A Grower Perspective

In our effort to interact/network with other businesses, Josh and I traveled south to Cottage Grove to visit Sustainable Agricultural Technologies, Inc.  They specialize in vermicomposting (worm compost) and compost tea systems.  Our friend, Michelle, works there and invited us down to see what was going on and see how we could use this in our business. The owner Bruce Elliott used to build destruction proof mailboxes.  He grew tired of all the angry people calling to complain about the people who were smashing mailboxes and moved on to something new.  Interested in vermicomposting, (worm composting) he called a guy in the San Juan Islands who built a worm bin called a worm wigwam

and inquired about purchasing one.  The wigwam man had only one left and was going into the construction business and out of the worm composting business and when asked was willing to sell the rights to his worm bin.  Right place, right time, so a new and friendlier business was developed, worm composting and from that, compost tea making. The tea and the compost are used in small residential gardens to large industrial farming.  As Bruce says, “they are not the silver bullet” but they add many nutrients that are lacking in the soil to produce better food and ornamental crops.  As food crops these nutrients are passed on to us and we get healthier as well, it is a win/win situation.

The operation is located right in the middle of Cottage Grove. You enter by the back door, there is no sign, and so you have to know where you are going. It is not fancy but gorgeous in an industrial sort of way.  There are three guys working there and Michelle.  It is a spacious workspace, nothing feels crowded, and there is plenty of room to move around. This is where the compost tea systems and the worm bins are constructed.  In the back room a large worm bin is actively making compost fed by food scraps, goat manure and bits of paper. Beautiful black ‘soil’ comes out the bottom and then is added to crops, potted plants or used as tea in the Earth Tea Brewer. The Worm Wigwams and Earth Tea Brewers are sold around the world, not so much locally, hopefully that will change and more folks will notice yet another great resource right here in our own backyard.  We are discussing how we may use it here at the nursery, how we might make it available to our customers and use it in our own gardens.  You may visit them in Cottage Grove or their website www.composttea.com or give our friend Michelle a call at 541-767-2747 or 1-800-779-1709.