Vermicomposting

Today we started a vermicompost pile ('vermi' is the latin word for 'worm'.) The worms were given to us by my friend Andera, who had them in her preschool classroom. The kids had so much fun putting this together, and it has been very educational.

Step 1: Make a bed (we used torn newspapers.)
Step 2: Add moisture to the environment (dump several cups of water to wet the newspaper.)
Step 3: Add worms.
Step 4: Add food, including but not limited to: coffee grounds, potato peels, fruits, vegetables, egg shells, cornmeal and other grains, gritty soil, and garden scraps.
Step 5: Drill holes for circulation, replace lid, and store bin in cool, shady location.

Within weeks, the worms will have "eaten" the food, creating organic compost for your garden.


The kids couldn't get enough of letting the worms wriggle around in their hands.












After the project, we read a booklet on the process of vermicomposting. Here are some interesting facts:

*A worm has four hearts and four stomachs (which is why you can split one in half and have two worms! But we wouldn't do that to ours...)

*The worms in a standard-size compost container (12 gallons) can eat up to one pound of food per day.

*If the worms do not have enough food in their container, they will start to eat each other.

*Worm "poop" is the best organic fertilizer for your garden.

*Worms essentially have two rear-ends (but everyone knew that already, right?)

If you ever want to entertain your kids for an ENTIRE day, give them a bucket of worms and dirt.