CA2101232A1 - Process of worm farming and large scale composting which uses discarded tires as composting and worm propagation silos - Google Patents

Abstract

Abstract: Dyke and Levee Agriculture -a process of worm farming and large scale composting that incorporates the recycling of discard tires as worm propagation silos.
Discard tires may be converted into worm cultivation silos be carefully selecting and stacking them into relatively well sealed vertical chambers. Each chamber, or silo, may them be loaded with biodegradable compost, earth, and worm/cocoon culture. If the silo is serviced properly (given adequate compost feed, and moisture, and protected from predators), the silo will produce a perennial crop of worms and high quality soil. The silo may be dug into the ground, or may be begun at ground level and built up from there - a preferred choice over ground of marginal value, and where labor and machine costs are high. The silo may be used as a single unit, or in line with many other similar worms silos, or as part of a matrix (levee) of silos in banks of earth of standardized dimensions. Where may levees of silos are being used, service lanes (dykes) are placed between them at regular intervals. These dykes are used by the vehicle that will carry/pull shredded compost forage/feed to the silos, and will collect earth and/or worm culture, and for related machinery (forage blower, hopper, irrigation implements).
The dykes also insure that if a fire were to ignite, it would be reached quickly; and then be either extinguished, or separated from other combustible materials, almost immediately.

Description

~01 Sp~cificatic)n: IDyl~ and Lev~ A~r~cll~ure (DLA~
It is 3cnown that in the conventional land-fi31 clisposa~l olF
discard tir~s, there are mally undesirable collsequ~nGe$:
The tires t~nd to be "1018t" l~rever~ as randorn practices produce few pr~cis~ records of wher~ they are deposiî~d. All the potential resources they r~presenl: ar~ virtually ur3r0caplturabl~, and are thus unusabl~ ~or any furth~r purpose.

2 They caphJr~ ~a~ witlhin them, and tend to "float"
wilthi~ a land fill~

3 In the process, th~ tires too oft~n become irlfestation opporturlilties for mosqllitoes, rats, etc.

4 The risk of IFIre and the C01151E~ql.l~llt toxicity and polluti~n caused by fire is also a~ important consideration.

5 When d~posit~d Witil other kinds of rel~se, th~y become a si~nificant part a:~f a dump's po~t-closure ~a~p~lit~.

6 The land Fill sit~ reach~s its capacity relatively quickly, when monies must be allocated to aflFord another orle.
Other mearls o~ tire reuse ar~ similarly lFrau~ht with di~lculties. For exarr ple, ltire pyr~lysis arld islcineration contribute to airborne soot - a serious health hazard.
Dyke and Levee A~ricultllre (DLA) is a syst~m which re~ponds t0 many principles of "Inte~rated waste mana~ement.~' Re-usln~ re~yclin~, re-claimin~l and sa~ety are key eiem~nts in this methoel of culti\/ation.

~ ~ v .l II:)iscard tires ar~3 sorted and distributedl in the receivir lFIeld such that a two-dimensional matrix of ltires is d~v~lop@d into a matrix of îire "silos" as each ~otin~ llire - the lowgst Itir~ in th~ colulmn - has one or more tires built onto it. Resultant silos ar~ loaded witlh "gr~en"/lbio-de~radabl~ compost and ~har~d with worm culture.
At r~ular intervals~ Si3OS with w~ll established worm colonies ar~ harveslted ~or slJrpla~s worms and cocoon~, and/or ~r the hi~hly ~ertil0 earth, whicll is a bi~produ~t of their compost consumptiorl. (In climates where a winter season exists, an "earth only'l procluct may be Iharvested from the topmost tire/tires in th~3 early spring time9 b~fore the worms have migrated back to the surlF~ce volume olF
the silo. When worm claltur@ is desired, the tires can b~
harvested later in the warmer seasorl, when th~y are feedin~ and breedin~ near th~ ~op olF the silo system.~
Compost ~ed should be supplied to the cullture re~ularly.
At times it will be lleG~ssary to supplemerllt siio hydration ~rom natu~l pr~cipitation, with artificial irri~ation ~i~. with water throu~h networkin~ pipes, hoses ancl faucets).
It is especially important to resupply corllposlt ~ed to tlle worms after any tir~s have Ibeen emptied olF earth and/or worm culîur~, as such compost also provides a certain amount of outer-to-i~n~r climate buffering to th~ culture.
bt is advisabl~ ~arld legally ~sponsible~ to separate silo matrices into rnarlageab~e units, so that if a fire should break out, the damage could be conîained and controlled quickly arld with minimal ne~tiv~ consequerlce. Thus the silos are developed irlto levees ~banlks~, with separatin~
dykes (lanes) spaced between th@m at r~ular inte~als.

