In keeping with “Restaurant Week”, This FRIDAY September 25th, 2009, join me (Jamie Kocher) for “HOTTER THAN HELL NIGHT” as Chef Justin Baily cooks up a delectable array of spicy dishes featuring the world’s hottest pepper, The Bhut Jolokia.
Many of you have asked me how we are doing with our attempt to break the world record for the hottest pepper. Well, it’s a bit harder than I thought it would be. Right now we have about 400 plants going with 12 different test groups. We are trying different organic fertilizer mixes, different amounts of water application, hoping for hot humid days, and crossing our fingers. There isn’t a lot of information out there regarding a plan for increasing the heat in peppers as I have put several hours into researching this. I have basically come up with a lot of different opinions but nothing set in stone. If anyone out there has the sure fire way to do it, please email me. The results so far are that we have tested 3 different groups with our peppers are coming back at around 900,000 SHU tested via HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography).
For the record, I see a lot of let’s say sub par Bhut Jolokia products on other websites. I think a lot of people have jumped on the band wagon and into the business of selling crap. The Bhut Jolokia peppers are very difficult to grow, which makes the ability to get fresh peppers in the USA difficult. So many of the sites are only selling flakes or powders imported from commercial farms in NE India. If any of you have these products and are not satisfied with the heat, you can have it tested for about $46.00. I have been told that the SHU value of these products are in the 500,000 – 600,000 range. Far, far below the world record but way above an easily available Habanero so they “seem” hot. Maybe this is why you see people on the videos eating the “Bhuts” and not having such a difficult time. I am contemplating selling the “real deal” in the near future. Right now all of our peppers go to restaurants and to commercial salsa makers. I will keep you updated.
Cheers,
Jamie
Aloha from the beautiful North Shore of Oahu,
I am excited because over the last 2 weeks I have planted two new gardens at my house! The summer here in Hawaii is hot, a bit humid when the trade winds don’t blow, and there are many things that are impossible to grow in this heat. Believe me, I have tried to grow fall and winter crops in the shade of my tomatoes, peppers, etc. in the summer but it just doesn’t work very well. So, now that we have turned the corner on the summer heat, and the long, hot days , I have planted for the Fall. Into the garden with broccoli, cauliflower, many types of lettuce, bok choy, kale, chard, carrots, asian cabbage, spinach, radishes, eggplant, cilantro, green onions and more. Since we can grow tomatoes most of the year, I also have about 15 plants going with 5 different varieties. By the way, I grown only heirloom varieties. I will publish more on the disappearance of our heirlooms and the appearance of more and more GMO’s in the near future. I just love watching the new, fragile life popping up through the rich, brown soil. If any of you have read my blog on building an asparagus bed then you would know that I planted my bed a few weeks ago. The asparagus is up with more than 95% germination and is about 4″ tall now.
I usually have two compost piles going so there is nice, rich, beautiful compost available every week or so, but I have nixed one and the next one will be going away in a week or two. Say what??? Don’t worry, I have gone hi tech and have purchased two new items for the garden–a compost tumbler, and an electric leaf shredder. We will see how they work, but they sound great. The tumbler promises black, rich compost in 14 days and the leaf shredder says I will be able to reduce leaf volume by 91%! So, now I will have a lot more room in the garden to grow, and I will be able to compost in a more efficient way or so I hope. I will keep you updated. I still do however have two 30 gallon trash cans going that make compost using an anaerobic method as well. I cannot emphsize enough to all of you how composting is not only the best thing you can do for your garden, but a great thing you can do for the planet. It completes the circle where there is no waste, just harmony.
Big news! I have been researching solar energy and am making plans to get panels on my roof in the near future. I am already using solar panels for my water heater, but now would like to add panels and use them for electricity and to heat my spa. I am also looking into a few wind generated turbines for the same purpose as well. The goal is to get off of the grid and only use it as a back up. The next thing I will be doing will be to build a cistern to catch the rainwater from the gutters on my roof. I am reseaching the different type of filters now. If anyone out there has done this, and the solar thing, please get back to me with your thoughts.
Mahalo, and thanks for reading.
