Archive for May, 2010

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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