Tony Keer

I have been composting for years; recently I have struggled with harvesting worm castings & due to heat/anaerobic problems, colony collapses. I have ordered a new vermicompost bin that stacks & will be easier to harvest castings & keep the colony healthy.

Once it is harvestable, I will use in the outdoor garden/s which will be split between a native species garden & succulent/food/herb garden of non-natives. Any extra will be used around (with permission) for the apartment complex and gifted to friends.

The one thing I have learned is to not use citrus fruits in the vermicompost, so learning how to utilize those effectively without wasting them is a new task. 

As someone with chronic illness, this is both true & potentially ablest. "Better" is a subjective term, as this could mean "Doctors do not deserve pay;" but also keeping a healthy diet & lifestyle prevents me from needing to see a doctor less often... Due to chronic illness, I will always need to pay for a doctor... If better means "cheaper," then yes. It is cheaper to pay the grocer/farmer... But that is a whole different discussion altogether. People still need to see doctors for chronic issues or for checkups & routine care. 

As someone who does come from a very ill population in a rural farming/fishing/hunting area, this is a major problem. Poor access to diet (largely due to lack of funds) among the local population also means that there is a high rate of poor-diet related illnesses (diabetes, obesity, heart disease). One of my doctors commented that I was one of his few "healthy" patients.

So... It is a complicated issue. As someone with chronic illness, a healthy diet is important, yet it cannot resolve all issues I will need to see a doctor for, routinely. Both are important and as health insurances refuse to pay for nutritionists, it is a bigger conversation than just "eat whole foods." People need access to well-vetted information on nutrition and how to eat healthily, access to healthy foods, and healthcare.

We have a floor-level balcony & some space around it... Considering most of the balcony should be native species, but may include edible native plants to use for cooking or dyeing textiles or teasanes. Focusing on as much stacking as possible. The largest issue is the current vermicompost bin, but a new stacking system would aid that process & free up more space.