Jamie
As I write these blogs, I am energized from the food out of my organic garden. About 50% of my daily caloric intake comes from the earth that I have nurtured for more than 14 years at my current home. And before that it was from gardens at my other homes or schools or rented plots from the city that I lived. I have been doing this so long it is a huge part of my life. Why do I go through this effort? The number one reason is that I can control what I eat. I know what goes into the soil and I know what comes out of the soil. I love watching something grow that I started from a seed. I never got married, and never had children, so I guess I am sort of the Father to my plants and trees and the like. There is a lot of satisfaction in seeing this growth and all of the verdant colors, smells, bees, butterflies, earth worms, etc. and a working ecosystem in my garden.
Let’s talk about the typical city dwelling American’s journey to the local market. Did you know that the average American meal travels more than 1500 miles to get to that market? We are so spoiled in the States. We have to have our apples 12 months a year, but do we realize that for 6 or those months the apples are being shipped from Chile or New Zealand? And what about all of the cheese products from France, or England? And so forth and so on. There is a tremendous waste of fossil fuel to get to our local markets. Those foods have to be transported large distances, some need refrigeration, most have heavy duty packaging, most have preservatives and/ or are sprayed/gassed, some are GMO sourced (genetically modifed organisms), most are picked very green, and the quality is poor and taste is poor compared to locally grown organic food. How great is it in the summer time when you pull a big, bright red, ripe tomato out of your garden? You cut it open and it bursts with juice and a wonderful smell and you know it’s going to taste great. You grew it and it is now rewarding you for your nurturing. In Hawaii where I live, we have no apple orchards. I love apples, but I won’t allow myself to buy them at the local market. It’s against my principles, and they are old and mushy anyway, so what’s the point? But above all, they piss away a lot of fuel getting to the Islands, and are laced with chemicals. So what do I do? I eat organically out of my garden and purchase locally as necessary as much as possible. This provides healthier food, promotes sustainable agriculture, supports local co-ops and farmers markets, and reduces the negative environmental impacts associated with commercial farming. If you add the distance that non- locally raised food travels to get to your market, that exacerbates the problem. Organic food is fresher, has more vitamins and minerals and tastes like it should. And local local organic is a bonus!
It is a proven fact that organic produce, organically raised livestock, and organically raised grains have more nutrition. AND the yield from the pastures, and gardens are greater in an average rainfall season, and more than 15% greater in seasons with any significant lack of rainfall. This is because organic soil has more compost which retains the moisture that it does receive. And when you combine this with no chemical runoff from chemical fertilizers and pesticides (see table), it is a win-win situation. Then you add the taste, the health benefits, and satisfaction from eating locally, you have a win-win-win situation.
Globally traded organics? Sounds good doesn’t it. Why not help the poor coffee farmer in Nicaragua or Ethiopia? Now I know that I am hitting below the belt, because even I enjoy a good cup of coffee. And I enjoy the organic coffee from the places mentioned above, especially a light-medium roast. But the problem is that most globally traded organic food doesn’t come from the poor farmer you are trying to support. The multinational conglomerates only want you to think so. Most of these products come from vast mono-culture farming techniques that completely go against the basic principle of organic farming-diversified agriculture . They take poor rural communities and completely transform a diversified agriculture system into a machine like producer than grows one thing. Think about coffee, sugar cane, corn, etc. And then a lot of the time they grow with genetically altered seeds. What is organic now? You have taken a diversified, working system changed it into a monoculture that now forces the local people go outside their geographic area to buy staples. And these GMO seeds do not have the ability to reproduce!!! Genetically engineered plants and seeds are sterile!!! (more on that later).
And again what is organic? This term is a joke now. In the USA, for many years, multi-national corporations have lobbied congress to change the definition of organic to allow low levels of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and perservatives. Your “organic free range” chicken that comes from “Wilma’s Farm” only has to be given access to the outdoors the last week of it’s pathethic 7 week life. It lives with 20,000 other “free range” chickens on the cement floor of a warehouse where it is soaked in urine and feces. And if you check with “Wilma” there is no Wilma, she doesn’t exist. But after more investigation you discover that “Wilma” is actually big agri business. Now is that “organic”? Well, friends, that is where we are today and the situation is getting worse not better as the multinational producers gain more power and wealth. And as more and more of the rural population moves into the cities to find work, we will depend more and more on commercial, chemical based farming techniques that produce cancer causing, bad tasting, genetically altered produce and meat products that will literally kill you. Why do you think that cancer is so prevalent in today’s society? We eat polluted food, we breathe polluted air, and we drink polluted water. Now ain’t that great? What can you do??? You can start an organic garden in your backyard- a 10′ x 10′ plot of raised beds will produce enough produce for a family of 4, buy from your local farmer’s market on the weekend, support local organic cop-ops, and elect representatives that understand this and give a shit and are willing to fight for this.
