March 16

Third grade has been getting into all aspects of composting.  They spent quite a bit of time over the winter sawing pieces of wood to the correct lengths so that we could build compost sifters.  We use the sifters at the very end of our composting process by rubbing the finished compost through the wire mesh to sift out any large pieces that didn't get broken down enough and to break up any big chunks.  The finished product is a lovely damp, soft, rich brown earth.  Below you can see them working on the final steps in building the sifters.

 When we start building our compost, we build layers of weeds, kitchen scraps and manure.  When the pile is large enough, we add biodynamic preps and put the pile to bed for around 6 months.  Here is a whole train of students bringing manure to our newest pile.

Last but not least, here is a group of students working with Kimani, one of our high school senior volunteers, to create a trellis for the peas.