Thanksgiving Feast for Worms!

In November it is time to think about indoor activities up here in the north. The harvest is in and the gardens are put to bed for the season. The ground lies in wait for spring (which won't be coming anytime soon). The temperatures drop and it starts getting harder to face the cold air to take the kitchen waste to the compost pile. What does one do with fruit and vegetable parings or stale bread? It gets easier to justify tossing it all in the garbage can instead of taking it to the compost pile. Now there is another alternative. Try making an indoor worm composting bin!

Worms are easy indoor houseguests. They clean up the garbage and don't complain if they are only given leftovers or wilted foods. They can live in a container in the basement (or elsewhere) and won't tell anyone that you didn't sweep the cobwebs off the rafters. (Bless all five of their little hearts!) They make no noise and won't argue over the remote for the TV either. Plus they keep the kids entertained and teach them about caring for the earth at the same time. What more could a host(ess) ask for? I think everyone needs this!

To get started, the worms need a container to live in. The container can be built of wood or could be an inexpensive plastic container with a vented lid (the link explains how to vent it). Once the container is ready, the new home needs a lightly moist bedding material. Shredded newspaper or cardboard, sawdust, dried leaves, dried grass clippings, etc make good bedding for your worms (no sheets to wash!). Be sure to moisten the material, but don't add too much water or they'll drown!

Worms are not terribly picky eaters. They are as happy snacking on vegetable parings as they are on coffee grounds (complete with filters). They eat their bedding, cereals and breads, and even banana peels. Just bury the food in the bedding and let the worms turn garbage into compost!

They do not expect gourmet fare, however, there are some things you shouldn't feed them. Foods such as meats, bones, dairy products, greasy foods, or the shiny colorful ads in the newspaper are not good for them. Try Herman the Worm's fun game to see if you know what to feed your worms.

Worm bins will need occasional cleaning. There should be no odor, but the worms will need fresh bedding when the old has been mostly consumed. Just shift the worms to one side of the container. Remove the castings. Add fresh bedding on the empty side. Move the worms to the other side and remove the worm castings (droppings). Add new bedding to this side. Be certain the bedding is moist, but not wet. Then feed the worms and let the process start over again.

The copyright of the article Thanksgiving Feast for Worms! in Gardening with Children is owned by Linda Mazar. Permission to republish Thanksgiving Feast for Worms! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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