Here is a table recently published by the US Environmental Working Group (EWG) that based its results from nearly 87,000 tests for pesticide residues in produce grown by commerical, chemical- based farming techniques conducted between 2000 and 2007 and collected by the US Department of Agriculture and the US Food and Drug Administration. This assumes that all fruit and vegetables were rinsed or peeled.
The research found that people who eat the top 12 of the most contaminated on the list ingest an average of 10 pesticides a day. And these pesticides are stored in the organs or your body. What locations in the body do the cancers kill?
Worse to less worse
1. Peach
2. Apple
3. Capsicum (peppers)
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberry
7. Cherry
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grape
Better to Best (some uncommon omitted)
38. Eggplant
39. Cabbage
40. Kiwi
41. Sweet peas
42. Asparagus
43. Mango
44. Pineapple
45. Sweet corn
46. Avocado
47. Onion
Note: Almost ALL that are listed for the above (good) group have thick skins, or layers that will not allow a lot of pesticide absorbtion.
“Organic” Farming- fact or fiction? Well, I guess that depends on how you “organically” farm. But if you know your source- know where your food comes from, how it is grown/raised, you will get a better feeling for the “organic” near you…
Or
Aloha Everyone,
As I sit here in the comforts of my home, I often think about not so fortunate people in the world. I have traveled to more than 50 countries in my life and have gotten to know a lot of people up close and personal.
I am not the traveler who goes on the whirl wind tour of 8 countries in 14 days. I am the traveler who stays in one location for an extended period of time (as long as the surf is good…) and makes lifelong friends. What amazes me is that most of the really good surfing spots in the world are located in very remote areas. On my first drive to Central America in 1975, we had no running water. We did have well with a bucket that supplied all of our needs and electricity was spotty at best. On my first trip to South America in 1977, I rented a house on the beach for $40.00 a month and went to a communal water hydrant on the street where we filled up 2 buckets on a stick and then filled up a 50 gallon drum. My traveling buddy Glenn had to return to the states after 6 weeks because he contracted hepatitis from that water in the drum. Electricity came on for 2 hours a night if we were lucky. And that was a light bulb on a wire. On my first trip to Indonesia in the ’80′s we were on an outer island where there was no electricity and water was taken from the river where the locals bathed. That was a long time ago, but the situation is still the same in much of the world today. With a growing world population and industrial pollution of our rivers and water tables, clean, potable water may be a thing of the past in the near future for a large percentage of the world’s population.
Today, more than 35% of the world’s population do not have water for basic sanitation. 1 out of 6 or 17% of the worlds population does not have adequate access to clean water. In fact, about 5,000 children a day die from diarrhea related diseases which are directly caused by dirty water.
What can you do? Financially support any non-profit organization that you feel best addresses this problem. I support “Clean Water for the World”. They are listed as a 501c3 non-profit organization. They provide simple, adaptable water purification systems to communities that do not have access to clean water at no charge.
Thank you.
Jamie
There are now more than 95,000 square miles of our oceans that are “dead”. These dead zones are areas where the bottom water at the sea floor is anoxic. This term means that there is no concentration of dissolved oxygen in the water.
The reason for anoxic water is that there is excess amounts of phytoplankton at the surface of the ocean (algae blooms) that produce excess organic matter. As this organic matter finishes its life cycle, it sinks to the bottom of the ocean where it is broken down by bacteria. This process is known as “bacterial respiration”. Even though the phytoplankton eat up carbon dioxide and produce oxygen during their photosynthetic process, the bacteria produce carbon dioxide and use up this oxygen during their respiration process. The “exchange rate” is not equal and the result is that the bacteria use up all of the available dissolved oxygen in the water. This dissolved oxygen would normally be utilized by other oxygen respiring animals such as shrimp, crabs, clams, lobsters, fish, etc. The ones that can escape to other areas where the oxygen content of the water is normal and can support life, flee, while the slow moving die.