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Tir~s silos rnay b~ built in one or mor~ of sev~ral corlfiguratiolls, d~pendin~ on particular primary circumstan~s:
"Hollr G3ass" for most vertically stabl@ worm culturin~
purposes.
2 "Strai~h~ Up" whe~ ail tir~s used hav~ virtually the same dimerlsions.
3 '~Point Up" for ~lle~in~ anld concentratin~ metharle and other ~reenhowse ~ases over land fill/dumpir areas.*
4 9IPoint Down" for maximizing worm, soil, ancl worm castings producltio3~ and minimizin~ worrn loss durin~
dormant s~ason mi~rations. (AISOJ less gas ~rom below the system should percolate throu~h each silo.
- perhap~ an importarlt consideration where cultivatîn~ over a "dump'i land fill~**
5 "Recursive" ~or exterlded vertical ~ability in taller ~ilos. It also af~ords a wid~r variety of br0edin~ Sit@S
within the silo - in terms of temp@rature, ambient moistllre, etc.
6 'IRandom'' ~r watersid~ floodirlg-risk culturing, wh~re laîeral inte~rity of the d@veloped silo levee is importarlt.***

7 "Interstitial" a variation of "Randorll" with r~ul~r stakin~ and optional cross-bracin~ and/or netUn~
in~rated inîo the design.
* ie. Poi~t Up re~@rs to corlin~ the silo by placirl~ the tires from largest orl the bottorrl, to smallest on the top.

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~* i~. Point Down re~ers to conirlg the silo by placin~
the tir~s from smallest orl th~ bottom to lar~est orll th~
top. (When placing each initia3/footing tire, it i~ important to leave sufficient mar~in of earth around each tire that a v~rltical/plumb ali~nment can be maintairl~d~ and that th~
topmost tires hav0 the necessary add~d ~r their additional expanse.) Further, because exhaustin~ ~as~s ~rorn beneatlh th~ silo fiseld ~t~ahlrn will continue to fiollow the path of 1~3a$t ~sistance enroute to the surFac@, whether lthrou~h th~ cavity of lthe silo, or around it7 lth~
packing around the silo must be ~mparable to in porosity to what is received irlsid~ each tire. The ~radual in~re~e of tire rim diame~rs, from botîom to top, also minimizes the probability that risin~ gas molecules sequentially collect in suc~ssive tire arches as they rise - to compromise the health of worms at each tire silo horizon. This possibility carl be minimked by placin~ a ~as barrier at the ba~e of each silo corle. For exampl~, a solid hub cap (or somethi~ comparable) will ~enerally sufFic0 (placed concave up into the cone, such that seal is comp3eted, and only the v~lve sîem hole is availabl~ ~or ~as penetration, and release of exG~ss water within the silo microcosm.~
*~ ie. A river or lake or sea mi~ht ~ood occasiorlally. At such tim@s the l@vee matrix which is used primarîly ~r culti~.fatin~ wc3rms and new earth, arld possibly for growing crops ov~r it, is also ~mploy~d as a buttress ag~inst the llood. Each of these ti~s may have hoOes bored into the upper ~acing side wali, which will 2 i (~ 2 allow in-system ~as~s to clissipate mor~ r~adily, ancl the mass of th~ leVE3e to be optimizecl.
It is also impc~rtant that th~3 charl~in~ olF tir~ siz~s is done ~radually, such that tlhe accomplish~3d v~Ftical cont~inrnent volume i$ uninterrupt@d and relativ~ly sealed. Further, each sîacked tire rr3lJst over-lay the tire beneath ilt at least îo the extelrlt that its wei~htl and th~
~ross wei~ht of tires~ earth, compost load, and periodic hydratiorlgrain/snow) w~i~ht fluxlJatiorls above it, in acldition to the occasion~l "live loadin~" by field service at~erldants (stewards), will be borrle by that lower tire without risk of plhysical ~llapse of lthat tire. Wher~ frost is a serious problem, the rims of tandem tires may be clipped to~ther to better resist frost stresses. If a top tire is to be harvested from time to ~im~ - for worms, soil, andlor castin~s - it is recommended that the r@movabl~
tire not be clipped to the tire under it, but ~ither thaî it be allowed to "float~l on the lower tire wiîh only the wei~ht of its inner soil and surrourldir3g soil holdirlg it in plac~; or that it be attached to the lower tire throu~h one or more deep clowels or de~p rotaltable clippin~releasin~ tools that will catch under îhe n0ar rîm c: f the lower tire. These dowel ciips allow the harvester to disattach the top tire ~r~rn its low~r nei~hbor without havîng to cli~ ~h~ugh the super-soil ~ke to clo so. Thus îhe cake contents carl be wheeled out of pla~ artd rele~sed into a re~i~ g hop,s@r relatîv~ly întact1 and far mor0 easily.

