Worm farming for a healthier planet

Vermi-composting is the process of using red worms to convert organic material into worm castings — the dark, fertile, granular excrement of the worm. Castings are very rich in plant nutrients.

Yes, you too can be a worm farmer, out in the barnyard or by making your own winter indoor bin system. Got kids? Let them be the stewards of your worm farming activities, a great hands-on earth science project. Before you know it, they’ll have increased the herd of worms and be able to trade, barter, sell or give away to others willing to try Vermi-composting.

With worm composting, you’ll have no more messy compost pile in the backyard. You know the one your family members run out to and dump the two-week-old bucket from off the kitchen counter. Most backyard compost piles sit neglected, taking three years to make some type of finished compost. Worms can do the job in a matter of weeks.

A tablespoon of worm castings mixed with a gallon of water gives you a gentle liquid fertilizer for your weekly watering of indoor houseplants. Take that, Miracle Grow! Pow! Zap!

Outdoor garden plants will jump with joy after having a 1/8-inch layer of castings spread around them. Very rich in nutrients, beneficial bacteria and organic matter, this is amazing homegrown plant rocket fuel.

Caring for a worm farm is really easy — not like a herd of cows. Here is all you need to create an indoor healthy worm bin:

• A shallow container and lid a minimum of 12 inches deep, 10-gallon size.

• Worm bedding: one inch of shredded paper strips, about five pounds for a 10-gallon container.

• Steady temperature: Optimal temperature range is 55 to 77 degrees.

• Moisture: Worms need to maintain some skin moisture, so a 10-gallon container, with five pounds of paper will need about a gallon of water.

• Ventilation: Worms need to breathe and so do beneficial organisms. Drill a few small holes in the upper side of the container, not the lid.

• Darkness: Worms like it dark, so locate your container in dark place.

• Worm digestive aid: Add 1/2-cup of healthy garden soil on top of paper. The red worms need the grit to aid their gizzard in processing organic matter into castings.

• Worm food: Kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, shredded paper.

• The worms: one pound red wigglers (Eisenia fetida). This is about 1,200 worms. Here in Vermont, one supplier is Gardener’s Supply out of Burlington.

So get harvesting those castings and happy worm farming for a healthier planet.

Mason Wade has 30 years experience aiding folks in earth-friendly practices and is the owner of Terra-Sanctus Organic Landscape Design in Rochester.