Vermicomposting ~ Vermicelli ~ little worms...

Sometimes people are experts at making excuses. First they say they can't even pronounce it. Then they say they don't have room to raise worms in the house, or they don't have the proper fancy worm box. Or they think their housemates will complain because the worm box might stink. Or the worms might escape! These people are in the dark about worms. It's time for them to see the light. It's never too late to have your own family of worms. I know of worms who have lived in old wooden paint boxes. Some have endured living in new-fangled commercially-made plastic gizmos with lids and drain spigots, and others live in styrofoam fish shipping boxes, discarded aquariums, and old toy chests. They've been found also in plastic bags, 30-gallon trash cans, buckets with drain holes drilled in the bottom, Tupperware celery boxes, bureau drawers, file cabinets, back seats of 1955 Chevies, and even bathtubs. A worm grower, gardener, and composter in Maryland reports that she is planning to set up a worm bin this winter in her unheated greenhouse. And be assured that there are worms living in cinder block bins out behind many a barn.	So there's no excuse. Apartment dwellers and workaholics alike can just keep them in an elevator or at the office. The president of The Arctic Worm Research Center is forced to keep his worms inside his office because it's freezing outside. He keeps his worms in 68-litre containers and feeds them a 40-pound mix of apple cores, corn meal, banana peels and coffee grounds per week. He doesn't drink all that coffee himself. There are 25 other coffee drinkers in his office. Most likely, his worms are awake all night. Once upon a time an electrician purchased worms at a bait shop and brought them home to his compost heaps and garden. Other people have been known to send away to faraway states for worms by mail order. A retired pilot once went into a sporting goods store, and while looking between the golf clubs and bowling balls, he found some worms for sale. Georgia Jumpers might also be found in North Carolina. Let's face it, by mail order you never get a chance to see where they came from. Was it a good family? If you're lucky, a friend may give you some. Consider that to be a very special present. Mine have come almost exclusively from the original manure pile way back when. It went like this: Got the manure for the compost heap, and the worms came. Easy. No stamps.	People generally have divergent ideas about worms. Some folks are indifferent, and some are fanatic. You know when you've met a worm fanatic. It's all they want to talk about. It seems they can even weave the evolution of the universe back to the worm. They worm references about worms into every conversation. Before you know it, you discover yourself watching where you step so you don't accidentally crush Uncle Jake. You might even find yourself at the library searching for a copy of Frank Herbert's Dune, the ultimate giant worm story. Reportedly, there exists a campaign to outlaw garbage disposals in all newly constructed homes. The crusade's platform has 2 premises: in outlawing disposals, more folks will be inclined to start compost heaps, thereby reducing landfill overflow problems, and equally important, worms everywhere will have increased job opportunities. Gone will be the sweat-shop compost heaps where worms are fed barrels of coffee grounds to keep them working around the clock. There will be more work for all. And more worms...	Many people have asked me, "Why do you raise worms?" Sometimes this question reflects mere politeness, hidden behind a yawn. But then again some questioners have a sincere fascination for the worm world. (I can usually tell the difference.) I practice local, grass-roots, actions- speak- louder-than-words propaganda when it comes to worms. A neighbor, the mailman, the roofer, the plumber all see my garden. They see what the worms can do. So I do what I can for my worms and give them the very best in living quarters by creating compost heaps and worm boxes. Actually, some of my neighbors have even offered to bring over the pulp and trimmings left over from their juice drinks and salads to contribute to my compost heaps. Sort of a communal compost. Of course, this recycling is essential to all gardening and no true gardener would be without a heap or two tucked somewhere on the property. My compost is your compost. And the whole community benefits. I like to think of my entire garden as a worm box, a haven for worms. Wormland. Thank you, worms. Imagine the possibilities if all backyards had a compost heap...
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