We've Got Worms!

Last week, our neighbor, Leon Stangl, owner of Yourganic Farm, donated a load of happy “volunteers” to our compost bins. Hundreds of red wigglers will be working their way through waste vegetable scraps, hay, manure, and leaves, and converting it into a nutritious boost for the garden.

We’re picturing your faces right now. You are either nodding your head, saying, “Gee...that’s nice.” Or maybe you are squinching up your forehead. Perhaps a little puzzled? Well, let us share our excitement. 

Soil health is the foundation of every garden, pasture, lawn, and wildlife habitat.  Without a healthy base, it’s going to be tough going. One way to build healthy soil that will, in turn, produce a lush garden is to make compost. And one of the ways to accelerate the process of turning plant material and manure into usable compost is to employ hundreds of worms. 

Leon is passionate about soil health and his donation of worms is not only going to help us grow beautiful vegetables but also to help us create a soil education project we can share with everyone.

The first thing we did was prepare for the worm delivery.

Eisenia fetida, commonly known as red worm, or tiger worm, is specifically a surface dweller meaning that they do not live beneath the topsoil. They prefer the first twelve inches of the compost pile and survives on kitchen fruit and vegetable scraps, yard clippings, hay, and manure. Unlike their cousin, the earthworm that cannot handle the heat of the compost pile, red worms prefer a damp, warm environment.

To create a proper wiggler home, we screwed together some pallets that we picked up for free outside the building center. Pasture hay and manure were raked into the beds along with some leaves. The hay and the leaves had not been treated with chemicals.

Space for a compost pile and a supply of hay and manure is not necessary to reap the benefits of these useful creatures. You can build a household worm bin with a couple of plastic totes and some shredded paper. Pass the Pistil has a great how-to video.

A worm welcome

Leon brought the worms and placed a bucket full on top of our hay and manure pile and covered them with some wet leaves. It is important the compost pile does not dry out so we covered the top with some tarp. You can also use cardboard but it is harder to keep it from blowing off in the wind. We will check the moisture content from time to time and spray it down if needed.

Stay tuned for updates and if you have any questions send them our way!