Rats
I'm researching a new site installation. The location and scenario will make composting susceptible to rats. I came across this article which I found very informative and well-written.
A Brief Measurement of Local
Blog Post
When I started worm farming, it helped feed a dream to be zero waste. Additionally, I realized that worm castings were like a magic elixir for my plants. I’d sprinkle them on the soil and things would grow, and colors would become more saturated. As I started to expand vermicomposting beyond just my family’s food waste, I got out and started collecting waste from nearby sources, mostly local businesses. There’s a lot of waste out there, and it’s amazing how worms can dispose of it.
Brooklyn Worm Poop is a grass-roots operation, literally grown out of local trash, and I wondered if the merits of being local extended beyond the obvious fuel or energy saved, both in our zero-emissions method of recycling, and also the opportunity cost of not needing to pick up the trash and transport it elsewhere. I accessed my background as a professional bread baker and fermentation hobbyist: What makes San Francisco sourdough taste a certain way? What makes a Pinot Noir from burgundy taste different than one from Sonoma? Why does NYC pizza taste the way it does? The ground, the climate, the air, the water…
The idea of bacteria and microbial life lurking in the background of fermentation, or in the dough, has always fascinated me. Some time in to my waste reduction journey I started giving soil health more thought, and became even more enthralled by decomposition. I enrolled in the DSNY Master Composter Program. I began researching more about soil and bacteria and fungi.
I started to apply my thoughts on bread baking to our soils and plants. Is there an additional benefit to using local trash to make local worm castings to help grow local plants? Do you have to be in San Francisco to make San Francisco sourdough? (Ah, the age old question)…
The connection of all living things can be referred to as GAIA. Fungal life takes on this same “connected” principal and it can be viewed and looked at and studied. Korean Natural Farming and Jadam are predicated on techniques of being local. No-till farming seeks to preserve the local soil food web, and cover crops replenish it. Scientifically or empirically, at the very least there must be something going on down there, something all around us.
Charles Darwin studied the power of the worms, and was fascinated by these “movers of earth.” Farmer Yon of Hattie Carthan Community Garden talks about the prominent role of electrons and electrical charges in the soil, and therefore our ability to interact with the soil by touch. Ray Figuroa of the Community Garden Coalition reminds us to respect the connection between our bodies and our land, microbes in our bodies are connected to microbes in the soil.
I think that advocates of composting, and gardening, and the environment are making the same argument: there’s a lifeblood in “local” beyond the numbers and the science. We may try and count the pounds we keep from the landfill, the energy we save, and the amount of NPK present, which are all real and important values, but whether you’re a community of microbes or a community of humans, local is vital, even beyond the numbers. Sometimes it’s just hard to measure. Maybe we don’t need to.
FAQ - worms, castings, & bins
Worm Castings
These are fresh worm castings. Most of the time they are reaching you within a month of harvest, sometimes the very next day. They are not like the kind you buy in a sealed plastic bag, they are living in a breathable compostable container. They are teeming with microbes and beneficial bacteria and are meant to be used immediately so they can interact with your soil with the most impact. They can also be kept alive and active for a longer period of time with air and water (keep them moist, not wet, and make sure there is air flow by fluffing them every so often).
These castings are screened through a 1/8” screen which is somewhat extreme, but helps create a very fine and fluffy casting, and also sifts out non-castings. However, there are cocoons and other small debris that still makes it through. This is okay, and fine, and even beneficial. You may find small pieces of egg shell or a small twig, etc. All good.
They are packaged moist and with some accessible carbon (cardboard, or wood chip, or small pieces of grain), that the microorganisms can use and feed off and maintain vitality. Also, there may be worm cocoons still in the castings which will hatch new worms, and these will need food to live on (also supplied by the grains and carbon). You can leave the worms in your soil, place them outside by a curbside street tree, or start your own worm farm (that’s what I did!)
If making a seed starting mix, feel free to use up to 75% worm castings. It’s a great combo to use soy hulls or rice hulls, a touch of coffee chaff, and/or some organic top soil.
If fertilizing plants, sprinkle around plant and water in. Better yet, gently work the castings just into the top layer of soil. About a 1/4 Cup per 6-8” diameter house plant is great. You should see a difference in color and new growth in as soon as a couple days or within a week. Please adjust as needed. But the good thing with worm castings is that it’s pretty hard to over do it.
If adding to a garden bed for fertilizer, dress the soil with about a quart per square yard.
If making a new soil mix, use up to 20% castings.
Worm Cocoons
hatched worms
beet from compost
Worms
Your worms will be delivered to you fresh, alive, and untraumatized. They do not spend a couple days in the US Postal Service in varying temperatures and conditions. They do not come wrapped in coco coir. They will come in compost and environmental effects inside of a completely compostable burlap bag. you can simply open the bag and place the bag inside their new home when you receive them.
Bag O Worms
Worm Bins
Your bin will be a ready to go pre-made environment with worms. Instructions will be included. It’s mostly recommended to start slow adding your own food scraps to the bin.
Food Waste Hierarchy
Blog Post
There is a graphic I came across on The Institute for Self-Reliance website that I thought was worth passing along. I simplified it a bit.
We’re so conditioned to focus on consuming that we don’t consider as much where things come from, and even less so where things go.
Worm Food Pyramid
Blog Post
This short animation gives an overview of a compost worm’s environment. This isn’t the simplest way to care for worms and it’s not the most comprehensive. It’s an overview with some suggestions for feeding. Air and water are non-negotiable! But the other inputs can all vary. The important thing is to remember to pay attention to the carbon to nitrogen ratio, and always add “grit.” The worms are sans-gizzards, and therefore need some ruffage to help digest food. Pulverized egg shells and some no-longer-useable grains are the best. Egg shells serve another purpose, they add calcium, which is really important for a soil amendment. Crushed grains (oats, wheat, bran, cornmeal, cereal, etc) the worms just love. A good carbon ratio to shoot for when building your environment is about 2:1, that is 2 parts carbon to each part nitrogen. Then when feeding work with about 2:1. Again, this is a generalization and each environment varies. For example, Brooklyn Worm Poop currently cultivates various bins specifically to produce castings that are designed to encourage certain microbes and bacteria. These are our “specialty castings” and are part our ongoing research and development. Please reach out with other questions or things you’d like explained.