Better Worms and Gardens - Part II - The Living Cities

article by  E. Jane Brunton

My "kids" are off to school!  I am as nervous as any mother must be when she sends her progeny out into the world. I have dithered over what future awaited my little fellows and how to "dress" them for the event.

But I had to give myself a shake. I was talking about little red wiggler worms not little red-cheeked children. I have been caring for these critters for the past three years. Six months ago I had a population explosion and didn't know how to handle the overflow. I just didn't have room for more bins.

I could have sold them to the store on the corner for bait but somehow it didn't seem fair to see my faithful helpers end their lives on the end of a hook. Nor would releasing them into my zone 5 garden solve the problem. Sure they would enjoy their summer of freedom but when the icy temperatures set in, unlike their hardier cousins that are acclimated to this zone, these little surface dwellers would be faced with death. Not something you do to friends.

Enter Nathan Putnam. Nathan is a student in Biology and Chemistry at Queen's University in Kingston Ontario. Last week I heard him speak of his vision on CBC Radio One. He and a group of eco-conscious friends are providing enough worms to clean up the compostable garbage output of the entire University, residences and kitchens alike. This inspired me to find his web site www.livingcitiescompany.ca/home.html and then contact him by phone.

Nathan's vision goes far beyond vermicompost to encompass urban farming and sustainable city living. Visit his web site for how this ingenious young man and his friends are taking Kingston by storm.

Since that day we have been in contact about the wheres and whens of the Great Worm Transfer. And today is the big day. But what am I doing sitting here writing about it? I should be up to my elbows in wigglers about now. Time's awasting.

Hours later...........

I managed to gather 4 pounds of worms from two of the three bins. I tucked them and about a pound of bedding snugly into a couple of brown paper bags and hustled off to meet Nathan at the Living Cities' "urban farm." There, several varieties of healthy lettuce, and peppers were threatening to burst out of their carefully tended raised beds. Last night's frost had convinced Nathan that this might be the tomato's last hurrah although he figured he could make the Swiss chard and lettuce last another few weeks.

The exchange was made. I had toyed with the idea of trading my worms for Living Cities'own design of stackable wooden worm bins. But in the end I settled on two terra cotta colored rain barrels with overflow hoses and screw on, mosquito proof tops. My fears that they would not fit in my car were unfounded. How I love my amazing ten year old Hyundai Tiburon with its just over 90,000 kilometres of service. Yeah, I know it looks like a sport's car but it acts like a small truck when there are things you need to transport. And at least I am keeping it out of land fill for awhile yet.
As we chatted Nathan cleared up some concerns I had about misconceptions and well, lets face it, downright incorrect information that is circulating on the internet.

I asked whether worms require powdered eggshells to aid in their digestion of the refuse we provide. As I suspected, this is not so. It is merely to sweeten the compost produced and even out the pH by neutralizing acid in the bins.

Nathan also clarified the fact that worms don't process the refuse on their own. They are aided by a host of bacteria and fungi that first break down the refuse into a liquid form. Then the toothless worms slither up to the soup plate and slurp it all up. This allows the bacteria access to the deeper layers of fruits and veggies. The worms do their part by aerating the bedding and refuse, speeding up the process for the bacteria. Because the worms are always eating the "mushy" compost as soon as the bacteria soften it, it never has a chance to putrefy, which is why vermicomposting is essentially odourless.

I smiled ruefully at the thought of how those who were already squeamish about worms would feel about cohabiting with fungi and billions of bacteria! If they only knew that our homes are full of these creatures already. Worm bins do harbor a lot of other helpful critters like spring tails and fungus gnats but neither they, the bacteria nor the fungi are harmful to humans.

Given the repugnance that a lot of people feel towards things they don't understand, overcoming this reluctance is an uphill battle. Thank goodness for groups like Living Cities who are making progress one convert at a time.

As for my homeschooled worms, raised on a diet of the Napanee Guide, they skipped right over the lower grades of education and have taken up residence at Queen's University . There they will dwell and work in several of the upscale wooden worm bins designed and built by The Living Cities crew.

If you are like me you might have wondered how tiny, soft bodied worms would defend themselves against large and generous students who might want to share a drinky-poo with them. Or others who might want to take the goldfish-swallowing trend (so popular in my parent's day) a step further by downing a few wigglers. Nathan assured me that the boxes will be locked and under the protection of the Dons of each residence.

It was a pleasure meeting Nathan.  I have always believed that this battered old gal, who has been called by many names, such as Paccha Mama, Gaia, and Mother Earth, will survive in spite of us.  But with help from groups like Living Cities she and the creatures that call her home will do more than that - they may actually thrive once again.

Better Worms and Gardens - Part I - Vermicomposting

Article and photos by E. J. Brunton. Previously published in the Napanee Guide and on line at Helium

A reliable source informed me that newspaper not only makes good reading but it makes good eating too. My source is one of the thousands of red wiggler worms inhabiting a couple of plastic bins in my laundry room. This tiny spokesman told me they preferred the pithy editorials and juicy articles contained in our local newspaper not only for their taste but for their comfort as a bedding material.

