Vermicomposting: The beginning

I came home from work today to the greatest surprise, my Red Wigglers had arrived. So the worm bin I prepped last weekend was ready to be filled. But before showing you wonderful pictures of my little friends... let me tell you why.

A few weeks I began looking into growing potatoes in a bin, the directions all encouraged the use of a light compost to hill the potatoes so when I began digging them out I wouldn't have to take a shovel to the bin. I thought, "How can I compost, I have no yard... only and apartment." So I decided to search the internet for the phrase Urban Composting. Once I saw it had to do with worms I was OUT!!! then shortly after reading the directions I was TOTALLY IN!!! I read that America is beginning to overflow with landfills and 25% of that waste consists of yard trimmings and table scraps. I harken back to God's words to Adam, Eve, Noah, and his family, "Go unto all the world and subdue it." God commanded us to take care of the world he created for us (that is what subdue means in this instance). What can I do? I haven't made a complete organic switch but combined with that idea of taking care of the planet, and the simple fact that this all seemed really cool, I decided to buy some worms. Plus it will be nice to make my own compost for planting. And when it's too cold to plant... I will just find some nice places to dump it.

You might be asking, "Why worms?" Worms eat their body weight in one day and their castings (poop) turns into a nutrient rich soil. In theory touching worm poop sounds gross, unless I remind myself that I touch it every time I touch the soil. I was told as a child that if the crust of the Earth were removed worms would hold the shape, pointing out the magnanimous numbers of worms. The fact is that when it comes to breaking down waste you can't beat worms. So here's to hoping they don't find their way out the air holes.

So lets get to what you my imaginary readers asked for... pictures.

Pictured above is my sack full of worms, my pound of flesh (worm flesh)

See that one on the left, that's Fergus

I wet down some strips of paper

added some old green beans and rice

Just add worms

See Fergus on the paper?

Cover the babies

Set box in resting place...

There they are folks, my pictures... now we will see if I come home tonight to find them having crawled out the air holes.

Urban Gardening

Thought it would be fun to grow stuff this year, then I remembered I don't have a yard. So I did the only thing I could do, I talked about getting a topsy turvy for Strawberries until my girlfriend got me one :) During my research to grow strawberries I came across a few interesting articles. So now instead of just growing strawberries, I am growing potatoes and plan on starting a worm bed for composting. so lets look at some pics.

That looks cool... especially since it has only been a week.

That is what she looks like full. 

Here are my tators chitting... I decided to grow them late in the game so they will end up in their containers before fully chitted. 

This is the goal of chitting, and this is my best chit, it needs to be almost an inch to ready, though one can plant without chitting, the potato comes in faster if they are chitted. Of course it is March and I should have started in February

Oh and I forgot these extra strawberry plants, the topsy turvy is growing better, but I haven't given up on this feller yet. 

And you may be asking, what is that? That, my friends, will become my vermicomposter. Vermicomposting uses earthworms. I haven't received my pound of worms (flesh) in the mail yet y'all will get worm pictures when I do. I will probably write a little thing on why I am choosing to compost too. But until that time... keep growing!!!