Worms!

Angie has given me permission to buy red worms for composting in our apartment. To the left you can see a picture of the little guys before they were put into their new home. Let me explain the process.

We got an 18 gallon Rubbermaid container, which I had to rinse out and then drill a bunch of air holes. Next I shredded approximately two newspapers (no glossy sales ads) and wet them down until they had the feel of a squeezed out sponge. Finally, I fluffed the newspaper and added the worms.

As we have gone along, I also learned to add a layer of dry paper to the top. The worms are used to having a larger cruising area (they came from a worm farm in McHenry County, so they are accustomed to more space), hence they kept crawling up the sides of the bin. By adding the dry paper, the worms are discouraged from climbing the bin.

Finally, we have also fed them a couple of times. Banana seems to be a popular dish. We have also given them coffee grounds, water chestnuts, green beans, tomato, spinach, lettuce, and bamboo shoots. We can basically feed them scraps from any fruit or vegetable product, as well as coffee and tea. We can put newspaper in there, too, as well as egg shells and breads. Big no-nos include meats, bones, fish, dairy products, glossy paper, and anything greasy or overly processed. The goal is to produce are own compost/fertilizer using the worms, and it should take about two months. We also will be producing less garbage.

Oh, it is also a really cool conversation piece, even if it means we have to get a kitty someday now.