I thought back to my initiation into worm ranching and remembered that they would sometimes "run away" if I substituted other paper sources. This may have been due to several factors: the inferiority of the publications, the subject matter (once it was an article on baiting fishing hooks) or my own lack of expertise in the fine art of creating a proper habitat.

The habits of red wigglers may not appeal to all of us. I mean who wants a guest that eats your bedding? But during their almost three year sojourn with me I find they can eat half their weight in kitchen waste and newspaper each day and turn it into the most glorious of fertilizers - worm compost.

Red wigglers make wonderful little companions - in some cases superior to family members or pets. They don't turn up their noses at leftovers. You don't have to wash the sheets and there are no extra dishes. You don't have to walk them or buy them clothes. They don't keep you up with wild partying all night long. In fact they prefer coffee grounds and tea leaves to left over wine or drugs.

Are you still here? That must mean that you have some interest in composting with worms or at the very least are not repulsed by a squirm (a ball of worms.)

But worms do have some simple needs: darkness, dampness, warmth, air and food. The trick lies in getting the balance just right. There are many ways to accomplish this; some are very expensive and largely unnecessary.

The following works for me:

• Find a container at least 12 inches deep with a lid. I use plastic storage bins but you could use wood
• Drill holes in container and lid for air circulation
• Tear or shred newspaper into thin strips
• Soak strips in water and squeeze out till just damp
• Mix damp strips with sterilized potting soil and place in container to a depth of at least 8 inches
• Locate the container in an area that where there is a steady heat source between 12 and 21 C (55 to 70 F)
• Find a source for red wiggler worms (eisenia fetida are most common), NOT ordinary garden worms
• Your source for worms could be a friend, neighbor or the Internet
• Bring them directly home, without taking a detour to have a cold beer with friends
• Dig a little pocket at one side, put some of the kitchen refuse you have been saving into the hole, add some powdered egg shell that you whizzed up in your coffee grinder
• Spritz with water and BURY at least two inches deep
• Add worms
• Replace the lid to keep it dark and damp
• Feed the worms your kitchen refuse once a week

Several words about this refuse: The smaller the pieces the quicker the composting so chop into small piece. the addition of powdered egg shells aids in maintaining a less acid environment. These can be ground up in your coffee grinder and a tablespoon or so sprinkled over the weekly meal.

Now worms will eat just about anything, given time, but for your own convenience, there are things that you should NOT put in your worm bin: meat, bones, eggs, dairy products, oily or fatty things, smelly vegetables like broccoli, onion or garlic, very hot or very cold things, and -duh - chemicals.

Things that DO belong in the worm bin include: white paper products such as used napkins, paper towels, rice or cereal that the kids didn't like, vegetable and fruit peelings and cuttings, coffee grounds and filters and tea bags. I keep a small plastic bucket under the kitchen counter where I collect these until I am ready to feed the worms. It is not recommended that you just throw the garbage in on top of the worm bin as it can get smelly and also allow fruit flies to hatch and hover annoyingly.

Another no-no is overfeeding as the heat generated from fermentation can make the worms want to leave home. You will know within a week whether you have fed your worms too much or too little. If all is going well, most of the food will be gone and there will be no unpleasant odor.

At feeding time I also check on bedding, temperature and moisture and adjust as needed. You don't need fancy monitors - just practice to know if it is right.

As regards harvesting your worm castings (digested refuse excreted by the worms and known as vermicompost) there are labor intensive ways to trick the worms into leaving the pile of compost that you covet (like building conical piles and shining strong lights on them to get the worms to move downward) but I don't indulge in subterfuge.

I take the direct approach by checking first near a food source. The majority will be gathered here but others will be scattered throughout as will the egg casings (small spherical shiny brown things) that hold your future as a worm rancher.

Get yourself a large container and, if you are squeamish, put on a pair of rubber gloves. You are going to gently separate the worms from their castings/bedding. Shake the castings (worm doo doo) over the empty container. If any worms or egg casings fall in, return them to the original container. Top up the bedding with more damp newspaper and potting soil when you are finished.

Unlike other fertilizers, worm castings can be put directly on house plants or outside on your vegetables and flowers without fear of burning them. They are best used fresh. You can dry them for future use by spreading them on a tray but they will not be as effective as when damp and alive with bacteria.

You can add a lump of them to some water for a liquid fertilizer called worm tea but again this is not as effective as using the unadulterated product.

This stuff is worth its weight in gold. Just think! You and the worms accomplished all of this with things that otherwise would have just added to the land fill problem - some newspaper, some egg shells and some garbage. Could anything be sweeter?
Coming Soon Better Worms and Gardens - Part II - The Living Cities