermsgeneralimplyagreaterfocusonthegrowingofthewormsthemselves,ratherthanonthewasteprocessingandcompostproduc1onsideoftheequa1on.

Why?•   Acooler(mesophilic)typeofcompos1ng‐a

hotcompos1ngstagenotrequired•   Isa‘con1nuous’compos1ngprocess–

materialsaregenerallyaddedonanongoingbasis,unlikethe‘batchcompos1ng’approachusedforhotcompos1ng

•   Canbedoneonanyscale–bothindoorsandoutdoors

•   Resultsinanincrediblecompost(vermicompost/wormcas1ngs)withuniqueplantgrowthpromo1onproper1es–atliQlegoesalongway!

•   Doesn’trequireanyturningofmaterial–thewormsaccomplishthisthemselves

•   Canhandlemoremoisture(again,wormmovementhelpstokeepthingsaerobic

•   Mul1pleyields–compostandcas1ngs,composttea,leachateplantfeed.

•   Fastandeasywaytomakeuseofhouseholdfoodwaste.

Whatkindofworms?•   Eiseniafe)da–the‘RedWiggler’worm,also

knownasRedWorms,BrandlingWorms,ManureWorms,andTigerWorms(amongothers)

•   Thiswormcanvarywidelyintermsofcolora1onandsize,whichhelpsto

•   Prolificbreeder,andwillreadilyfeedonawiderangeoforganicwastematerials

•   Eathalftheirownbodyweightinwasteeachday.

•   Eiseniahortensis–alargerrela1veofEiseniafe)daandhassimilarpreferencesandrequirements.“Dendra

•   ViewedbyresearchersasinferiortotheRedWorminalotofways.Itreportedlyhasamuchlowerreproduc1verate.

•   Mostwormeriescontainacombina1onofthetwo

HowarePermacultureprinciplesreflectedinwormcompos1ng?

WhereshouldIputmywormery?

•   Wormsdon’tlikeittoohotortoocold‐keepcoolinsummerandwarminwinter.

•   Wormsdon’tlikedirectsunlight.

•   Wormsdon’tliketobetoowetortoodry

Anyotherconsidera1ons?

•   NeutralPH•   Aerobicnotanaerobic•   Dark•   Bedding

Whatfeaturesdoesawormeryneed?

•   Abilitytokeepwormsdry.

•   Abilitytodrainleachateandpreferablytosaveit.

•   Airflow.•   Staighjorwardharves1ng

Whatdowormsliketoeat?•   YESPLEASE

VegetablesVegetablePeelings(PotatoSkinsTakeAgestoRotDown)OnionsCitrusFruitsFruit/PeelCoffee/TeaBagsBreadPizzaRicePastaFlowers(ifshopbought‐ensurenoinsec1cidesarepresent)CerealsCrushedEggShellsCakes/BiscuitsSugarCheeseCardboard/PaperPetHumanHair(thistakesagestorotdown)HooverContentsBakedBeansPetFaeces(Rabbit/GerbilEtc)LeavesMeat

ANYCOOKEDFOODCANATTRACTRATS

•   NOTHANKSBones

GarlicSpicyFoods(Curryetc)Eggs

DairyProducts(milk,yogurt,buQer)PoisonousPlantsInsec1cides/Pes1cidesSalt

OilsNon‐Biodegradable’sSolventsSoaps/Cosme1c

Grass/LawnCu]ngs(IfLargerThanaCoupleofHandfuls

Weeds

ChickenManure(TooHighInAmmonia)HumanFaecesDogorcatdirt

Anyques1ons?