Eat Dirt You Worm!!

Actually, I think that the correct phrasing would be something like "Poop dirt you worm" but that just doesn't really sound like an insult.  And it isn't.  But its what my little colony of red worms and red wrigglers have been doing since the beginning of the year.

Out on the not so cutting edge of green farming and green living is this little "dirty" practice called vermicomposting.  Oooh, sorry, I couldn't resist that word play.  Call me a dork.  Anyway, its foreign to most of us that live in urban and suburban environments, but its been around for pretty much forever.  Here it is in a nutshell:  Worms eat rotting organic matter - dried leaves, lawn clippings, food scraps/garbage; worms poop a super nutrient rich dirt called worm castings.  This soil is dark, fine, and light and fluffy. They also create a liquid by-product called worm tea.  These by products are fantastic for your garden, lawn, and potted plants like a sort of organic super fertilizer.  So, while, this is what I've been doing with my garbage for the past 5 months independent of my garden., its now something that I do for my garden.

I have to admit that while I've been completely gung ho on this idea for a couple years now, my fears of the icky and stinky plus some good old fashioned procrastinating have delayed my venture until this year.  But I can testify now that this is fantastic!  There really is no smell.  This winter we kept the bin indoors by the kitchen.  It was out in the sun room for spring, but I'm going to have to move it into the garage before it gets too hot.  The compost actually has a really fresh earthy smell to it like right after you have turned the ground after a rain and are really to plant for spring.  The bin doesn't get buggy either.  I keep a layer of shredded newspaper on the top tier to create a barrier for flies.  And, finally, I'd much rather have my kids playing with these worms and dirt than digging big holes in the front yard.

But, the best part about this whole process, to me, is that while my worms are having a great meal and doing their part to help my gardens grow, I am also reducing my waste footprint on our precious planet.  Almost no vegetative waste goes into our garbage cans now.  Eggshells, coffee grounds and filters stay out as well.  And the amount of newspaper that is having to be recycled is also reduced.  When I reduce my waste that goes to landfills, I also help to reduce the methane that is produced at said landfill.  Both my kids get excited about collecting food scraps and wanting to feed the worms.  It is so cool when your 4 year old points to the tough outer skins from broccoli that I have peeled for dinner and says, "Can the worms have this?  Can I put it in the bag?  When the bag is full, can I help you feed the worms?"  That is so awesome.  She doesn't see it as reducing waste or changing our carbon footprint on the earth.  She just sees it as the way we do things.

And this is the way we recycle our garbage.

If you want to start your own vermicomposting bin, there are many ways to do it.  You can purchase your needed materials like we did or you can make your own.  Here are a couple links to get you started.
Worms Wrangler
How to build a worm bin  This video is just plain fun to watch!