Rhode Island Feeds

It’s time to harvest! It has been a while since I’ve posted my progress in worm composting. Things have gotten busy in my life recently. I’ve been preparing to move to a new apartment. The worm composting goes on even if my worms have been largely ignored for the past week  as I packed my belongings. So take heart. Even if you can’t get to your worms on a regular feeding schedule, they will prevail.

Within 60 days or so your compost will have turned into dark brown earthy smelling compost that looks a bit like crumbled chocolate cake. It is now it’s time to harvest.

How do you do this? There is a lot of advice on the best methods for harvesting worm compost and I’ve experimented with a few. You will probably want to pick one that suits you best.

One method is to arrange a table covered with plastic under a 100-watt bulb so that the light is within 2 feet of the table. Heap the compost on the plastic in a cone-shaped mound. Any worms exposed to light will scurry to the center of the mound, letting you scoop away compost from the perimeter. Wait another 10 to 20 minutes and you can remove another layer of compost. Eventually, all the worms will have burrowed into a compact mass in the center of the pile. You can then move the worms back into the bin after lining it with new bedding.

I decided to try this method first and found it ok, but a bit time consuming. I worked at it for an hour or so one evening, got a decent amount of worm castings and then put the worms and remaining compost back in the bin. After all, it was getting late and I had work in the morning.

If the sight of wriggling worms in a pile turns you off, there are other methods you can choose. One way is to simply push the bedding and worms to one side and place fresh bedding and table scraps at one end of the bin. In a few weeks the worms will navigate over to that side and you can harvest compost from the deserted side of bin.

Compost or worm castings can go directly into the garden or house plants or used as mulch. I’ve already noticed a big difference with the plants in my garden. I have cucumber plants growing all over the place and my tomato plants look good.    

Here is a picture of my broccoli plants at an early growing stage looking very healthy. My garden looks great and it appears that my worm composting a success!

My job isn’t over however. I’m now turning my attention to the grounds around my new apartment, which could certainly benefit from some worm compost.

by Katie Lacasse

You have a choice where your electricity comes from!

Did you know that you can help clean our air and water and stabilize the climate for our children while investing in the growth of renewable energy in New England?  Until recently, you only had one choice for your energy – dirty power – electricity generated from coal, oil, natural gas, and nuclear power.  Reliance on these energy sources leaves our world and its inhabitants vulnerable to pollution, health risks, and global climate chaos.

But now people can take a stand for their global concerns and their commitment to environmental stewardship by signing up for New England GreenStart SM, a program offering green power right through your electricity bill.

St. Augustine’s in Kingston has made the switch to green power!

St. Augustine’s Church in Kingston, RI switched to green power this summer, through the New England GreenStart program.  The church’s electricity usage is now matched with local renewable energy resources to displace the fossil fuel and nuclear resources that electricity payments otherwise support.  And you can sign up too!

When you sign up, you will still receive the same electricity service from National Grid.  You’ll pay a little extra each month to support local renewable energy sources in New England, and the additional amount you pay is 100% tax-deductible from your federal taxes.

When parishioners from St. Augustine’s join New England GreenStart, they also support St. Augustine’s Church and RI Interfaith Power & Light (RI IPL) because they have an agreement with PPL (People’s Power and Light – GreenStart’s parent company).  When St. A’s parishioners let GreenStart know that they heard about this program through their church, then GreenStart will make a $10 donation to both St. Augustine’s and RI  IP&L for each year of being a GreenStart member, for up to three years!

If a similar agreement would fit with your church, then consider contacting PPL through GreenStart for more information.

Click on the links to see some of the renewable energy sources St. Augustine’s church and other GreenStart members support, or get answers to frequently asked questions about the program.  .

Or you can simply sign up for GreenStart on the website!

The winning entries of the 18th Environmental Poster Contest, along with the work of all the participants, met with a variety of admiring audiences during April and May. The winners in each category were Savannah Arago, Alexia Martinez, Samantha Jurovich, Will Jurovich, Alison Harvey, Jake Knight, and Rebecca Jurovich, all representing St. David’s-on-the-Hill, St. Elizabeth’s, and St Thomas’ in Alton.

Cindy Rollins staffing our table at RWPZoo's Party for the Planet in April

Posters were first displayed at the Roger Williams Park Zoo during their Earth Week “Party for the Planet” in April. Within the Autralasia building (next door to some shy marsupials and just around the corner from a snake the color of lemon and lime) visitors could view the messages and artwork created by young people from our diocese.

Following the trip to the Zoo, the posters were again exhibited, this time during the month of May at our Diocesan Office and Resource Center. Visitors entering through the North Main Street door to the Diocesan Office were greeted by the winning posters . And a visit to the Resource Annex brought the other entries into view.

And at the Office for the Diocese....

Congratulations to all our paritcipants. Their concern for God’s Creation brings hope, mindfulness, and encouragement to us all.

….This was just one of the questions posed at the GreenWays Sustainable Landscapes/Community Gardens Forum held at St. Luke’s in East Greenwich late in March.

