Kathlene Farfan

Also called creeping thistle, the jaggy purple flowering lawn weed is considered one of the most invasive weeds in the world. Both compost and worm castings (which are sometimes called compost, but they are so much more I really can’t bring myself to call them compost) are made from digested organic matter, but there are some important differences. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking compost (perish the thought), but worm castings are special! But please avoid introducing earthworms into your garden if you don’t already have them, especially near wild forested land. Any organic matter you spread on the surface of the soil will slowly be pulled down and digested by them, so you can get the benefits of worm castings by simply using all your organic wastes including your kitchen scraps as mulch (spread moist scraps under a thick layer of straw or dead leaves to discourage larger scavengers and to avoid making your garden look messy). There are lots of snazzy home worm bins on the market, so buy one if you like, but you don’t need anything fancy to get started raising worms and harvesting worm castings, just a largish box or bin, some kitchen scraps and newspaper, and some starter worms. If you want to get fancy you can use two nested bins, replacing the floor of the inner one with wire mesh, but a single bin will get you started. During the first few weeks it is a good idea to add a handful of garden soil on top of each scrap deposit to cover it; after that, there will be plenty of castings to do the job. Start making scrap deposits only near one end of the bin, so most of the worms will congregate in that area. If the bedding and scraps are wet and/or your nose detects bad things, add dry paper, which will help dry things out. Drill some holes in the bottom and sides of your bin to let the air in (worms do need to breathe) and excess moisture out. Thanks for replying. Yes, I like my worms. If your worms are happy they will be making like the birds and the bees and making more worms, so at some point you may have more worms than you have scraps to feed them (if you can’t find any traces of your last deposit, you have too many worms). Add a bit more shredded paper on top each time you feed your wigglers. Set up your bin up in an out of the way and well-ventilated place that will stay between 65°and 85°F and where a bit of odor won’t offend anyone (mostly, you’ll just smell "forest," but occasionally things can get a bit out of whack and pee-ew!). You will want to set your bin on a tray to catch any liquid that seeps out (this is also an amazing plant food). They are usually shipped during the colder season, טלגראס הזמנה and depending on where you live, will become available for טלגראס אילת תל אביב (telegrass2u.com) purchase from local nurseries when you’re closing in on the end of winter. They are also higher in micronutrients than compost is and deliver a much higher level of microbial activity to the soil, all of which translates into higher yields from your plants. Worm castings are an amazing soil amendment, loaded with nutrients in a form plants can use, lots of organic matter, and some other interesting and useful stuff added by the worms. Then the worm castings they make go in the area you are growing your fruits and veggies. It just might make all the difference for your veggies this year. At this point you need to harvest some worms and either make a second bin and start turning garden waste (and any other organic wastes you can get your hands on) into MORE castings, share your extras with someone who’d like to start a worm bin of their own, or make fried worms (I kid you not, earthworms are loaded with protein and said to be very tasty; note I said "said," I’ve yet to try them)! Here’s a really cool video showing some worms at work. If you already have earthworms in your yard and garden soil just let them do all the work. Worm Bin Sound Like Work? There is something a lot more satisfying in worm farming than general composting for me. Give each child a responsibility -- digging the hole, taking the tree out of the pot, covering the root ball with soil and mulch, watering and more -- and take a picture of the tree when you're done.