DLA - A Summary:
All el~vation vi~w of all individual tire silo se~tioned at it5 widest colle~iv~ diamet~r gFigur~ 2) shows how stacOced tires d~liv~r many ~vorable ~eatures to the propa~ation of worms. The profil~ shows a t~ and an arch within each tire, ancl a tunn~l ~ffe~ively d~veloped in-common with ~ach adjoir~ g tir~, wh@re the rim~ of nei~hboring Itir~s r~tra~ lFrom their widsst asp~s at the ~ide walls.
Th~ îrou~h of each tire se~es as a reservoir ~r water and whiclh may be captur~d frolll the t0p of the system, but which may not be r~quired iirnmediat~ly. (Healthy worms can tol~rate water, requ @ it, and can even breathe withi~ it.) The arch of ~ach ti~ provides compost/food stora~e spac@s, and breedin~ sites. Th~
tunnels also provide excellent breedin~ and storag~ sites ~r earthworms, and ~ood interim pas$ and rest sites durin~ vertical rnigration within the silo. Except in the case of the "randomi' con uratiorl, the tire treads of each staclc efF~ively produce a col3e~Live silo wall that is ~pecially resistiYe to intru~iorl by natural preclators of worms, thus further optirnizirlg the procreative ~ot~ntial olF
the sp~cie~, and their conservatiorl. (In ~ood conditions certain types of earth worms c~rl process their w~ight in compo~t ev~ry clay, a~d doubl~ ltheir population~ every sixty to ni7lety days.~
Optionally, one or more varieti~s of ~re@n crop may Ibe grown on th~ l@vee as well~ (eg. A l'heavy fe@der" plant whose stem profile will allow continued compost s~icin~
of the siiol ~nd whose roots are of no ~od in~r~st to the .. ..

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worm culture, may be planted in 0ach of t!he top tir~s at some l:ime in th~ yearly ~ycle; or as a p~rennial crop.~
Wh~r~ l~w, or unusually w~t land i~ be~in~ IlSeEI as the DLA sit~, the silos also afford us th~ opportunity of elevaîin~ th~ in-silo crop to a l~vel hi~her than normal ~round lev~l (datum), lthus availin~ us of ~n earlier sta3t to the ~rowin~ season.

Particularly inlter~stin~ ~atures derlve from the model described in claims 16 and 17: If crops are planted into the tops olF lower level silos of tlhe total leveel they receive optimal sun li~htin~ ancl h~atin~ conditions, and in some in~tances they are al~o partially sheltered from un3cindly wincls bi~win~ lFrom other directions.
A se~ond ~eature of this moclel is the ~ac~ that the worm c~stirlgs relFertilizirl~ sq~urc~ can still ~xist hl~her than th@
grQen~crop silos in the form of the hi~hest, most outer silo line/s, which can conti~ue to ser~e as worrn propagatioll silos. IrsdiYidually, these "brown ~q~rodu~lon"
tires carl be liftedJ ~pivoted), rolled down to the lower column~, and emptied, to contlnlle to ~ed the '~organically" non-chemically grown GP crop/s. The ~mpty tire~ are th~n rolled back up to their positions on th~ tops of the BP ~ilos, arld r@clhar~ed with greerl ~mpost urltil a tirne when they call a~aill be used as sourc0s of or~anic fertiliz~r.

