Exciting time in the land of Balcony Compost.com! First off my lovely newsletter participants may have noticed some issues during the email of the last newsletter. Mainly the header image and well…the site being down. So I’m changing hosting companies to SliceHost, but that’s a little tricky since the server needs to be setup correctly before any transfers can happen. And also before any newsletter. So in between backpacking trips I’m trying to get that all worked out.

Also, the DNC is going on for the next week here in Denver, and I have the opportunity of working it! I get to work with the “VIPs” making sure they get from one location to another securely and with AC. So maybe I’ll make some good urban composting connections while I’m at it!

In compost news, my compost bin is filled with amazing worm castings and I’m nearing their final stages of being ready to extract it. Need the upper bin on before that happens. Once you’ve got a bunch of finished compost the rest of the materials thrown in compost much much faster. Very handy.

Wow! So this whole spider things is really going well. If you remember from a previous post I plopped a caught spider into my compost bin and it setup a web. Well now there’s a pretty serious spider nest going on! Guess there’s more food than he could take so he’s calling for backups. So I tried not to disturb it on my latest compost additions.

I missed out on some good compost tea recently! Did a watering and my PBR aerator tea catcher was misplaced to say the least. Anyways, look how beautiful this stuff looks. It would make a plant double in size in days I swear.

Liquid gold I tell you! haha, I’ll just need to add more beer cans I guess. On a lighter note: I climbed Longs Peak last Sunday and it was amazing! It’s my 8th fourteneer. Knockin’ ‘em down.

Check how many ppl were hiking up this one rocky section! (up to my friend Levi)

Let’s face it, if you’re on a balcony you’re going to need a container to throw your compost mix into that will grow the wonders of the world. You know plants and stuff. So it’s obviously very important to understand the basics of the pot choices out on the market today.

The most accessible and commonly used is the clay pot or terra-cotta pot. I’m sure we’ve all had experience with these but let’s go over some of the need to know.

• Cost: Cost effective
• Looks: Great natural beauty
• Weight: Heavy! Of course this is only an issue for the large pots, and doubly so if you are looking to change its location in the foreseeable future

(more…)

So the other day while getting ready for bed I came across a nicely sized black spider scurrying along my carpet trying to ineptly escape my gaze. So instead of my usual capturing of the spider in a cup and hurling it off my balcony I devised a crafty composting solution.

I had thought many times about having a spider in my compost bin to suck up all the fruit flies that cloud my vision every time I open my worm bin. So I decided to do just that! I plopped him right inside the compost bin and shut the lid hoping he wouldn’t try to leave the enclosed container.

He didn’t. In fact 2 days later when i went to check on it he had a decent sized web setup with more flies than he could dream of! Certainly a win win situation. Hopefully I don’t ruin the web too much when I do my next aerating stir. Who would’ve thought it’d be that easy?