Bend Bulletin
It’s the season for worms!!!
Bend has been Growing!
I had the chance to speak at The Environmental Center in Bend on Feb 10, 2009. The night was sponsored by The Juniper Club Sierra Group. The turn out was terrific, 40 plus and their enthusiasm was amazing. The focus was on the benefits of composting with worms and also how to set up worm bins. Many of the people came with their own plastic bins, shredded newspaper and peat moss. I was able to share my experience and show lots of photos.
Flowers of my Labor
Tending to my Super Composting Red Wigglers has its perks for sure. Throughout Spring, Summer, and early Fall I harvested much of my Red Wiggler castings, some of which I sold, but most of it was used for my indoor and outdoor plants.
Red Wiggler compost is perfect for pretty much any type of plant or garden and really does a great job providing the proper nutrition and drainage to the soil, which in-turn produces great results for anything growing in that soil.
The weather is getting cooler. Keep an eye on the frost.
The temperature has been dropping in Bend, letting me know that fall is here. This is the time to think about techniques to use for insulating your outdoor worm bins. Last winter was my first time having bins outside so basically it was my experimental year. I am happy to report that it was a success and plan on using the same technique this winter.
I made sure to frequently feed the worms delicious fall treats, such as pumpkins, gourds and squash. The worse they looked and smelled the better they tasted for the worms.
I also insulated the bins with hay, lawn clippings and leaves.
For more detailed information, check out my website under the “How To” section.
Composting Tips
Keep an eye on moisture levels
I like to keep a layer of moist sheets of newspaper on top of my worm bins and check it regularly on hot summer days – even now in these late summer early fall days when the temperature can hover around the upper 80’s in the afternoon.
The sheets help keep the bedding moist and allow for the worms to make their way to the top layer to consume the scraps. Doing this, also helps with fruit flies. They seem to be contained under the sheets and not flying all around the bin. Fruit flies are more of a nuisance to humans than to the worms.
If you find the bedding to be too dry, sprinkle the bedding with some water. Remember the bedding should be similar to a wet sponge. You should be able to squeeze a little liquid out of it.
For more detailed information, check out “Wonder Worman’s Quick Guide to Red Wiggling”. It’s a quick guide to get you going and you can download it here.
