Inner City Farmer

And I feel fine.

While the people in this country are freaking out about the “economic crisis” we’re in, the reasons I’m trying to convert my urban lot into a farm become ever clearer. If we entered another Great Depression tomorrow, I would still have eggs to eat and, if I can ever get my garden back in shape, fresh vegetables.

I read an interesting essay on this very subject this morning, and it only confirmed what I’ve been thinking all along. Maybe a little Depression is exactly what this country needs right about now.

I feel fine.

Question: What’s the difference between me and those creepy old men you see rummaging through dumpsters?
Answer: Not much.

I am in full-on scavenging mode right now. Some of my neighbor/friends are building an addition on to the back of their house and I took the opportunity to extract some goodies from their industrial dumpster, mostly pieces of wood, but I also found a functional screen door. One way or another these newly found materials will get used.

I suppose the resurgence of my desire to scavenge has to do with the steady decline of summer. Temperatures are now only getting up to the 90s for three or four hours in the late afternoon, which is sweet relief compared to the heart of the summer. With cooler temps my need to get outside and build and dig and move things around increases tenfold. The Farm is about to return to life after a long summer of dormancy….

It feels strange to be so proprietary about a Starbucks, but I can’t help it. While searching for more used coffee grounds today, I hit the mother lode at the ‘Bucks on 45th and Lamar, acquiring about ten times as much as I got from Epoch last weekend. So, fellow scavengers, steer clear. This is my ‘Bucks.

Just kidding. There’s more than enough waste to go around in this world. A wise man/smart group would set up some sort of program that ensured that all coffee grounds used by the Starbucks Corporation ended up going back into our rapidly depleted soil instead of heaped atop junked cars in our landfills. I have to believe that we as a species are going to start realizing that recycling our waste products and replenishing our soil makes sense economically, environmentally, and morally. Here’s a situation where we can do both at once.

I started a vermicomposting bin this weekend. It’s a project I’ve been meaning to do for a long time mostly for two reasons. One, it’s going to save me from having to haul my kitchen scraps out to the compost bin every single day, and, two, worm castings are the creme de la creme of plant fertilizers.

There are a zillion websites that walk you through the process, including this one and that one, but, all in all, it’s fairly straightforward. I got the worms from PetSmart of all places (I had to balance gas consumption vs. giving money to a big box store, and post-Ike it made more sense to stick close to home.) I used an old plastic bin that had no greater purpose. I lined the bottom of the bin with leaves, straw, a little dirt, and a little sand. I wet the whole thing until it was moist. I dumped the worms on top. Then stuck a lid (with lots of holes punched into it) on the bin and shoved it under my kitchen sink. The next day I added some coffee grounds and a little vegetation. That’s it. Done

The big payoff will come months down the road when I can start harvesting the bounty all these worms have produced. I’ll let you know how it goes.

This is my neighbor Tony’s compost bin. On top you can see coffee grounds he obtained from a local coffee shop. His scavenging inspired me to do some of my own. This morning, I headed on down to Epoch, my neighborhood coffee house, and asked if I could take some of their used coffee grounds home with me. The barista I asked was accommodating, yet, at the very same time, a little annoyed. I sensed that she knew recycling the “trash” her workplace produces in copious amounts each day was a good thing… but also that her having to do it while customers were waiting in line wasn’t part of her job description. Next time I think I’ll bring my own bucket and do the dirty work myself. Or, perhaps, I’ll visit the nearest ‘Bucks to my house, the one on 45th and Lamar where two of my friends work. One of them, Rudi, has informed me that they get requests for their spent grounds all the time and that late morning is the best time to ask. Not only could I use the grounds in my outdoor compost bin, but I am contemplating setting up a vermicomposting bin, using red worms to break down my kitchen waste, later on today.