Le Maison de la Casa House of the Worms

(Apologies to Calvin Trillin.)

Here's my worm bin. There are drainage/ventilation holes drilled at the bottom, sides and lid. The bin rests on four wooden blocks (really, my kids won't miss them) near the sump drain in our heated basement, but so far, no leakage. The bedding in the bin is corrugated cardboard. I soaked the cardboard in water, squeezed out the excess water, shredded the cardboard by hand into 1" strips, then fluffed the strips for aeration before placing them in the bin. I started out with two pounds of red wigglers from Happy D Ranch, who also provided the pictured "Promote Global Worming" bumper sticker. I've been feeding the worms coffee grounds, crushed eggshells, lettuce, apple peels and cores, and lots of seeping bananas and banana peels. It's been about three weeks since getting started with the worms, and I suppose I finally feel that I won't be jinxing their very survival by posting about them. The moisture level in the bin seems to have reached a nice equilibrium, the bin smells like...garden!..., and this morning, I found two itty-bitty, squirming, white baby worms. Oh, and there are castings everywhere. (It's a good thing.™) I highly recommend the worm and vermicomposting forums at WormDigest and GardenWeb as a great source of information and support...especially for "newbies" like me.

Comments

[Amy Stewart]

Wonderful! Remember that those tiny white worms might not be baby worms--baby worms look just like their parents, pinkish-red, translucent, segmented. The white worms are probably full-grown pot worms--these are a sort of cousin to the earthworm and they work alongside them, doing more or less the same thing. No reason to discourage their presence. They show up in worm bins all the time.

Enjoy the worms, and let us see a picture of them sometime!

Amy

[Bookish Gardener]

Thanks, Amy! The more the merrier in this li'l ecosystem (except that I'm in no rush for fruit flies). I have seen a couple of worm cocoons lately, so I'll be keeping an eye out for the real thing (and start knitting those earthworm booties).