Tamba Farm Diary
Tamba Farm Diary: Mastering the 3-Phase Hybrid Compost System
by Miwa Todd and Shizuka
Composting is truly a fascinating topic, filled with many different methods and philosophies. In all honesty, we’d love to try them all, but reality dictates that we focus our energy. Disclaimer - This audio blog was written entirely wihtout AI assistance by Miwa Todd (Mackintosh) and narrated using a paid AI voice actor. In this episode, we share the specific system we have perfected on our farm in Tamba, Japan. In the past, we called it hot composting, which, although partly accurate, is a misnomer, even though the bin itself is an insulated ‘hot bin.’ Realizing that true ‘hot bin composting’, which requires high, sustained heat, suffers from a distinct lack of early fungi inoculation and excessive gassing off of nitrogen, we transitioned to our current Hybrid System. This unique approach bridges the gap between fast thermal pasteurization and slow, fungal-dominant cold curing, structured into three distinct phases: Phase One: Hybrid Thermal Pasteurization. We dive into the mechanics of using heavily insulated bins to create short, controlled thermal spikes above 60 degrees C to kill weed seeds while cleverly protecting a seed population of crucial Mesophilic fungi. Phase Two: Biomimetic Inoculation and Deep Hydration. How we move the material to our cedar woodland, building the outdoor pile by introducing indigenous microorganisms (IMO) collected from local Matsu, Hinoki, and Sugi sources, utilizing ‘punky wood’ as moisture sponges and lifeboats for beneficial microbes. Phase Three: Natural Farming-Inspired Cold Cure. The final maturation process, where the pile is covered in breathable tatami goza mats and allowed to slow-cook and fully colonize in the cold Tamba air for months, creating a premium, fungal-dominant compost. We don’t overly worry if we fail to foster healthy fungal life in the insulated bin itself; we know we will make up for it with patience. Time is what makes really good compost. Straight from the north-facing foothills of Mitsuo Mountain (三尾山) in Kasuga, Tamba, this dispatch explains our method of merging controlled heat for safety with the undeniable quality that only a slow, natural cold cure can provide.
July was certainly not a quiet month on our small farm in rural Tamba, Japan. Shizuka started the month with a broken wrist, leaving her temporarily out of action at precisely the point when there was plenty that needed doing. Fortunately, things healed well, and the month gradually became a story of getting back to normal while the farm carried on growing around us. In this month's farm diary, we plant our azuki crop and discover that the local moles have their own ideas about where the beans should go. The chilli fields go from small plants to being laden with fruit, bringing with them an ongoing battle with shield bugs. Meanwhile, around twenty cucumber plants produce a frankly ridiculous number of cucumbers. We also look at the work involved in converting our unsuccessful rice paddy into raised growing beds, using azuki and daikon as part of the process of rebuilding the soil. There's a tiny batch of umeboshi from a very sparse ume year, ornamental pumpkins, our little kinkan tree beginning to fruit, and plenty of the wildlife that continually distracts us from whatever job we're supposed to be doing. Kuro and Mame turn one, we put the summer sunshine to work with a new solar installation on the barn, and somehow continue working through temperatures in the mid to high 30s while dressed in increasingly ridiculous combinations of fan jackets, reflective sunshades and floral tights. And finally, we get away from the fields for a summer festival and fireworks with friends and neighbours, one of those simple evenings that reminds us how much Tamba has come to feel like home. Tamba Farm Diary is the audio companion to our written farm diary on Substack. The original article includes photographs from the farm and additional details from the month. Read Tamba Farm Diary on Substack Audio note: This episode is an AI-narrated audio edition of the original Tamba Farm Diary article, written by Todd Miwa (aka Todd Mackintosh). The words and stories are our own; AI voice technology is used solely for narration.