A thircl feature oiF this config~sration is that water ca~ aiso be conser~eçl~ alld can b~ dist~ibldt~d very efFici~ntly.

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Where multi-ti~rirllg and multi-croppiny is choserl, su,Qplementary irri~ation may b~ let into the top ~reen crop silo to ~ed the crop bein~ ~row~ at that horizorl ~Auch of the unused pQ~iOrl of that water wil3 find its uvay ~via root networks and worm burrows) is~to tir~ "troughs"
from which it will either slow-rel~ase back to the sam~
plarl~ or will drain (via a drain~e hoie bored thro~lgh th~
trou~h at a point that laps over ttl~ siâ~ wall ~rch of the silo adjac~nt arld op~nin~ b~neath itl and eitlher onîo the inner slope of that low~r tire; or throll~h th~ side wall of that low~r tire arld, as an option9 fitted with a wick or a tube) to furnish that adjacent plantin~ with unused wat~r from the higher plantin~.
A ~rth ~ature of this cos~fi~uration is that a warm earth core continues to exl~t for mi~ratin~ worms to seek at frost time ~below leYee rslid~line), arld they will continlJe to burrow into this central zone, to later return to r~ertilize the matrix, ilF not to its "home silo" thell to anotlher withir the l~vee, with minimal net loss~s to th~ total SySltQIll.
In th@ G~Se Clf claim 17, the berl~fit of heat ret~ntion and ~adiatioll fr~m th~ backin~ tires can b~ maximized by th~
sidewall on sidewall over lap of tires of adjacsrlt silos, as the plant can be plac~d more closely to the tr0~d of th~
adja~snt step-up tire. (As the sun seems to arc in the sky/ so tlhe reflected/radiated li~ht and heat realizes ~
repeater eff~ct, for the arlgle of dsFle~ion is recurrently appro~imated by the convex arc of each backin~ tire.~
As the ~rowing ~ea~otl heighterls, the area and mass of plaslt foliage and fruit incre~s~s, alld caslts more of ~h@

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exposed tire a~a into shadow. Thus althou~h th~ days ~row hotter, the sunny side o~ th~ levee ~nvironmerllt is k~pt relatively constarlt.
NOTE: If wid~r tlres are usecl wh~ra th~ horizon of ov~rlappin~ tir~s b~gins, and upwards lFrom th~re, a hal~-sidewall lap can be accomplished without ~eriousiy ~mpromising the int@~rity of any silo. Wh~n layin~ out the ~otin~ tires~ allowarlce mwst be rrade around them to accommodate the tir~s of wid~r diamet~rs which will be placed at higher levels. Usin~ repeatin~ "hour~lass" silo confi~uratiotls, is an easy way of determinin~ Ihow muGh allowance to dedicate to each silo. In tllis case the footing tire îs cover~d with earth, and a~ larger, hiyher tires be~in to b0 used above the waist tire, they are lapped over sidewalls on the sunward side olF the levee -as cl@scrib@d above. A ~pe~ting "poirlt-clown"
con~lgur~tion will also ac~mplish this lappin~ model, but the footin~ tires placement team must be rr or~ vi~ilant that sufficient allowance is ~iven to each silo ~or wider tires at hi~h~r l@v21s.3 * "L~anirl~ In": The outer, s~Gorld tires "lean" toward the micldle of the levee - the hour-~lass waist tire of both outer silo lines is allowed to ov~rlap the inner sidewall and und~rlap the outer sidewail of th~
footin~ tire~
Dyke ~nd Levee A~riculture (DLA~ re~y~les bio-w~ste ~ompost inîo several use~l and sal~able bi-produ~ts:

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worms for high protein fish and poultry ~ed (ancl even lF~od supplements ~or manki7ld~; worrn ancl cocoon cultures for domlestic and ~rm ~arden revitalization; and hi~h-n~trieng conterlt "supe~soil", which includes worm castin~s. Usin~ such nultrierlt rich soil reduces the need for chennical ~@rti3iz~rs and th~ polllJtion risks that derive lFrom them.