The expansion rate of these “creeping” dead zones is alarming. They now number over 400. In fact, the number of these dead zones has doubled every decade since the 1960′s. This expansion rate is trending towards exponential growth and even though only 2% of our oceans are affected now, this number could be 20% by the end of the century. Most of these dead zones are located near the mouths of major rivers worldwide. The main culprit for this is commercial farming, sewage runoff and emissions from the burning of fossil fuel in factories and automobiles. The runoff from the nitrogen based fertilizer gets into the rivers, flows to the ocean and then mixes with the ocean water adding excess nutrients. The fossil fuel emissions produce airborne nitrogen oxides which rain distributes into the oceans which also accelerates the growth of the phytoplankton. This happens because we are living the same consuming lifestyle with “old” technology that is inefficient. More than 49% of our energy is supplied by “dirty” inefficient coal burning plants in the United States. And we are the king of the consumers on earth where the average American uses more than 100 times more energy per capita than it takes to sustain one life on this planet. Then you bring in commercial, chemical based agriculture and you get the picture. As other developing countries such as China, India, and Brazil to name a few grow and expand their “middle class”, they too want this lifestyle- a piece of the American consumer driven pie. I will have more on this later. Now back to the dead zones…
Other events such as volcano eruptions, hurricanes, and polar cap melting can accelerate the expansion of dead zones as well. Major ecosystems in the worlds oceans are being disrupted and destroyed and the problem is not getting better, it’s getting way worse. Another downside is the commercial fishing industry. There has been a tremendous downturn on production from these areas. When you look at the big picture and remember that we derive more than 70% of OUR oxygen from this very same ocean, you have to be concerned.
What can you do? Support organic farming, drive less, demand green technology incentives from your politicians, live a responsible, sustainable lifestyle. BUT the bottom line is that in the USA we use dirty, inefficient energy, and there is little incentive from the government to the private business sector that would encourage new research and development of clean energy technology. The government of the United States must GUARANTEE that these new technologies will be utilized OR THERE WILL BE NO DEVELOPMENT by this private sector. And without these new, clean sources of energy we will continue down this deadly path until we kill ourselves because we didn’t demand change. We need a green revolution now, not tomorrow. Our future depends on it.
Aloha Friends,
I hope everyone is having a great summer! I have been preparing a blog about something that is very disturbing and something that we cannot make go away. Since I am a surfer and a lover of the ocean (where we derive more than 70% of our oxygen) and want to preserve this for our kids, I need to get this story out now. I will finish my blog with all of the facts and a bit of history, but that will be later.
There is a huge amount of photo-degraded plastic in the Pacific Ocean (google Pacific Garbage Patch) about 800 miles from Hawaii that is about the size of Texas. It is more than 30 feet thick and has a density that is 6 times greater than plankton. It comes mostly from our landfills and is conprised of just about anything plastic–bottles, razors, baggies, toys, utensils, etc. There are currents that take it to this area and it just sits there and screws things up. More than 100,000 sea birds die per year by ingesting this trash, and more than 10,000 marine mammals such as sea turtles die because of our total disregard for the earth.
Can we clean it up? NOT A CHANCE IN HELL. Where would you put it? There is not a place on this Earth that could hold it. AND we keep adding to it by leaps and bounds. Next time you go out to eat at a fast food restaurant, Starbucks or similar, notice that they use plastic utensils. What happens when the client is finished… Do they take the utensils home and recycle? No, just a one time thing, throw it away. Next! What about plastic bags, baggies, bread wrappers, shopping bags, and so on… Most end up in our oceans and sooner or later, it’s going to kill us. I recycle everything many times and if I eat at Chipotles (about the only fast foot I will eat) I take the plastic utensils home and use them again, and again, and again. I reuse my baggies 25 times each, not because I am cheap, but because I don’t want to choke our oceans, I don’t want to cut off our main supplier of oxygen and because I want this planet to last. Many cities have banned the use of plastic bags and many more are in that process. This doesn’t go far enough. The bottom line is that this is a world wide problem and we have to do something about it. Don’t just sit idle, talk about it with your friends and make a conscious effort to recycle. Write your elected representatives, and demand only containers that can be recycled. We are fighting big business on this one, and they don’t want to change. They will rape and pillage the earth until there is nothing left. But we have to get them to change by changing ourselves, our habit patterns and cut them off at the knees. If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem…
AND, scientists theorize that there is a garbage patch in the South Pacific that is even larger than this one. Everyone wants “the American lifestyle”. Well this lifestyle of careless abandon, and waste is eventually going to kill us. Let us all make a conscious effort to do better and think about the long term ramifications of this behavior.
