| Mikaela Nadeau |
I actually am not a big composter, between having the chickens, ducks, and geese there really isn’t much food waste to go around. Be that as it may, there are some food groups that the farm’s flock cannot have for table scraps. Instead any extra scraps that I have go out to my worm bins, and it is exceptionally easy to do year round.
As soon as the weather warmed up I moved my worm bins from the basement to the porch, and it’s made the ease of feeding my worms that much easier. As the weather starts to cool down, I’ll bring the worm bins down into my basement where they are at a stable temperature, and I can feed them throughout the year.
The most beautiful thing about the worm bins is the product that comes from the worms themselves. It truly is a wonderful working relationship for all of us. I’ve had a couple of bins since November of 2021, and have done two bin harvests and cleanings, and in that time I’ve managed to harvest around five pounds of worm castings. I’ve used it to dress seedlings, and made worm tea to fertilise some house plants as well. All of this has been an easy, and wonderful way to recycle my food scraps.
I’m doing an experiment right now between two bins that I have, and am really excited to see the results in three months when harvesting time comes. I have a homemade tote system that my mother-in-law gave me, and I have a Vermihut bin which I purchased to see how the ladder-system will work.
If you are interested in more information for doing worm bins I highly recommend a book called Worms Eat My Garbage by Joanne Olszewski and Mary Arlene Appelhof. It has a wealth of information regarding setting up a bin, acquiring worms, harvesting castings, and dealing with problems from your bins. In addition I’d be happy to answer any questions you might have about setting up, and establishing your own worm bins for year round composting! Just email me at info@therunningbrookfarm.com