Wh~re DLA inclLIdes multi-croppin~ ~in~luding ~r~en crops~ irrig~bon wat~r is also cclns@rved throll~h a sltep-down ~ravi~y desi~n. This clesign also allows the silo steward the optiorl of mono-cropping ~reen crops with a variety of water vola3me outcon~es1 as the lower plantings will receive mor~ total wa~er than hi~her plantings wiil -for intakes or rain and artificial irrigation r~ceived ~t hi~her levels olF lthe levee will Ibe added in part to that which is planted in the steps below.

DLA lerlds itsel~ to systematlc a~d ~mprehensive bio-~yclin~. This model might also inchlde aquaculture of plants andtor Fish. Because a considerabl~ volurne of soil should normally be included in the compost mi~ure - to promote necessary micro-or~anisms, etc. - ~rtain nearby land is commonly excaYated to pro~ide ilt.
In adldition to prodilcing a pond of water ~or irrigation and fir~ fightin~, such a resultin~ excavaltiorl sit@ can relatively eé~8ily become dedicatecl to fi~h ~armirl~ or aquatic plant cultur@. In such a eircumsî~n~ surplus worms mi~ht supplement on-slte fish diet, or sen/e as ~Ichurll~ bait by whi~h to ar~ or such ~Ish.

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DLA techrllolo0y refus~s us arl ~xcus~ to relegat~ larld to a terminal1 norl- produ~tive status. This con$~rv~ and recycl@ syst~m yields prociucts ~in the ~rm of worrns, and olF casltin~s - a particularly compellin~ or~anic ~e~ilizer option3 which are p~Yillg to be of esp~cial inlter@st îo those of us who ar~ involved in or~nic alternatives to con~erltional ~ardening~ DLA e~ln aiso a~comrnodate slJbsequerlt and/or concurrerlt ç~r~en cro,s ~armin~ of the site with a vari~ty of complemerltary plant Sp~3Ci@!Ei.
Rather than bein~ lost to lesser purpo~es9 DLA offers a paradi~m by which marginal land is actually reclaimed from a terminal, norl-prod~lG~r statlls, to a poterltial of vi~ble agricultural enterpris~.

DLA may, ~ a secondaEy purposel sesve a~ a shoreline mairltenance el~m~nt, and a flood contairlmerlt tool, especially wherl desi~rled according lto certain "Intersltitial" models desorib@d above.
~It also l~nds its~lf ~ "Tip-Up Greenhousing'l (TUG~
describecl in a separate patent application.J
In drawin~s which illustrate embodirnents of th~ invention, Figure 1 is an isometric vi~w of a ~'Straight-Up" generic worm cu~tivation si~o.
Fi~ure 2 is arl el~vation in sectiorl of a "Strai~ht-lJp'~ silo confi~ur~tion, ~howin~ a pawlpost in a closed position, showing how and where adjaGent rims are clipped togetherl and whe~ the pawl olF the s@curirlg pawlpost catch~s the rim of a low~r tire such that s~paratio b@tween top and s~corld tires is minimiz~d.