Jamie
Aloha Friends,
Well it’s been hotter than Africa here in Hawaii- 90 plus everyday and no trade wind to cool you off. I worked so hard on the farm yesterday that I had a headache and almost passed out every time I got up from my hands and knees after planting. At first I attributed it to “old age” and then realized that maybe I just worked way too hard and didn’t drink enough water. I just friggin’ overheated. So, I thought I would get some good information out to all of you since it will be getting hot where some of you live and really hot where others of you live, and really, really, can’t work outside past 10AM hot where some others of you live! About the “old age” thing, I feel great every day, can’t believe I am past 18. I just look like hell!
So if you are planning on spending hours under sun exposure, you better watch out for heat stroke. YES, as ridiculous as it might sound, heat stroke does exist, and it could be life threatening if not attended on time. “The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration estimates that about 176 to 200 Americans die from heat-related illnesses each year.” For example, in 2003, a heat wave in Europe killed 35,000 people (qtd. in USA today).
Heat stroke is a condition that results when the body does not sweat enough to lower the body temperature during extreme sun exposure. Most of the times, heat exhaustion is accompanied with dehydration, a condition that develops by not drinking enough water. Heat stroke and dehydration are especially dangerous for the elderly, infants, and people who spend an extensive amount of time outdoors or are under certain medication.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the symptoms are:
Headache
Dizziness
Weakness
Disorientation
Agitation or confusion
Fatigue
Seizure
Hot or dry skin that is flushed but not sweaty
High body temperature
Rapid heartbeat and breathing
Hallucinations
Thirst
If you or someone you know begins to experience any of these symptoms, the first thing to do is to get indoors or out of the direct sun, followed by changing into lightweight clothing or removing the heat absorbed clothes being worn. Then, drink and apply plenty of water to the skin to stimulate sweating. Monitor the person closely, if symptoms persist, call emergency medical assistance (eMedicine Health).
There you have it! Even though the hot summer sun feels good on your skin, try to monitor and be safe about your sun exposure. If you plan on remaining outdoors for long period of time, take the necessary precautions; stay hydrated and use plenty of sunscreen/sunblock.
COMPOSTING
Composting is just about the best thing you can do for your garden. It is a great thing to do for the earth. It brings full circle the cycle of growing and dying and growing again. It is the perfect ending and the perfect beginning. Composting is the breaking down of organic matter naturally and returning it back to the soil where it can nourish everything it touches. It improves any soil. At my house I have several compost piles, all in different stages of decomposition. My trash is picked up twice a week, but I hardly ever use this service as everything in my home is reused many times and/or recycled at Sunset Beach School. I hate to send anything to the dump; it just doesn’t make sense to me.
So, let’s get started…
Let’s talk about soil basics. There are 3 types of soil: clay, sand, and loam.
Clay is composed of tiny particles that are super compressed. Water has a difficult time passing through it. Plant roots have trouble extracting water and the nourishment they need from clay.
Sand soil is where water passes readily through it. Unfortunately, so do most of the nutrients. Plants have a difficult time getting enough water and nutrients from a sandy soil.
Loam is a mixture of clay and sand. It has the ability to hold some water and most of the nutrients plants need and are extracted when the plants call for them. If your soil has a little too much clay or a little too much sand, don’t worry, just add compost! Don’t worry about the pH; the compost will mellow the soil towards the optimum growing range of 6.5-7.0.
The idea of composting is to recycle organic waste from around your house. It utilizes any organic waste such as fruit and vegetable scraps (no meat or grease please), grass clippings, fallen leaves, twigs, tree trimmings, hedge trimmings, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc. You will need a mixture of fresh (green) which adds nitrogen, and dry (brown) which adds carbon. You will need fresh manure (preferably horse or chicken) and/or blood meal which will add more nitrogen and get the pile going.
Composting depends primarily on particle size, moisture content, and pile temperature. Ratios have to be within certain parameters or the composting process will be too slow.
Particle Size- the smaller the particle the faster the decomposition process as the bacteria can attack on all sides. I break up into small pieces anything that is going into the pile.
Moisture Content- the compost pile needs to contain 40-60% moisture- too dry and the process will be slow, too wet and there will be oxygen depletion to the bacteria. Just feel the outside of the pile and if it feels somewhat moist, you are probably OK. Be careful as the pile will be hot.
Temperature- A good compost pile will be in the 130-160 degree range. Once again feel the outside of the pile. If it is not hot enough you can add more manure and/or put a black plastic tarp over it for awhile. Take the tarp off after it heats up as the pile needs air. You can check the temperature if you would like with a simple “turkey thermometer”
which is available at any grocery store.
