Mother Nature's Composters

Worms are Mother Nature’s way of composting.  In nature, worms devour decaying plant matter.  Their excretions help to loosen clay and enrich the soil for our plants and trees.  Amazingly, we can channel these little powerhouses in our homes to reduce the amount of waste in our trashcans.  And it is really easy!

Several years ago, in my master gardener classes, I sat in on a lecture about Vermi-composting.  What the heck is that???  “Vermi-culture”, an incredibly rich source of soil additive, is the product of Vermi-composting.  It is literally, worm poop!  I was hooked!  What a cool and efficient way of disposing of my kitchen scraps…no more grind of the in-sink-erator for me! 

I bought the bins over the Internet and set them up outside my shed.  I have a stainless steel compost mini bin under my kitchen sink where all my vegetable (no garlic or onions), fruit, pasta, rice, bread, coffee and tea grounds, and eggshell scraps go.  Initially, about once a week, I “fed the worms”, much to the disgust of my family!  And, those worms were well fed!  They have multiplied over the years to the point that I have a second tiered worm bin added to the family.  I now feed both bins at least twice a week!  (It is a good thing that we don’t eat out too often and that I like to cook!)  The “tea” or run-off liquid from the composter is a nutrient rich fertilizer:  plants literally grow over night after being fed with the stuff.  The worm-poop, added to my garden beds and veggie patch, reduces non-beneficial nematodes (bad soil bugs) and helps to enrich the soil.  It is a win-win for the environment:  Less kitchen waste ends up in plastic bags in landfills.

And, the worms make great pets for your kids!  Seriously!  Worms don’t live in your house, you don’t have to clean up after them, only get fed once or twice a week (and the kids can do it) and best yet, they cost nothing after the initial set up costs, including no Vet bills!  Additionally, being a Vermi-composter is a great lesson in ecology and environmental awareness.  I am always flabbergasted when I feed the worms and realize just how much plant refuse I collect on a weekly basis!  I’m all into being “green” these days!