Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). I’ve been collecting performance data over the last year and am now ready to present the results. Data Collection The data for this analysis comes from three temperature loggers (Elitech RC-4, P.S., we … More Solar Hot Water Panels Year 1 Data, sort of — Lab Note 1.08
We just finished the last harvest for our potato plant study. We are comparing the growth, labor, and yield of five different potato-growing ideas: trench and hill, straw mulch, newspaper-and-straw mulch, containers, and towers. In order to help others reproduce our study or grow potatoes using these techniques, we are providing detailed instructions on our … More Input Data for the Potato Harvest — Lab Note 2.03
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Yesterday I provided the plans and schematics for this build. Today I’m going into some of the nitty gritty installation details. Burying the Supply and Return Lines The supply lines are buried 2 … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 2 — Lab Note 1.07
Last year I built prototype solar panels and summarized the preliminary data gathered in some test runs (see this project’s archive here). Here I will outline the plans drawn up to get a building permit from our local municipality. Schematic Plans These show the basic operation of the system. It is a schematic and not … More Installing Solar Hot Water Panels, Part 1 — Lab Note 1.06
We just finished the last harvest for our potato plant study. We are comparing the growth, labor, and yield of five different potato-growing ideas: trench and hill, straw mulch, newspaper-and-straw mulch, containers, and towers. In order to help others reproduce our study or grow potatoes using these techniques, we are providing detailed instructions on our … More Initial Potato Harvest Data — Lab Note 2.03
Since the beginning of the institute, we’ve been planning to publish a series of short, technical pamphlets, each on a different subject. Over the last few weeks, you may have noticed a series of posts on Vermicompost. We recently presented about worm composting at the Wisconsin Permaculture Convergence and will be tabling with our worms … More The Bulletin, Vol. 1, No. 1: Vermicompost
Worms have their likes and dislikes, but luckily for any would-be worm farmer, they are not as picky as kids (or some adults). Worms are vegetarian and the bins need a carbon-and-nitrogen mix, just like a normal compost system. The “Do-Feeds” Worms like neutral or basic pH foods that are moist, soft, and bite sized. … More Vermicompost 101 — Feed the Worms
Cursory web searches for “vermicomposting” turn up images of stacked bins, but worms are not picky and thrive in many configurations. We can quickly satisfy what the worms need and then concentrate on what system is best for the worm farmer. The Worm Real Estate Market Red wrigglers are near-surface-dwelling earthworms, staying in the top … More Vermicompost 101 — Worm Housing
Red wrigglers are complex composting machines! They’re built to live underground and eat their way through decaying material, leaving behind worm castings, otherwise known as “compost gold.” External Anatomy Red wrigglers are tube-shaped animals made up of up to 120 segments. The name of their phylum — Annelida — comes from the Latin phrase “little … More Vermicompost 101 — Worm Anatomy
Many of us dissected worms in biology class and most have used them for fishing bait, but few know much about the lives of Eisenia fetida. Called “red wrigglers” by composters or “panfish” or “trout worms” by others, they belong to the Lumbricidae family of earthworms and are the only worms you should consider using … More Vermicompost 101 — Worm Life Cycle