Growing Solutions would like to extend a very special “Thank You!” to Martha Stewart and her continued use of our Compost Tea System10 & System25. Martha shares her step-by-step instructions for using our Compost Tea Systems in her greenhouses. What an honor, and we couldn’t have said it better ourselves! Please take a look at her full blog post…
Chronicling more than two decades of growth and changes in earthworm composting technology, Clive A. Edwards, Norman Q. Arancon and Rhonda L. Sherman co-edited Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management, a 623-page international, comprehensive, and definitive work on how earthworms and microorganisms interact to break down organic wastes on a commercial basis. Published by CRC Press, the book includes research from scientists around the world, exploring the dramatic growth and change in vermiculture technology since 1988.
The use of vermicompost tea is detailed in Chapter 11, The Production of Vermicompost Aqueous Solutions or Teas, written by Cindy Salter and Dr. Edwards. Cindy, a long-time advocate of composting and compost tea, has worked with Seeds of Change at its Oregon production farm and is currently with Growing Solutions. Growing Solutions’ Compost Tea Systems using Fine Bubble Diffusion technology are shown in the book as an example of aerated compost tea production. Cindy’s contribution to the book is in part due to her work with Mary Appelhof, to whom the book is dedicated. Cindy recalled, “Mary was partly responsible for my introduction to compost tea in 1999. She inspired many of us to dig into this field and share her enthusiasm for worms and their ‘micro-brethren.’”
Seeds of Change Director of Seed Production Joel Reiten has wormed his way through all 623 pages, and declared the book an enjoyable read. “This is the most comprehensive, first of its kind compilation of real science with tremendous value for the growing vermicompost and vermicompost tea industry. Commercial growers are eager for this kind of data in order to justify incorporating vermicompost and vermicompost tea into their acreages,” Joel explained.
Vermicompost Technology is available through CRC Press in hardcover and eBook, and in hardcover at amazon.com.
Sold out! Two words we usually hear from garden centers offering compost tea as the growing season heats up…but this time it was a sell out crowd at a full day workshop in Hilo, HI, organized by the Hawaii Organic Farmers Association and funded by the University of Hawaii. The more than 80 in attendance soaked up the latest research and innovative uses of compost, vermicompost and compost tea during presentations and field trips over the course of the day. Presenters included Dr. Norman Arancon (Sustainable Agriculture Program, CAFNRM), Dr. Ted Radovich (Sustainable Farming Systems Laboratory, UH-CTAHR) and Growing Solutions’ Michael Alms. The afternoon included an on site compost tea demonstration in a commercial vegetable operation at Island Harvest Organics in Pahoa. Michael offered an overview of the 15-year-old compost tea industry, and a look to the future in tropical environments and elsewhere.
Hawaii is leading the world in researching compost tea and its use in tropical and subtropical production systems. The University of Hawaii has a dedicated department for organic and sustainable agriculture, with Dr. Radovich and Dr. Arancon leading the efforts. Dr. Radovich discussed the current SARE (Sustainable Agriculture & Research Education) grant project using compost tea on pak choi. Growing Solutions is participating in this project to further a better understanding of the use of compost tea in on-farm trials and through educational activities, including the May 6 Hilo event.
Dr. Arancon is co-editor of the latest and most comprehensive text discussing compost and compost tea, Vermiculture Technology: Earthworms, Organic Wastes, and Environmental Management. Stay tuned for a post about this culmination of work from an international cast of scientists. Dr. Arancon and Dr. Radovich both work with Compost Tea System10s in their research efforts at UH/Hilo.
Eight countries were represented at the recent “Compost Tea in Practice” seminar and workshop held at the Laverstoke Park Education Center. Growing Solutions President Michael Alms was one of four guest speakers at this day long event organized by western European distributor Martin Lishman. Attendees from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Italy, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States participated in this overview of compost tea production in the agricultural, horticultural, landscaping, nursery and municipal sectors.
Dave Hutchinson, UK compost tea consultant, chaired the event which included field production of compost tea and a tour of the Laverstoke Park Laboratory. Seeds of Change Director of Seed Production Joel Reiten and Symbio Ltd. Managing Director Martin Ward detailed their experiences with large scale compost tea production and application equipment. Critical factors for producing high quality compost tea were a key focus of the day, with Laverstoke Park microbiologist Vinodh Krishnamurthy leading the tour of the lab’s soil, compost and food analysis equipment and processes.
“Quality was the key word of the day,” Michael explained. “Across the board—from the type of compost to the method of application—there was consensus that using quality ingredients and equipment are the foundation of realizing the greatest cost benefits of compost tea in any sector.”
“Even though the use of compost tea is relatively new, we continue to see more and more segments of the agricultural and horticultural sectors finding success with tea applications,” Joel commented. A 15-year veteran of the compost tea industry, Joel was enthusiastic about the results of the day adding, “It’s exciting for me to see the evolution of the use of compost tea. The attendees, from across the globe, brought new and dynamic ideas to this growing industry.”
Growing Solutions’ distributor Mindy Jaffe of Waikiki Worm Company reports on a great story of a process that we hope to see replicated in schools everywhere. It recalls the sagely adage of “it takes a village…”— in this case, a generous donor supplying a System10 to the Calvary-by-the-Sea Montessori Preschool in Aina Haina, Oahu, Hawaii, where organic waste fed to the school’s worm colony is fully recycled to everyone’s benefit.
Assistant teacher Sharon Tamanaha worked with Waikiki Worm to create the vermicompost program. Not only is the school’s garden and landscape benefiting from the weekly compost tea production, the fourth Sunday of every month is dedicated to tea brewed for sale to church members—always a sell out—that brings revenue to help sustain the program.
“We are very, very happy with our brewer,” Sharon says. “It’s easy to use and clean. Every plant is healthy and robust and the entire property just glows.”
Read the full article in Waikiki Worm Company’s newsletter here.