How Long? The time frame for the pile to break down the organic material into a dark brown usable substance varies with your geographic location and time of year. It can take as little as 3 weeks in the tropics to 6 months in the northern latitudes in the winter months. If you want to simplify and/or accelerate the process, there are many compost bins, tumblers, boxes, etc. which are available online. You have heard about “6 minute abs”- now they have the “6 minute compost” or something like that. Well it’s probably 10-14 days but they are a bit costly. You can also build a box using four wooden pallets and nailing them together and leaving the front open. This is a cheap, viable way, and it allows for plenty of air flow because of the open spaces in the pallets.
HOW TO COMPOST
What you will do now is build your pile. Your compost pile must be at least 4’x 4’ and at least 4’ high, the higher the better! BUT your compost pile will follow the laws of gravity and the higher you go the wider the pile will become.
LAYER THE PILE
1. Composting should be done in layers-each layer should be at least 4-6” thick of “brown” and “green” material and is added in alternating layers.
a. The bottom layer is composed of brown material—twigs are the best as they will take longer to breakdown AND will allow air to flow through the compost which is essential.
b. The next layer should be green material-table scraps, grass clippings, etc.
c. The next layer should be a thin sprinkling of horse or chicken manure.
d. The next layer should be brown material-dry leaves, woods chips, straw, pruning scraps, sawdust, etc. 4-6” thick.
e. The next layer should be a sprinkling of horse of chicken manure.
f. The next layer should be green material-4-6” thick.
And so on, and so on until the pile is at least 4’ high. I also shovel about 1-2” of soil from finished compost on top of each layer of manure. This “kick starts” the decomposition process as this soil contains a lot of micro bacteria. If your pile needs more action, you can add an organic seaweed mix which aids greatly in fermentation of the pile which accelerates the decomposition process. And don’t forget to keep your compost pile moist. Moisture deficiency will slow the process way down.
TURN THE PILE
1. Your compost pile must be turned every 1-2 weeks in the tropics. On the Mainland you will only have to do this every 3-4 weeks depending on the weather. The center of the pile is the hottest and where most of the action occurs. The trick is to move the material from the sides into the center of the pile. There will be plenty of space in the center of the pile as during this decomposition process, the pile is losing half of it’s size from this location. This moving of material is accomplished by using a pitch fork, shovel, or similar and working from the outside inwards.
WHEN IS MY COMPOST READY TO USE?
1. When your compost is a nice dark brown color and it smells like good, clean, rich soil it is ready for the garden. Just move it out from the bottom of the pile into a wheelbarrow or similar and work it into the soil in your garden.
SOURCES OF SPECIFIC NUTRIENTS
Nitrogen: bat guano, blood meal, chicken manure, cottonseed meal, fish emulsion, kelp meal, livestock manure (composted)
Phosphorus: bonemeal, rock phosphate, super phosphate
Potassium: granite meal, greensand, seabird guano, shrimp shell meal, sulfate of potash, wood ashes
Calcium: bonemeal, chelated calcium, eggshells, limestone, oyster shells, wood ashes
Boron: borax, chelated boron, manure
Copper: chelated copper
Magnesium: chelated magnesium, dolomitic limestone, Epsom salts
Sulfur: iron sulfate, sulfur, zinc sulfate
Zinc: chelated zinc, zinc sulfate
Iron: chelated iron, iron surface
PROBLEMS?
1. Compost pile not breaking down fast enough—Check moisture, and temperature. If both are OK, add more manure or blood meal.
2. Compost pile soggy—Could be from excess water, or acids that are produced as byproducts of decay. Add organic limestone, but be careful, this stuff is potent! Just add a little in each layer and give it a few days. Do not mix with sulfate of ammonia as this will result in the nitrogen being lost as ammonia gas.
Any questions, feel free to email me. Also, I am leaving the country for a few weeks beginning 6/14/09 and will not return until the first part of July. Yes, I am going surfing again to a remote location in Central America where there are only dirt roads and no communication with the outside world. Make sure that you check out “Where’s Jamie” and if you guess my location (after photos are posted on the site) you will win a $50.00 gift certificate to our bambooandtikis.com site. We will be doing this on a consistent basis in the near future. Not a lot of money, but what do you expect from a Surf Rat???
GOOD LUCK AND GREAT GARDENING!!!
Jamie
Jamie K.