We Have Worms.

I can see it now, my poor child in 15 years: Dear University Admissions/Pen Pal/Therapist, etc. When I was growing up and wanted pet sea monkeys, my mother instead bought me a sprout kit. When I asked for a cat, she gave me composting worms... meet eisenia fetida.

Yes friends, we have worms. And we love them. Newspaper, toilet paper rolls and egg cartons that would normally go to recycling, as well as food scraps that would normally go to the land fill for eternity, are now being consumed by tiny red wrigglers who will in turn give us worm poop. This nutrient dense worm poop will become compost for the growth of happy plants.

We have had a worm bin before, but getting one going with the kids has been more exciting. They get to see, well, worms, but also the amazing transformation of waste into something even valuable. What we did: 1.Sacrifice kids' plastic (worms like it wet), opaque (worms like it dark), and 31 gal huge (we like our produce) toy bin. 2. Drill 1/8" holes on lid and tops of sides of bin.

Since we live in the wet PNW I thought our worms might need a little more ventilation. 3. Sacrifice one of many tea strainers as vent. The strain holes are small enough to keep the worms in, pests out, and the stainless steel won't rust. Cut out hole as big as the strainer.

4. Circle shape goes in circle hole.

5. Place strip of duct tape on bottom of a dinner plate and trace strainer with pen. Use razor blade (!cuidado!) to cut hole about 1/4" smaller in diameter. The perfect piece of tape to secure it.

6. Since the use of blades and tools was of utmost interest to the toddler, and he would not get out of my way, I gave him this "special circle tape!" for promising he'd back off a little. This made him very happy. He did not back away.

7. Perfect.

8. Worms beware! The toddler from the worms' perspective.

9. Toss in gifted starter worm/compost (thanks P!), some food scraps we had on hand (watermelon rinds and coffee grounds and filter), and shredded paper products ("feed the ducks kids!"). 10. Try very hard for at least 3 days to leave worms alone. Concede that it's ok to check on them once a day. I read that worms thrive (and reproduce like crazy) at room temperature, so we're keeping these babies indoors for a little while to get them settled. Let me tell you friends, things are happening in there already! FYI, the compost does not stink. With the proper ratio of bedding, food, and moisture, it smells only like fresh dirt. There is absolutely no scent when the lid is on. This book was been a wonderful guide. And since I realize my next entry will be my 100th blog post, I'm thinking some sort of giveaway - perhaps something involving vermiculture- might be in order. Stay tuned for that!