There is something that really appeals to me about being in touch with the land and leaving as little behind as possible. When I first heard about vermicomposting, I was intrigued. By the time it was on Oprah, I really wanted to try it but thought, as an apartment dweller, it was a pipe dream. However, after finding this video, I decided to give it a try.
I had to wait almost a month for my worms to arrive. So my excitement had reached a fevered pitch. They arrived yesterday and I set up their little home last night.
To say Nicholas is opposed to this idea would be a vast understatement. He thinks it will stink and he doesn't see the motivation. However, when I brought home the airtight container I was going to use, he started to change his tune. Of course then I started drilling holes in it....
It took no fewer then FOUR drills (the electric one really revolutionized the process) to finally get this container breathable.
I then added moist paper that had been used as packing padding in a shipment I got a couple of weeks ago.
There was some potting soil because they need the grit to digest the food and a little zucchini to start them off. I placed 500 of my new pets in their bin...
and finished the whole thing off with some fresh newspaper.
So far so good. They all seem to be alive. I won't add any more food scraps till I'm convinced they've finished off the zucchini. Apparently, overfeeding is how it can start to smell.
Hopefully, I'll be taking orders for compost within the month! ;)
11 comments:
Sarah,
This post is why I love reading your blog -- you are so deliberate in your actions, you make conscious decisions, and you are so passionate about the things you believe in. I am fascinated by your project and look forward to hearing the results!!!
Heather W.
You will actually do anything Oprah says, won't you?
Wow, these comments went from amazingly positive to snarky negative in no time flat. No?
I will leave you something between positive and snarky. Snarky: what are you going to DO with the compost? Also, do I need to remind you what happened when Julia and Oprah opened the lid of that box on Oprah and all the worms were on top!!!!!!????? Positive: This is a quintessential YOU thing to do and made me smile. Also, your hair looks adorable!
Oh yeah! I cut my hair - should have added that to the previous post! I haven't quite figured out what I'm going to do with the compost, probably give most of it away. As far as Oprah, that was a huge bin that they had put together wrong so I think I'm good. :)
I agree with Heather, you are definitely very deliberate in your actions.
I think you have 28 hours in your day while the rest of us only have 24.
Sometimes I think to myself, "how did we become friends."
I bet the worms are great conversation starters at parties..."so, did I tell you about the worms I'm growing at our house? There's like 500 of them...it's great."
wow. wow. that is all.
no, wait, that is not all. i cannot believe you have an enormous tupperware container brimming with worms in your apartment. i appreciate the thought behind it and i adore that you are doing it, but i am also totally shaking my head at it. so, wow.
love you.
-kirsten
Vermicompost is amazing. One of our local coffee shops in Louisville has started a big movement and they use worms to compost all of their coffee grounds and then sell it by the bag - in the coffee shops!
Compost from worms is seriously like gold. If you have a garden or even a potted plant, there is nothing better. Kyle can vouch for me that the first time I shoveled out my compost bin in the backyard and saw all the worms I did a pretty impressive happy dance. And even though I'm lucky enough to have room to compost outside, I'm considering vermicomposting in the basement for the winter months.
It's like anything new and worthwhile - it takes a little practice and effort at the beginning and then it just becomes part of your daily life. Kudos to you for actually choosing the habits that comprise your daily life!
You know you can always count on me for the snark.
Wonderful. I can now tell all my friends that my daughter-in-law keeps worms for pets!
"And what does she feed them?"
"Zucchini. But not too much."
Not much worse as a hobby than an aquarium, I guess. Worm poop/fish poop. It's all poop in the end.
All time record for most comments, I think. I can't wait to find out how this works. I'd love to try it, but mine might die due to lack of food. I think I might have to cook once in a while. Or could they live on coffee grounds alone?
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