So I was looking at my kiddie pool aquaponic system the other day, and I noticed a couple small fish coming to the surface to investigate bugs and such. This is pretty normal. But then I realized that these fish were really small.

I put about 8 large goldfish in the pool several months ago, and it looks like they have spawned!

I like getting more resources for free. I had no idea that the goldfish would reproduce in a pool environment. I thought that they required gravel and tidal action. Apparently I was wrong.

The other day I put up this video on my new flow through worm bin:

The reason I decided to make this new worm bin is that my old bin just wasn’t cutting it. My old bin was the pretty standard design that you’ll find on the web. It was two rubbermaid tubs, one nested inside the other. The major problem with it is that harvesting the worm castings was a total pain. You had to dump the whole contents of the bin, separate the worms from the castings (a tedious process), then put all the stuff you weren’t going to use back in the bin. Way, way too difficult, and so I didn’t end up using much of the castings.

I knew there were better designs out there. So after a little Google-Fu, I found the trash can flow-through worm bin. The basic idea is simple.

You take a regular trash can and cut out a window on the bottom. Above the window, install a screen of some sort. On top of the screen, dump in all your worms and bedding material. Then just add new bedding and scraps to the top of the heap. Over time, the worms will process all of the scraps and bedding and migrate upwards, leaving perfect-for-the-garden worm castings below.

Give it a little shake, and your vermicompost will come out the bottom window.

So I built one, and you can see it in the video above.

So far, the only adjustment I’ve had to make is to add a plank of wood to the left side of the window cut out. Apparently the super cheap trash can I bought was too weak to maintain its structural integrity without that window of plastic, and it started bending over. A little bracing and all is well.

As per one of the YouTube comments, I am considering adding some 1/8″ hardware cloth between the scraper and the screen pipes, just as an added protection. I am still undecided though, so I’ll just have to wait and see. After all, the most important permaculture principle is observation!

So far, using the worm bin has been a breeze. We create a lot of food scraps since we cook almost all of our meals at home. I just keep everything in a trash bowl, and then dump the bowl when we’re done. Throw in some cardboard from egg cartons and Amazon boxes, and that’s it.

Later I’ll post some pics or info about the uses of verimicompost in the garden as fertilizer.

In paleo and Primal circles, you’ll see a lot of people talk about the Whole 9 or Whole 30. The basic idea is to strictly adhere to whichever set of dietary guidelines you set for yourself for 9 or 30 days.

That’s great and all, but I’m a much bigger fan of the Whole 1. As in today. Right now, choose foods the support your health instead of harm your health. Then, when faced with more choices tomorrow, do the Whole 1 again.

I think this works better simply because the idea of trying to be “good” for 30 days at a time is too much pressure. If you screw up once, you’ve “wasted” however many days because you have to start your count all over!

Instead, focus on the now. Focus on the food in front of you. Is the soda worth it (my particular vice)? Is the doughnut worth it? Is any of the crap that you *think* will taste good but ultimately be disappointing worth it?