Worms, Worms, Everywhere!

I thought I'd share a really fun experience we had last month, learning about composting!

It is so easy to do and such a wonderful, tactile experience, not just for preschoolers but for all ages. I purchased Red Wiggler worms from Uncle Jim's Worm Farm. I've had great experience with them and their worms always survive the trip to my mailbox and compost bin.

Materials for making your own compost bin:

1 large Rubbermaid container with lid (approximately 16 gallons)
1 large bag of peat moss (sphagnum peat moss, 3 cubic feet or less to get you started)
Several recycled newspapers
Spray bottle with water (for misting)
Red Wiggler worms (approximately 1000 - 2000 count)

Instructions (Prepare this ahead of time so that it's ready for when your worms arrive):

1. Drill a few holes in the lid of the Rubbermaid container so the worms can breath.
2. Shred newspaper into small strips and place in container.
3. Add some (or all) of your peat moss to the newspaper, to make a composition of 1/2 peat moss and 1/2 newspaper. It's not an exact science-- just "eye" it to see if it looks like the right mixture to you. Remember, you'll want to leave quite a bit of space in the bin to add compost to it over time.
4. Use the spray bottle to mist and mix the materials in the bin, until it feels damp like a sponge (but not dripping wet).
5. Add your worms to the bin, but don't break up their clusters-- the Red Wigglers like to stay together in their little "community." Cover them up with a bit of newspaper and moss mixture and let them go to work!

How to keep your Red Wiggler worms (and compost) healthy:

Here are some things that are GOOD to feed your worms:

• raw vegetable scraps
• raw fruit scraps
• egg shells (no eggs)
• stale bread (with no butter or other oils on it)

Here are some things that are BAD to feed your worms:

• any meat product
• any dairy product
• oils
• eggs
• citrus
• onions and broccoli (only because they can cause a strong odor in your bin!)

To place food in the bin, lift the cardboard sheet and gently place the food on top of the dirt. Then replace the cardboard. This encourages the worms to come up to the top, grab their food, and aerate the soil. The cardboard helps keep everything moist and dark for them.

Use a spray bottle to moisten the soil and the cardboard sheet on top, once daily or as needed to keep the soil moist (but not wet). The moisture level should be about the same as a moist, squeezed-out sponge.

You shouldn’t need to “mix” the soil up. The worms should do that for you! But feel free to check on them to make sure they’re healthy. They should look moist and shiny. Red Wigglers are not big and fat worms like earthworms, so they won’t be too plump.

Have Fun!