The process of soil-building and the successive food production which follows involves the interaction of several micro-communities of plants, insects, fungi, bacteria, and other micro-organisms. We've begun observing and working with these communities in the garden to understand better how they interact and also how we can organize them to the benefit of our human micro-community here at the Werehouse. It's a meandering process, but essential to the slow-foods process we are trying to cultivate and exemplify.

Our work really began this past fall when we started a couple worm composting bins. These bins have since become rich biological universes supporting the worms and their companion micro-organisms as well as some fungi that have taken root. These bins provide an informative sample of the soil-building process in action, and we are now on the verge of harvesting the rich worm compost that will be used to fertilize the beds we're building in the garden.

Meanwhile, yesterday we began sheet mulching a large area in the back lot where an old trailer used to reside. Using cardboard from Krankies and a blend of our compost and free leaf mulch from the city, we created the base layer of a long-term soil-building pie that will nourish the microbes and worms and other tiny organisms necessary to build healthy soil. The sheet mulch will also control unwanted weeds and grasses thus giving future beneficial and useful plants the chance to flourish.

Our other new micro-community is the small flock of Rhode Island Red hens we are raising. Supplement acquired them a few weeks ago from out in Oak Ridge, NC and they are growing up fast -- bigger everyday and with a constant development of new feathers and funny personalities.

These birds will not only be valuable egg-producers come the fall, but their picking and scratching and nitrogen-rich manure will be invaluable aids to the soil-building process. We're slowly but surely building a coop for them out back, re-purposing materials from past construction projects. The chickens and their home will be a great and lively feature to the garden this summer!

Stay tuned for future updates....