Worm composting

I got one of the best birthday present I have ever gotten. I got a worm composter and now I have to find a source for about a pound of red wiggler worms.

Those of us who have experienced vermicomposting (worm composting)know that worms are not the culprits who eat crops. Generally the bug we are looking for is a caterpillar or beetle.

The worm is a poor soul who is always accused and never guilty. If a worm is eating the vegetable or fruit, it is rotten and unfit to eat. Worms are the best barometer for what is edible and what is not.

Now, it is time to plan for the next year's garden and I plan to order the worms soon. My husband reminded me that I need to get the worm composter started because he knows that worms love coffee grinds, tea bags, watermelon rind, cantaloupe rind, honeydew rind, apple and pear cores, etc. and fall is coming.

The worm composter will be kept in the garage and we also use shredded paper from the office as part of the bedding. This is recycling at its best.

My thought process is to mix the organic potting mix with some worm compost in the winter to aid the water retention in the Grow Boxes. Water retention is not a big problem with the Grow Boxes but worm compost holds six times more water than dirt or regular compost and it is a supplemental fertilizer that is also organic.

Worms are wonderful garden helpers and I proved that to my sister about fifteen years ago. Our mother had bestowed on my sister the Christmas cactus that was about 45 years old. Poor thing was sick and dying and my sister wanted to toss it in the trash.

Instead, I administered a worm repair kit (some worm compost and a few worms) and fed the plant a used tea bag. The plant revived and now sixteen years later, the plant has been split into two healthy plants.

What my intentions are is to get one of those beautiful plants and see if we can again subdivide it. It will be beautiful this winter and it will be a reflection of what the coming gardens will be.

A little piece of the beauty of the coming spring in the dead of winter. What a wonderful cycle we have been given.