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2 ~ h ~ 2 This also illustr~tes Ihow the handle and caîching pawls are keplt in th~ sam~ ali~nm0nt (to assist in indicatin~
wher0 the cat~hing pawl is, vis a vis the rims.) This figure also indicates turl~el zon~s.*
Fi~ur~ 3 is an elevation in s~ction of a "Strai~ht~Up" silo corlfi~uration, showin~ a pawlpost in an op~n position.
Thi~ figure also indicates sealirl~ zorles.*
Fi~13r@ 4 iS ~ vation in section of an "Hour Glass silo co~ uratiorl, indicating sealing zones.
Fi~ur~ 5 is an elevatiorl in se~io7l of a "Recursive" silo configuration, indicating tunnel zorles~
Figure 6 is an elevation i~ section of a "Point-Up" silo conlFI~urationJ indicatin~ s0aling zones.
Figur~ 7 is an elevation in section olF a "Poin~-Down" silo corlfigur~tion, indicatillg ~urln~l zones.
Figur~ 8 is an elevation in cross section of a levee showin~ a "Point-Up", "Point-Down","Point-Up" silo set (which confi~uration furthers side stabilizatio~.
This fi~u~ indicates where sealirlg zones and turlrlel zon~s are located.
Fi~u~ 9 is a top view olF a "Brick-Lap" silo set illustrating th~ lon~-axis interlockin~ f~ature of th~ rick Lapl' confi~uration. ~The tire tier direGtly beneath the top tier is indicat@d by broken lines.) Fiyure 10 is a top view indicatln~ a Double Lap silo set.
A"Double-Lap" l~ve~ confi~uration can be achieved by lap~ the tir~s ors boîh the lor3~ and short axesJ for even more str~ngth than is achieved in the configuration s~own in figure 9. (Th~ tier dire~tly ben~ath the îop tier is indicated by brokers lines ) Fi~ur~ 11 is an isometric view of a "Brick Lap" silo s~t, in part, indica!tirl~ where ~takes coulcl b~ dlriven to h~lp to str~n~tll~n and stabili~e th@ levE3e.
Fi~ur~ 12 is an isorretric vi~w of the b~innin~ plac~ment tir@s in a "Do-lbl~ Lap~' silo s~t.
A "Brick Lap" orl'D~ubl~ Lapl' levee confi~ur~tion can b~
further stren~thened into an "Interstitial-E3L" or an "Int~rstitial~DL" confi~uration respectively7 by driving ~l:akes S vertically through silos, and cross bracin~ CB
them to one another at re~ular intervals. Netltin~ N too may be staked to the sid~s and ~p of a silo levee to h~lp rnai~tain levee inte~rity durin~ periods olF stress.
Fi~ure 13 is an end VI~W eleYation of a tiered "strai~ht-up" lev~e, iilustraltin~ its confi~uration relativ~ to the sun.
Fi~ure 14 is an erld vi~w elevatiorl of a tiered l'lapping"
levee, iliustratirlg its configuratiorl relative to the sun.
Fi~ure 15 is a plan view of a levee-dyk0-lev~e set, in part.
Fi~ure 16 is arl end-view elevation of a levee-dyke-10v~
set, indicatin~ a lev01 leve~ (ie. all silos with hei~hts in commorl~
Figure 17 is a top view of a levee, in p~rt, showin~ how ~oîin~ tir~s are laid in a point-down silo sysltem, to allow ~or ~leararlce of higher, over lappin~ tires in a stepped/tiere~ la~s~sing l~vee.
Figur~ 18 is a top view o~ a levee, in pa~, showirl~ waist tires (of arl hour~$1ass configuration) in solid lines, and footing tires in brokerl lin@s, ancl illustr~ting how these wai~t tires are plac~d lto lean into the middle.
* All tire silos have both tunnel zonesl and sealin~

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zones, but it is rr ore clearly illusltrated by indicatin~ their location on separat~ clr~win~s.
Any of tlh~ a!bove silo tir~ elem~nts may have ~as Yentilatioll hol~s or draina~e hol~s boree3 irlto tlhem.

* Towa~ the mor~ speci~lc identification of ~ertain silo ~l~ments it is uselFul to employ I~M~r symbols as well as numbers~ as some of th@ el~rnerlts ar~ ~urld in multiples in the same $ilo constru~tiorl. Such muH:ip3~ eiemen!ts are desi~nated by both a letter syrnbol and an appropriate nurnber aceordin~ to ItS relativ@ place in the ~ormed silo.

