There is so much life in the compost! I counted about a billion woodlice, thousands of giant grubs, hundreds of centipedes.

#Compost #Woodlice

https://videos.m14b.eu/w/2kW2u6cR1KAZe2SZRQ5sjb

Before I dive into the reason for my disappointment, let me quickly update you on the changes that I made to the bin during the past two years.

🪱 I changed the shape. The top 80% of the bin is now more or less straight, only the bottom 20% tapers inwards. I previously announced this plan in https://ieji.de/@juliangonggrijp/111524084659269125 and following toots.
🪱 I replaced the bottom lid, which had a circular pattern of small holes in the center but was otherwise closed, by a 5 mm gauge sieve grate. This allows more air into the bin and enables the castings at the bottom to start drying already before I harvest them.
🪱 A low, wide salad bowl is suspended under the bottom grate. It contains freshly harvested castings. This lets the castings dry further. At the same time, it offers a hospitable landing site for #worms and #woodlice that fall out the bottom of the bin.
🪱 A colander is perched on the lid at the top of the bin. It contains the previous, older and dryer batch of harvested castings. Worms that ended up in the harvest can crawl back into the bin through the holes in the colander and the lid.