Or, you could nuke it with high nitrogen fertilizer now, and possibly recover a crop for this year from your sad-looking plants. Don't overdo, but you might consider some soluble plant food (eg Miracle Gro) with a high N number, and if that seems to help, maybe combine it with a top dressing of high-N lawn fertilizer that would release over several days or weeks. I have similar conditions in my 20-year old garden, and I'm wondering if my history of avoiding fertilizer plus slacking off on compost additions the last few years has caused the same kind of effect. The wife fertilized the rhubarb plants this spring and they turned very green and really went to town, so that reinforces the idea.

I had to get my kids back to school, so I took a much needed leave from canning for September. This weekend I finally made the fig jam I was planning from some fresh gifted figs, and I picked a pile of herbs to hang and dry. Now I'm feeling like I'm back in business! I am jealous of all of you who are "sick" of tomatoes, since I lost almost all of mine to the late blight, sigh. Plans for fall-early winter: --bake/freeze some cheese pumpkin for holiday pies. --Apple picking next weekend followed by applesauce, prepping ready made pies, etc. --I have raspberries and blackberries in the freezer, portioned for jams, as well as two batches of tomatoes portioned for more salsa, which is being used up fast. No rush to work with this stuff until time allows. --I'll pick up some broccoli, cauliflower and squash at the farm stands to freeze and/or store over the next few weekends. --I'm going to try my hand at sauerkraut. --con a friend out of some of the many chestnuts that she's been harvesting from her trees, and some quinces that are just about ready. --And I'm dying to try curing some fresh green olives, which are available at our local produce market now. I will be really dangerous once I get a pressure canner. Haven't even tried soups/broth etc. yet. Even with winter included for canning, I'm not sure there are enough hours in each day, ha.

Hey, great job on the start of a new bin! It always seems to me to be the most difficult setting up new and starting out. Good feeding (ie like you have, small amounts, you can't under feed IMHO)is the key. Nice job! PS I also have a similar stacking setup and like you, put shredded paper down the bottom to help the misguided few to survive, and find about once a month, drain liquid, move all material (bedding, worms etc) from the bottom liquid collection tray back on top of the working tray, then refill with bedding (and I mean full of shredded paper / cardboard, dry of course), repeat as you see fit. Seems to work for me. :-)

I'm happy to report that a replacement batch arrived today. Sadly they spent a week in transit, likely due to the holidays, but other than a few dried worms they were all very happy to be home!! Placed them in my bin and within half an hour they have all migrated down. Since the first 27 are still alive and kicking and I would say the bin is in great condition for these new worms... I'll officially call myself a vermicomposter :) Gosh, I hope I didn't just jinx myself, lol. On another note.... my father in law gave us an old smoker, one of the tall ones like an Old Smokey. I'm thinking of converting it into a flow through project after the first of the year. Already has a grate and lid, so I'm thinking why not..... Thoughts anyone? My main concern is rust, but I could line it with pond lining or a tarp like I've seen some do. It's metal, so definitely no direct sun if I should keep it outside. Plenty of time to play around with the idea :)