L~tter Symbol Le~end:
T tire SZ seaOin~ zone A arch Tr îrou~h Tu hlnnel 11 hub Ca cap Cl clip TR llir~ rim Go compost St stake CB cross b~ce PP ,sawlpQst P pawl DH drairla~e hole Vll v~ntilation Ihole D dyke N nettiil~
E3L brick lap DL double lap L l~vee GL ~round 3evel ~dahlm~
LL l~vel levee SL st~pp~d lev~e WC worm culture RE re~nstiltuted earth GP ~reerl pr~duction BP brown produ~ion (planlt crop~ (worms ~.tor castin~s~

This "closed~loopl' a~ricultural ecosystem si~nificantly IFacilitates th~ recyclin~ of C;P to BPI arlcl BP to GP.
Wh~re th~ number olF tir~s used to form a silo equals n, the number of arches A in that silo ~quals ro, th@ nurnber of trou~lls Tr in that silo equals n1 the numb~r olF ta~nnels Tu in that silo equals n-11 and the nurnb~r of sea3in~
zones SZ equals n-1.
The silo iiluxtrated irl Figure 3 is compris~d of a column of discard tires T1, T2, T37 T4, T5 which meet sid~wall-to-sidewall at sealing zones S71, ~72, S~3, and S74.
Arly or all of the tires rr ay be drilled be~ore pla~ement ~r verltilatiorl hol~s on upper sidewalls, and draina~e hol~s on lower sidewalls. (The drill holes should be placed s~ ie~tly toward tl7e tire tread - ie beyond the s@ali~
zone - that they will not b~ sealed and rend~red ineff~tive by the sidewall of adjac~nt tir0s ) Th~ base, or footin~ tire T1 is placed on the ~round GL, and the silo is built wp from that position, placirl~ th~ second tire T2 upon the Ibase, and so fi~rth Figure 3 indicates where ~lips s:~ can be attached to rims R of adjacent tir0s T to b~tter insllre tire-to-tire sealin~
capability Thus rim R12 is clipped to rim R211 and rim R22 is clipped to rim R31, etc. Figure 2 also illustrates where ar~hes A, Troughs Tr, and tunnels Tu are located within the worm cultivation silo. Indicated too ~re lthe Hub I l, alld the Cap C A hub 11 rnay be placed across the bo~om olF th~ silo, or fî~ed irlt8 the bottom rim R 111 ~ . ^ . . .~

. .

2~0 ~ ~2 This hub H may be clrill~d/pe~orated with draina~e hol~s DH~ If a cap C is îo be used9 it should be kept fairly easy to remov~ ~or a silo technician, but not ~r an animal who mi~ht wish to invad~ th~ silo. (A brick o~ it wiil uslJally suffice.~
Figur~ 4 illusltrates how tir~ T1 ~ T2 ~ T3 (ie. is ~r~at@r in diame~@r ~han tire T2, which is in turn less than tire T3~.
Tlhis is call~d th~"Hour Glas~l confi~uration.
Fi~ure 5 iliustrates th~ relative diameters of ltires in a "Recursiv~'~ configuration: T~ > T2 c T3 ~ T4 .
Figure 6 illust~tes the relative diameters of tires in a IlTop Up" confi~uration: T1~T2~T3~T4 It also shows where a cap and/or a hub would be placed.
Figure 7 ill~3strat@s the r~lative diameters olF tir~s ir~ a "Top Down" ~on~l~L3ra~ion: T1eT2~T3e~.

Where it is necessary or useful to strength~n lthe colle~tive inltegrity of a group or matrix olF silosl tir~s among the middle ti@l~; olF th~ siio groupin~ carl be lapped such that they cros~di~ltribut~ and accommodatg ~tresses a~ainst their collective purpose - as mi~ht be experienGed during ~ flood or ~arth quake.
Tires may be add~d to silos as culîur~s beGome strong@r, or Flood hold-back requirernents change; or tires rnay be subtra~ted, wh~re worm cultur~ in a stron~ colorly will n@0d to b~ transferred to a w@ak~r silo, via tlhe tirg.

. ~ . , .. ... . ~ : . . - .

Claims (17)

1 A worm cultivation silo comprised of two or more discard tires of similar size, that are placed on the ground in a vertical column, such that adjacent side walls make an effective seal which is able to keep predators of worms from entering through the developed wall of the silo from the outside, and at the same time which prevents worms migrating out from the inside of said silo.
(This is called the "Straight Up" configuration.)

