I built a mini JohnsonSu bioreactor this morning to have biologically rich compost ready for this time next year. It has an outer skin of wire mesh covered in mypex. This is placed on a pallet and downpipes with air holes drilled in them are placed over the gaps in the pallet.

Then add each layer of compostable material and regularly water it as you go. I alternated wood chip layers with grass cuttings and garden weeds.

Tomorrow I’ll remove the downpipes to leave air holes where they were in the pile to allow air flow throughout.

I’ll monitor the temperature over the coming days. It should build to above 55°C and above for at least a few days then start to fall.

When the temperature drops below 27°C I’ll add two or three hundred worms from my worm bin. Then it’s a question of keeping it watered.

#Compost #JohnsonSu #Allotment #GrowYourOwn #GYO #Gardening #Gardens #Compostodon #Allotments #SoilHealth #Soil #SoilLife #Biodiversity #Fungi

@thebeeguy There's an interesting passage in Robin Wall Kimmerer's book "Gathering Moss" where she finds that bird species that are less likely to bring the young's droppings out of the nest put in more #moss. Humans might have learned a thing or two there for the first moss diapers.
For me, it's fascinating how much #soillife alone can tell us. Or #bees. Or one #bird.
Therefore I appreciate your little stories so much!

2/2 *** Ray Dante comes from Ray Bradbury (and his short story Boys! Raise Giant #Mushrooms in Your Cellar!) and Joe Dante (The Gremlins).

All my #sourdough #starters have names. In my #podcast #NatureMatchCuts you can listen to the story of Madame Hoppla when she exploded.😂 I talk about the traditional way of making starters in Alsace and tell you, why #dirt is important for our "inner #life(s)".
https://anchor.fm/naturematchcuts/episodes/Season-01-Ep-04-Sitting-With-Your-Beloved-Sourdough-e1r8s38/a-a8u4vk8

#bacteria #fungi #microbiome #yeast #soilhealth #soillife #soil

I do love #collembola = #springtales.💚 They were the friends of my childhood and my small detective magnifier (it was a gimmick from Donald Duck comics for human Junior Woodchucks). If you are interested in tiny #wonders of #biodiversity and #soilLife, follow @timjonas with his amazing #MacroPhotography #NaturePhotography ! #naturelovers

@siona Well, and one of those tricks to talk about #science and #soilLife to people who think it's all but dirt, was my last episode. I started with the beloved #sourdough and I interviewed a bacteria. People laugh ... and become curious. ▶️ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/season-01-ep-04-sitting-with-your-beloved-sourdough/id1630784381?i=1000587422166 I hope so ... 😄

https://www.chaosofdelight.org/ #soillife #photography

Perhaps everything about my #podcasting began with the "pyjama #beetles": https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/84778-Leptinotarsa-decemlineata

Officially, they are a "pest". But you can even love pests and keep them under your bed! 🤫 So, this is the story behind the scenes: https://www.cronenburg.net/naturematchcuts_podcast/behind-the-scenes/ (I still have #animals under my bed: dust bunnies!😁 )

#curiosity #science #naturalist #ReconnectWithNature #biodiversity #childhood #insects #soillife #kinship #NatureMatchCuts #NatureWriting #NatureStudy #naturelovers

A huge dead #tree lay naturally fallen in the #forest today. It had been dead for many years and hollowed out by #mushrooms, #woodpeckers and other animals. There is a quiet dignity around its crown.

And vibrant life. Birds peck insects and small rodents seek shelter from the cold. The time of #soillife has come and that of #mosses and #lichens.
#deadwood

In my next podcast episode (coming on New Year's Eve), I want to talk about #ecoGrief and how I find #comfort in #nature. #NatureMatchCuts

I have a stumpery next to my backyard pond which is part of a wide border I'm creating around my suburban property where I leave things as natural as I can.
This is where I'm dumping my wild rose branches, some leaves and my Hallowee'en pumpkin etc. This year I've also created a little brushpile in another corner.

#wildlifegarden #stumpery #brushpile #pumpkin
#naturalize #DitchTheLawn #LeaveLeavesAlone
#SoilLife #MicroBiome
#Chateauguay #
#et

During breakfast, I searched for sounds for my micro-macro-amplifier to listen to #bacteria. Now Prof. Vaccae tells me about #soilLife and #microbiomes and I have to #script our #interview. It's such fun to work with micro-macro wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff! Yes, without #DrWho I would never be crazy enough for my #podcast #NatureMatchCuts, never. https://mastodon.online/@NatureMC/109388014205952540 #DrWhoDay #SciComm

This is one of my older drawings but still a favourite. I like using it as an example when discussing the importance of #biodiversity in the rhizosphere.

This is a root-feeding nematode on a plant root. The thin thread-like structure is a fungus. The nematode is lured into the rings, and when they detect the body they swell up like balloons and trap it. The fungus slowly digests the nematode, and the lucky plant is protected from it.

#MastoArt #biology #soillife

This is one of my older drawings but still a favourite. I like using it as an example when discussing the importance of #biodiversity in the rhizosphere.

This is a root-feeding nematode on a plant root. The thin thread-like structure is a fungus. The nematode is lured into the rings, and when they detect the body they swell up like balloons and trap it. The fungus slowly digests the nematode, and the lucky plant is protected from it.

#MastoArt #biology #soillife