One for the worms

Before dad left from his recent visit, he bought a pound of worms. He wanted to take some home himself to use as compost. The worm seller advised against it. Figured they'd all perish once dad got back to Arizona.

So, dad did the next best thing. He chose to live vicariously through his oldest son. He acquired a pint container's worth of red wigglers and gave them to me.

I'd wanted to do this for years, but never found a good worm source. Now, I had them.


Sarah was not thrilled.

On Sunday, after I dropped dad and mom off at the airport, I went to work making a bin.


I read instructions on worm composting here, here and here (yes, I trust Aggies).

I bought a black, plastic storage bin from Ace Hardware and drilled holes in the bottom and along the sides to let moisture out and oxygen in. Worms need dark, soggy surroundings.


Next, I gathered bedding. I hand-shredded newspaper. I dug out leaves from a pile in our yard that already had begun decomposing. I added some of our newly imported soil, some compost and a bit of bark dust. I moistened all of it as I tossed it in.




When the bin was more than half full, I mixed it all up and added the worms. When I opened the top of the container, they squiggled around as if someone had set them on fire. They ran thick beneath a thin layer of soil.



I've located the worm bin in the basement, propped up on two bricks with the lid underneath to catch any moisture that might drain from it. I've covered it with a piece of black plastic, though a burlap sack would be better. They seem to be surviving. Will they secrete castings? Will they reproduce? Stay tuned.