Up the garden path and what do we see? Yes. My compost bins. This is where I come two or three times a week with vegetable waste from the kitchen and other suitable plant matter from the garden. I'm aiming for the big black bin. I tap on the lid two or three times.
Then I carefully remove the .lid. What do we find inside? Worms - that's what. Compost worms. Tiger worms. They congeal together like spaghetti and as I raise the lid some of them get away. Perhaps that is what they were after. Freedom.
I bash the lid to jettson the others back into the compost matter below. There they will do their job like all of the other worms in this world. Beautiful subterranean creatures moving through the earth, They break vegetable matter down. They aerate the soil.
Lots of the little blighters, aren't there?! They certainly are important, also.
ReplyDeleteNext time you're there, would you consider taking a picture of the inside of the composter, with the worms and compost? I'm curious to see that part.
Shall I climb inside the compost bin for you Jenny?
DeleteWell, not a very attractive photo but your science is right on.
ReplyDeleteAre you thinking of the last photo Red? Mmmm... spaghetti!
DeleteWorms are awesome! Worm compost is like gold for a garden!
ReplyDeleteTHey certainly break vegetable matter down more quickly.
DeleteI'm a great supporter of the worm club and natural compost - well done
ReplyDeleteYup! I'm a member of Worm United Supporters Club too.
DeleteOoh, that's a lot of worms! We tried to make a wormery years ago but it didn't work. Plenty of them in our compost heap though.
ReplyDeleteIf one has plenty of worms in one's compost, why bother with a wormery?
DeleteJust for fun. You can never have enough worms.
DeleteWhen I was little, I used to pick up worms from the asphalt and put them into gardens, knowing they'd die out there, either being picked up by birds or squashed by people, cars and bikes.
ReplyDeleteThey really are important. Life on earth would not be possible without them.
You were a modern day heroine - saving the worms. Did you do the same for wasps?
DeleteI do this too -- although in addition to earthworms, I do it for snails and slugs, which are arguably much less beneficial. At least to us.
Deletewe have a worm farm and we have had a few worm massacres. One time they were killed by unseasonably hot weather, even though we took precautions to try to cool them. Another time I juiced a whole bunch of citrus fruits and put the pulp in the worm farm, not realising that it would be harmful.
ReplyDeleteThese days we are so particular about what we give to worms that I think most things end up in the rubbish. Not what I intended but that's life.
I'm pleased you are a better worm farmer!
Yeah, I ride around my worm farm on my Shetland pony yelling Yee-hah!
DeleteHow do you separate the worms from the compost when the time comes to use it?
ReplyDeleteI don't Frances. They inhabit the soil and do their job there too. The worms arrive naturally though I do sometimes move excess worms between the bins.
DeleteWorms! Aren't they beautiful just? And really great for improving soil health.
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Drat! I thought some of you blogging women would squirm and shout Yuk! But you all seem to be worm happy.
DeleteHooray! Did you hear Brett Westwood's (tweet of the day instigator) fascinating programme about worms on Radio 4 yesterday?
ReplyDeleteYes I did Sarah. It was fascinating wasn't it?
DeleteDouble Hip! Hip! Worms....more wonders of Nature that man would be lost without.
ReplyDeleteGood job, Yorkie!
Thank you Lee and thanks for calling by again.
DeleteThe sure do look like spaghetti. Hurrah to the worms. Greetings!
ReplyDeleteAll they need is a nice carbonara sauce!
DeleteHooray -- although, also, blechh.
ReplyDeleteAt last! A citizen of Blogland who feels a bit squeamish about worms!
DeleteSo this post reminded me of a poem we used to recite (with different variations) when I was a kid:
ReplyDelete"Did you ever see a hearse go by,
And wondered if you'd be the next to die.
They wrap you up in big white sheets
and drop you down, six feet deep.
They put you in a big black box
And cover you with dirt and rocks.
All goes well for about a week,
Until your coffin begins to leak.
The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out,
The worms play pinochle on your snout,
They eat your eyes, they eat your nose,
They eat the jelly between your toes.
A big green worm with rolling eyes
Crawls in your stomach and out your sides.
Your stomach turns a slimy green,
And pus pours out like whipping cream.
You'll spread it on a slice of bread,
And that's what you eat when you are dead."
Nice, huh?!
What a sweet poem Jennifer! Thanks for sharing!
DeleteYuk!
ReplyDeleteAnd you a farming woman too!
DeleteI wish that I had so many worms. They just don't flourish in my soil. I must try and get some for my compost bins.
ReplyDeleteMy worms are promiscuous and very fertile. I can send you some but their behaviour may be at odds with the teachings of the Presbyterian church.
Deletealthough, also, blechh.
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