2 A worm cultivation silo as defined in claim 1, in which the tire at the base and the tire at the top are somewhat wider than those in between, such that the middle tire or tires tend to slightly nest within the top and bottom tires, which in turn slightly straddle the middle tire or tires. (This is called the "Hour Glass" configuration.)

3 A worm cultivation silo as defined in claim 11, in which the tire at the base is the widest, and subsequent higher tires are progressively smaller, such that the smallest tire is at the top of the silo. (This is called the "Point Up" configuration.)

4 A worm cultivation silo as defined in claim 11 in which the tire at the base is the smallest tire, and each subsequent tire is slightly wider, such that the widest tire is at the top of the silo. (This is called the "Point Down"
configuration.

5 A worm cultivation silo as defined in claim 1, in which the tires tiers alternate from large to small to large, etc. such that from bottom to top, a recurring straddling, nesting, straddling, event is developed, and adjacent side walls have extended sealing surfaces. (This is called the "Recursive" configuration.)

6 A worm cultivation silo as defined in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the lowest tire laced below normal ground level.

7 A worm cultivation silo as defined in any of claims 1 to 5, in which the bottom diameter of the collective silo is covered by a fine mesh or solid hub, such that worms are prevented from travelling out of the silo via the bottom, and predators are prevented from entering from the outside via the bottom. The hub may have a small hole, or series of holes, in it to allow excess water to drain out.

8 A worm cultivation silo as defined is any of claims 1 to 5, in which the top of the silo is covered by a removable cap, such that when in place, predators of worms cannot enter the silo through the top, and when removed the silo may be serviced with forage/feed and/or water for the worms. Removal of the cap also allows the cultivating technician to monitor the health of the silo culture, and to remove excess earth, castings and or worm culture when observed conditions are deemed appropriate.

9 A worm cultivation silo as defined in any of claims 1 to 5, in which adjacent rims of neighboring tires of the same silo are clipped together to reinforce the silo integrity and stability, especially in locations where the stresses of seasonal frost are a serious hazard.

10 A worm cultivation silo as defined in any of claims 1 to 5, in which adjacent rims of neighboring tires of the same silo are held together by the arms of a pawlpost tool (as described in Specification Figure #15) and can be disengaged from the rims from the top of the silo system to allow for harvesting of the top tire and tires without having to reach through the created earth to do so.

11 A worm cultivation silo as defined in any of claims 1 to 5, which is closely integrated into a network of silos (called a levee), such that it supports, and is supported by those other silos around it, thereby accomplishing a net effect of stronger individual and collective integrity.

12 A matrix of worm cultivation silos as defined in claim 11, (called "Brick-lap") which as not continuous from top to bottom, but which interlaps tires with adjacent "silos"
One result being that the ends of each levee are sloped at each end (longer on bottom, and slightly shorter on top).

13 A matrix of worm cultivation silos as defined in claim 12, (called Double-lap) which has its tires lapping adjacent tires in both longitudinal axis and lateral axis.
One result being that the ends and sides of the levee are sloped (thick on bottom, narrow on top) on all four sides.

14 A worm cultivation silo as defined in claim 12 or claim 13, (called "Interstitial") which has one or more stakes driven vertically through the core of it, which stakes might be cross-braced to other stakes driven through neighboring silos.

15 A matrix of worm cultivation silos as defined in claim 13, where netting is attached to the stake/s, to whatever part of the silo that is not beneath the surface of the levee soil, and to other parts of the silo-levee collection which might otherwise erode without such additional reinforcement.
While the sealing of individual silos is relinquished in claims 12 to 15 (and again among certain silos in claim 17) the collective strength of the silo levee is greatly enhanced.
(Claims are continued on the next page.

16 A matrix of worm cultivation silos as defined in ally of claims 1 to 14, where the silos on the sunward side of the levee (south side in northern hemisphere; north side in southern hemisphere) are tiered up across the width of said levee, such that silos are built shortest on the most outward/distal of the sunward silos, and stepped into higher and higher silos as they recede from the sunward side.

17 A matrix of worm cultivation silos as defined in claim 16, where the sidewall of each adjacent, higher silo at a particular common sealing zone horizon is positioned to lap over the sidewall of the shorter silo.