From Theory to Action

After a long think, I've finally goaded myself into trying stuff. The easiest thing to start with, I thought, would be a bit of compost and some mulching. Bear in mind, I'm from a county that has six months of winter, and I live in the tropics. The seasonal rhythm to which I am accustomed is just not here. In Canada, it's a cycle of cold and not so cold. Here, it's a cycle of wet and not so wet. Given that the not so wet period is where we are, I'm thinking that helping my small garden retain moisture will be paramount. Here's what I've got going on.

 1) The mythical Black Soldier Fly. I have it on hearsay that the mighty Black Soldier Fly makes its home in the Philippines. I've also heard it bandied about that rotten coconuts will net you BSF, so I am trying a combination of dried corn and rotten coconut rotting under an upturned bucket. I know this sounds appetising (and after looking at the bloated ex-popcorn this morning, I think it's pretty appetising, too) but it's in the back corner of the garden away from small children. I had been reserving old coconuts for just such a service. I will keep you updated.

 2) Garden refuse. I bought a 1.5m-tall box to put garden refuse in. After a day, it's overflowing. Ooops. I guess it's a good thing I bought...

 3) A garden mulcher. I splurged on a chipper that takes both 35mm sticks and soft garden refuse. When that thing goes into action, gird your loins. I even started stealing chippable sticks from the neighbours' garden refuse piles. Well, I asked first, but you get the idea. Imagine me skulking through the night to feed my mulching habit.

 4) Starting a compost pile! Finally, all the crap we throw away will be diverted. I'm looking at a locally jury-rigged worm compost bin. I'll see how it goes. Finally, some irons in the fire.