A red bin filled with peat moss and some other materials andβ¦worms. Red wigglers to be exact, also known as eisenia fetida. The worms do not go into the garden, the worms live indoors, in the snazzy red bin in a corner of the kitchen.
Bookman did not want worms. He is a bit squeamish about them. When I was setting up the bin and stuck my hands in to mix
them up he was a bit, um, bothered by it and didn’t want me to do it. I am on happy terms with worms, I loved playing with them when I was a kid. Worms and “roly-poly” bugs (also know as sow bugs). They are cool bugs. And moths and ladybugs. And snails. Oh and I loved tormenting the big black “stink” bugs when we went camping in the desert. And grasshoppers were pretty fun too. And once there was a praying mantis — super cool. So I guess I like to play with bugs. But worms aren’t bugs, not technically, though they fall into the whole small wiggly/slimy/crawly creature category easier to just call bugs.Bookman was not keen on having worms living in a corner of his kitchen. I teased him and said did he think they were going to get out and invade the cupboards and get everywhere like ants or something? Other than the blurry photo he took of a few of them in my hand he would never see them again.
The next morning when we got up and Bookman went into the kitchen to get coffee and breakfast going he calls me in, “Look,” he says in an accusing tone while pointing to the wiggler bin. Stretched about four inches across the top inside of the bin lid was a worm. I started laughing. Bookman demanded I get it off the lid and put it back in the bedding. We dubbed the worm Houdini and have been making jokes about it ever since.Bookman won’t feed the worms, calls them mine, and casts worried glances at the bin now and then, but I have caught him lifting up the lid to look inside and putting his ear down close to the bin to listen. Except for Houdini’s escape attempt, they are decidedly uninteresting. They don’t like light so live below the surface of the materials in the bin and they make no noise. Waldo and Dickens, however, are fascinated by the whole thing. They check out the bin now and then and every time I add something to it they are both there supervising the proceedings.
The bin I got is a starter kit and was supposed to come with step-by-step instructions on the care and feeding of the worms. Obviously someone does not know what step-by-step instructions look like because a few stapled sheets of paper listing the materials in the bin, ideal temperature, and what is allowable food does not equal instructions to me. I turned to the internet and found much better information there.
I learned that what I am doing is indoor composting just like in my bin outside but the red wigglers speed up the process. They do not eat the food scraps I put in the bin. The worms eat the things that breakdown the food scraps. Just like outdoor composting where you want to be conscious of the nitrogen/carbon ratio, the same holds true for indoors.
The worms came with peat moss bedding which I learned is great for moisture retention but has no nutrition for the worms. Worms like shredded cardboard and newsprint. So I shredded up the black and white pages from my neighborhood newspaper, got them wet, squeezed them out, then spread them across the top layer in the bin. The newspaper is good carbon and will offset all the nitrogen from the food scraps. There are about 500 wigglers in the bin and I can feed them up to a pound of food scraps a week. So far I’ve given them some potato peels and coffee grounds along with the unbleached paper coffee filter. Yum. In four to five months I will need to remove the compost and give the worms fresh bedding to start over in. With luck they will be happy and healthy and multiply enough that I can eventually start a second bin. My garden is going to love the worm compost.
Bookman is not too upset about the worms because while he was at the farm store he got me an outdoor garden present:
Aren’t they fun? Not sure if that is the location they will stay in come spring, but wherever they end up, I’ll be planting some low growing things around them, some thyme maybe, low bunching grass, small flowers. Now all I need is a caterpillar with a hookah!
…and maybe a white rabbit!
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Jeanne, ha! Rabbits visit my yard sometimes, I should keep a close eye on them, one of them might be carrying a pocket watch and muttering about the time π
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I’ve been wanting to do this! I have an apartment now, no backyard space, so I was keen on composting in the kitchen but haven’t quite taken the last step yet (I built a bin out of two plastic storage containers with holes drilled for ventilation)- to actually get the worms, that is. I’m hestitant about a few things- does it smell? and will it attract roaches (my building has periodic problems with those pests, so I try to keep things very clean).
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Jeane, no, it doesn’t smell and it isn’t supposed to. The food scraps are to be buried in the bin and if you keep the carbon/nitrogen ratio balanced there should be no smell. I would think it shouldn’t attract roaches either especially since the food gets buried. You’ve got the bins ready to go, just add damp shredded newspaper or cardboard and worms and give it a try!
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Oh Stefanie, I don’t think I could have these! I think I prefer the garden present you got. Now that is seriously cute π
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Iliana, heh. The worms are quiet and amiable and keep to themselves. But I do have to agree that the garden present is much cuter than the worms are π
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Stef, you always were the one to look at nature in a whole different way and you haven’t changed a bit!! Love Mom
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I could say thanks to you and Dad for that as well as all those really nice rangers and their nature walks and presentations not to mention all those nature shows we used to watch π
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Worms???? I am on Bookman’s side on this one. I am all for alternate views…but they are creepy and crawly! The Garden presents are waaaaaayyyyyy nicer! All the best in Worm tending!! π
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cirtnecce, worms are great! They kind of tickle you hand and they don’t bite, very nice as bugs go. The garden presents are prettier though, I will give you that π
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Clearly, you could benefit from this video : http://youtu.be/2_IKnf4wJAE. Good luck with the worms !
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Regina, oh that was excellent! What a cute kid. And if he can do it, so can I!
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I always have plenty of worms. They thrive under the leaves that gather beneath the Live Oak trees I have in my backyard. I have to maintain the front yard according to by covenants and by-laws of the subdivision, but the backyard is another story. I don’t have much of a lawn because of the tree canopy, so I don’t bother with having it mowed other than a couple of times a summer. The lawn guy blows any left-over leaves back under the trees. It’s lovely, squishy, springing, black, composty stuff and that’s where my worms live. Every now and then I’ll gather a handful or two up and spread them around. Happy worm tending. They are such good friends in the garden. Like bees. I just love seeing them around. It means the ecosystem is doing just what it’s supposed to be doing and is a very good sign!
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Grad, oh you backyard soil sounds awesome! Ever thought of doing a shade garden? Those would be some happy plants. Worms are excellent friends indeed!
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I am sending you my youngest godson. You and he would get along famously. If his mother were to see this she would have a fit. He’d want one in his bedroom – not, however, with anything the slightest bit environmental in mind.
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Alex, send him over! I think we will get along just fine π Well, you know, my main objective with the worms is the environment and my garden, but after that, having a bin of worms is so cool! I have to keep resisting the urge to dig around to see what they are up to!
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I keep thinking about doing this. I think they could live in the garage here pretty well. And I LOVE the mushrooms! Adorable!
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wherethereisjoy, their optimal temperature is something like 45-85 degrees so as long as your garage doesn’t turn into a furnace in summer you could totally keep them there. Aren’t those mushrooms great? Bookman really scored on them.
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I have to admit I’m with the Bookman here. One year when my son was into fishing I sat with him by the riverside and, in the excitement of catching a fish, we knocked the bucket of worms over. When I found I was standing, barefoot, on a whole bunch, I had a hard time not freaking out completely (fortunately my son found the whole thing very amusing). Still, I don’t suppose the worms were too keen on me, either! Love the toadstools – so cute.
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Litlove, heh, I am sure those worms you stepped on were more upset than you were π The toadstools are now completely buried in snow. I will not see them again until spring unless we get a bit of a thaw!
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