Kid’s in the Garden  -  JUNE 5, 2010

Join us for the Imagine Children’s Museum’s Kids in the Garden Program.  On June 5, 2010, we will be teaching kids about the benefits of worms in the garden.  We will teach the kids how to make a mini worm bin which they can take home along with a couple of new worm friends. Come join us at the Imagine Children’s Museum in Everett, WA between 11 and 1 pm.

For more information visit:  Imagine Children’s Museum

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Sorticulture, Everett’s Garden Arts Festival  - JUNE 11, 12, 13 , 2010

Come join us for a weekend of fun at Everett’s Sorticulture event June 11, 12 and 13th.

If you want to learn more about composting with worms bring your questions and visit our booth.  We will have worms and worm bins on hand for pickup.  We will also have our own kids area where your kids can learn about composting with worms and bring home their own mini worm farm.

More about the event:

Sorticulture unites art and the garden in a celebration of creative outdoor living. Our featured artists create distinctive hand-crafted garden art and our nurseries produce a wide variety of plants to transform your backyard. Learn tips and tricks from top regional gardening experts including Ciscoe Morris. Sorticulture also features display gardens and activities for the kids.

June 11, 12 and 13, 2010
Legion Memorial Park
145 Alverson Blvd. at West Marine View Dr.
Everett, Washington 98201

Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit www.everettwa.org for more information.

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Here are some images I would like to share of cocoons, baby worms and pot worms. Pot Worms, also known as white worms, and are similiar in size to baby red worms.  Pot worms are just one of many small creatures that are commonly found in worm bins.  The presence of pot worms may indicate that the PH of your bin is decreasing and becoming acidic. You may also spot them if you have added any acidic foods to your worm bin.   If you have an abundance of these worms in your bin it could also be an indication that your worms are being overfeed.  Overfeeding results in acidic conditions in a worm bin.  Pot worms are NOT harmful to your red worms in any way although they may compete with your worms for food.  Baby red worms are distinquished by red blood vessels visible in their squirmy little  bodies.  Here are a few images of both types of worms to help you determine if what you may be seeing in the bin are pot worms or babies.

Pot Worm (White Worm) vs Baby European Nightcrawler

White Worms (Pot Worms) VS Red Worms

Here are some close up images of European Nightcrawler Cocoons.  One cocoon can hatch between 2 and 20 worms (the average being 2-4 worms)  The older a worm is when it produces a cocoon, the higher the chance of hatching more babies per egg case.  When a cocoon is first produced it is a pale yellow almost transulant color.  As it begins to age and the worms get closer to hatching, the cocoon darkens to a brown color.   Newer cocoons are easier to spot in a heap of castings than the mature ones.  These next images are of European Nightcrawler cocoons at different stages.

European Nightcrawler Cocoons Close-Up

Stages of Red Worm Cocoons - European Nightcrawlers

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Mark your calendars, it is time to get composting.  May 2-8 is Compost Awareness Week.

If you have been dreaming about how lucky you would be if you could just have some black gold of your own, this is the time to stop dreaming and start doing!  There are many ways to compost your leftover kitchen and garden waste. You can use old pallets to construct a simple compost bin or you can use a compost tumbler to decrease the time it takes from start to finish.

Tumbleweed Composter

Worms are a great edition to any compost pile. They help to breakdown the material quicker than traditional composting alone. A compost pile is a great place for red wigglers to hang out. They can stay nice and warm in the middle of a pile in the dead of winter, and migrate to the outside of the pile in the summer heat when your pile really starts to cook. The added benefit of worm castings adds a natural fertilizer to the finished product.

Worm bins are also a great way to compost your leftovers and create the blackest gold around – worm castings. Worm’s devour the materials you put into their bin and deposit the nutrient rich castings as they go. This is a quick and efficient method of recycling all your newspaper, junk mail, rice, vegetables and stale cereal.

These days many cities are now offering curbside recycling for your kitchen waste. These cities have to use precious resources to haul your garbage off to the landfills and recycling centers. They also offer you the chance to buy it back in the form of compost for your gardens. Why not cut out the middle men and start your own home recycling program right in your back yard. What a great way to help save the environment and your pocket book at the same time.

So treat yourself to some black gold this summer and start composting!

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We get asked this question over and over. What is the difference between worms found in the yard and garden and worms used for composting?

Believe it or not, all worms are not created equal. There are three main types of worms, each one has different characteristics that make them unique. These unique traits are why some worms take to bins better than others. You can’t just go out in your yard, dig up some worms, and expect them to go to work for you in your new worm bin. Chances are you may not end up with great composting worms, and you may even find that the worms are escaping from the bin and do not appreciate being spoiled like our little friends the red wigglers. With an understanding of the different types of worms, you will gain a better perspective into the art of vermiculture.

Each one of the 4400 + named species of worms on earth can be broken down into these three main categories:

Anecic (Greek for “out of the earth”) – these are burrowing worms that come to the surface at night to drag food down into their permanent burrows deep within the mineral layers of the soil. The common nightcrawler (also known as Canadian Nightcrawler, Dew Worm & Common Earthworm) is in this category. These worms build vertical permanent burrows that extend over six feet below the earth’s surface. Believe it or not, but these worms can actually recognize their own burrows and return to it day after day. These worms feed on decaying litter and therefore must visit the surface on a regular basis. They are solitary worms and do not like living in high worm populations.

Endogeic (Greek for “within the earth”) – these are also burrowing worms but their burrows are typically more shallow and they feed on the organic matter already in the soil. These worms are the only type of worm that will actually eat soil as well as decaying organic material. These worms rarely come to the earth’s surface and spend most of their time underground in their lateral burrow systems.

Epigeic (Greek for “upon the earth”) – these worms live in the surface litter and feed on decaying organic matter. They do not have permanent burrows. These “decomposers” are the type of worm used in vermicomposting. These are our special little garbage men that work for food. They thrive in large groups and are surface feeders, not burrowers. Red Wigglers & European Nightcrawlers are both categorized in this group of composting worms. Becuase they do not build burrows, they do well in worm bins and appreciate the constant food source and moist environments that we provide for them.

I hope this helps you to gain a little understanding of the workings of earthworms and why purchasing the right kind of worm for your bin is important to your success.

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Come visit us at the Lake Stevens Business Expo located at the Lake Stevens High School, 2908 113th Ave NE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258 on Saturday April 24, 2010 from 10 am – 3 pm. This event is sponsored by the Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce.

Come visit us and find out more about composting with worms and learn how to use a stacking tray worm bin and the new Worm Inn. Learn about the different kinds of composting worms available and bring your questions.

Live in Snohomish County and need worms? We are now taking orders for worms to be picked up at this event. Contact us for details. Show Case Lake Stevens is free to the public. Print out a ticket and present it at the event to be entered into a special drawing.

NW Wigglers Show Case Lake Stevens Tickets – CLICK HERE, then click on NW Wigglers to download

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