June/July 2010
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The Art of Worm Farming by Cheryl Morgen 
Stephanie Schulz, local owner of Hey Cupcake, was looking for a solution to reducing the amount of food waste her business was putting in the landfill. "It felt wrong to put food waste down the garbage disposal or in the trash," she said. Knowing there had to be a better way, she started investigating her options and began looking at worm bins as an alternative.
More and more people throughout the United States are composting their food scraps. The benefits of composting are twofold: it reduces the landfill waste and produces great fertilizer for yards and gardens. And worm bins are an easy initiation to the art of composting. Worm bins are relatively compact, inexpensive, and produce excellent compost. They are a great option for anyone living in an apartment or with a small yard that does not allow for a compost pile. Even if you can have a compost pile in your backyard, during the winter they aren't particularly efficient. A worm bin can be used year round. To get started, Stephanie called upon Laurie Perez, a local supplier of red worms and worm bins. Laurie arrived with the worm bin already constructed and within a short time had it set-up and ready for use. Laurie advises the beginning worm farmer to, "Keep the heat and humidity down" in order to keep the worms happy. She believes that the worm tailings are especially useful in Central Oregon as the soil is not rich and easily dries out. For those interested a worm bin can be constructed from scratch. A plastic container with a lid, some bricks or wood blocks, and one slightly larger plastic container (optional) is all that is required. Simply put some small holes in the bottom of the smaller bin using a screwdriver or other sharp implement (the holes should be large enough to let out water, but not a worm). Place the bin on top of the blocks. If you plan to keep your worm bin inside, place the covered bin on blocks inside another slightly larger container. This second container will catch any water or drippings that may come out the bottom. Once you have the worm bin set-up, simply add shredded newspaper and red worms. You can purchase your worms locally, by mail order, or by asking a friend with a worm bin to share a few. After the worms are in place, you can begin adding food. Worms are sensitive to citrus so avoid adding them to the bin along with meat and cheese, both of which can smell and attract bugs. All sorts of other food scraps can be added to the bin including coffee and coffee filters, or tea bags. It is essential not let your worm bin get too wet, so continue adding newspaper or leaves along with food scraps. Finding a good location for your worm bin is also important. Some families keep their worm bins under their kitchen sink, which is extremely convenient. However, a worm bin is typically a little smelly and can attract a few bugs, so this option might not be for everyone. The garage is another good option as it helps to moderate the temperature. A worm bin should not be located where it might freeze or reach very high temperatures. A good sign that you have a healthy worm bin is the production of a lot more worms. One recent Saturday morning found me arm-deep in worm tailings. That is worm poop for the uninitiated. Most of the year we simply add our kitchen scraps and let the worms do their thing which allows us to compost about half of our kitchen waste. However, in order to remove the worm tailings to use as compost, you do have to separate the worms from the tailings. For our family this is a once-a-year event that involves our kids. We dump out the worm bin contents on plastic and "rescue" the worms to put back in the bin. Afterwards, I have a rich bucket of worm tailings to add to our garden. Laurie Perez says, "Worm castings can be added to outdoor soil and to potted plants. You do not have to worry about measuring the worm tailings and they won't burn the plants." Toni Stephan, another local supplier of worms, says, "I use the worm tailings on my flower beds." She offers worm tailings for sale out of her ranch. She also adds that red worms are not native to Central Oregon and will die in unamended soil, so it is important to keep them isolated in their worm bin. After recently setting up her worm bin, Stephanie Schulz is awaiting the transformation of food into "black gold", as worm tailings are occasionally called. It is not a magical overnight process and does take some time before that first harvest of compost, usually six months or so. It can be longer if the worms are not at a moderate temperature. In the meantime she can take comfort in the fact that some of her food is already being recycled. Besides the benefits in composting food waste, worms have been a great impetus for learning in our house as well. We have brought worms into my daughters' preschool classes. The preschoolers examined the worms with magnifying glasses looked at the different kinds of food they can eat. We have also had some interesting discussions about their biology as each worm is both male and female. If you are looking for a way to reduce waste and involve your children in an earth-friendly project, setting up a worm bin is relatively simple. It can also generate a lot of learning opportunities and laughs with your kids. And before you know it, you will have become an expert on vermicomposting, the art of worm farming. Worm Farming Web sites http://www.wormdigest.org/ http://www.worms.com Local Worm Vendors
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