Several parishes from around the Diocese were joined by members of the South County Unitarian Church to share expertise, history, and plans regarding community gardens and sustainable gardening efforts. Epiphany in Rumford represented the broadest experience in the room that evening. Not only had they initiated a garden on the church grounds with produce that was regularly donated to a local food pantry, but they had also channeled contributions from the home gardens of some parishioners. And there were other congregations represented that had some past experiences and/or plans for the upcoming season.

Although community gardens was the buzz phrase at the forum, there was also a good deal of sharing about sustainable/organic practices in church yards in general. What products are used by to promote plant care? Are the practices used consistent with the care of God’s Creation?

And then, in early May, along came the latest issue of RISEN….In it Ruth Meteer has written a comprehensive article, Community Gardens, which describes many efforts in our Diocese and beyond, with a listing of reasons and resources to support the ventures. It is well worth reading…and then rereading, for it is full of information on ways for church groups to become involved. Of special import to us as people of faith Ruth incorporates info on the kinds of fellowship and ministry that accompany such a project. We read about some local churches with community gardening experience, about the different models that can be applied, and we find websites for reference. She sites resolutions at the 2009 Convention which bring this environmental stewardship/social justice ministry into focus and suggests questions to be explored in planning the project. There are a few “how to’s” and some pros and cons to the different models to be considered in setting up the gardens. The article is a real invitation for us, as Ruth interprets the message of Reggie McNeal from this year’s Convocation, to “bless people into…. the (church)yard”.

Back to the Sustainable Landscapes/Community Gardens Forum in March… Among some of the considerations and pointers offered were:

Plan first. What are the goals for the garden or the landscaping season? How large a plot or plots? What will be planted? Where will the produce go? Who will tend, who will harvest, who will transport?

Lots of cooks in this gardening "kitchen"

Vast gardening experience is not necessary to start – although some knowledgeable gardeners are an asset!

Be prepared for surprises! Gardening carries with it both the expected and the unexpected, so flexibility and a sense of humor are also welcome companions. Any project is pretty much guaranteed to be a learning experience.

As for the title of this article? We heard from one group that a 3 foot fence was all that was needed to protect the space from uninvited wildlife “visitors”. People on the other side of the room chuckled and mentioned that 9 feet is the minimum if deer roam through at dawn and dusk. And what about the burrowing woodchuck that can move into a neighborhood?

In closing, Cindy Rollins’ Worm Composting experiences, (periodic entries on this site that can be found by scrolling down) give yet another way to make a contribution to gardening in general, community gardening in particular. Cindy describes in detail (and with humor), the process of setting up a worm composting bin in her apartment. The castings that are produced by the worms are a rich, concentrated, organic source of fertilizer. Those castings can be mixed with soil directly into the garden – OR mixed with water to form a sort of “tea” to be used for watering. That latter practice is one of many to be used by St. Augustine’s and St. Peter’s-by-the-Sea at their joint community garden project, now underway.

"Tea" for the garden, compliments of the composting worms

Any ideas or thoughts on the subject? Photos or reports on what is happening in your parish? Your input is welcome!

Help my Worms are Escaping!

I checked my worm bin recently and found that a few worms had started to crawl to the top of the compost bin. What was I doing wrong? Was my compost mixture too wet? Did the worms have enough air to breathe?

Here’s what I learned from the Worm Ladies of Charlestown website:

• The worms are adjusting to their new home.
• Keep the lid off and keep them in a bright area or under a light. ( worms do not like bright light)
• Make a pocket or two in the bedding and put some in food and cover up with bedding. Once the worms know where the food source is they will stay put.
• You can also place a piece of wet newspaper over the bedding after feeding them. They like to hang out under it.

In my research I also found that escaping worms are to be expected for the first few days as they get used to their surroundings. If this bothers you, you can keep your compost bin outside. Just remember, if you decide to do this, do not put holes in the cover of the bin, otherwise water will get in when it rains.

Pay attention to what food you feed them, some foods, such as banana skins and coffee grounds, work better than others. As I’ve mentioned in my previous article, putting citrus and onions in your worm bin may not always be a good idea. 

Plants from the onion family (including garlic and shallots) and citrus fruits contain volatile oils. If any of these are included in the food scraps, the worms will climb out of their bin to get away from the smell. 

Worms also don’t like to be moved around or jostled, so you should find a quiet dark place for them to live.

Why did I have a problem with escaping worms? I moved my worm bin out from underneath the kitchen sink to a place underneath a large table in my kitchen because I was eager to see what was going on. This is when they started to move.

I took the cover off the bin and placed it directly underneath the bright fluorescent light fixture in my kitchen. The worms quickly scurried back underneath. I loosened the bedding up a bit and put a few holes in the cover to maker sure they had enough air circulating.  I fed the worms, placed a few sheets of wet newspaper on top and moved the bin back underneath the sink.       

This seems to be working  and I have not noticed any more escaping worms. Things are moving along!

Next… harvesting