Daisy Hill Farm owner Meadow Martell was happy that we made a big dent in a multi-year accumulation of old grape vines, blackberries and other woody waste. Meadow covered the piles back in the fall with used truck tarps from Sharp's Tarps in Grants Pass (a great resource, people!). As a result, the wood was stayed dry - mostly between 15% and 25% moisture and was suitable for biochar production. A small crew of neighbors showed up to help and share in the biochar bounty. Meadow will use the biochar in compost and in the chicken yard.
It was a misty morning down by the Illinois River (Cave Junction, Oregon)
We load the two kilns full with loose packed grapevines and light the top
Once the initial charge burns down to glowing coals, we add more, in layers
We lit these at 9:30 in the morning. by 1:00 pm we have added the last layer
At 2 pm the last layer has burned down and we are ready to quench
Meadow hoses down the char
Total harvest is more than 2 cubic yards of biochar
