The Nagging Mom

Yeah, a gardening post! As the warm front begins to push it's way in I have been doing a lot of planning for my garden this year. I am a tried and true organic gardener. That being said I know the value that vermicompost has on my garden. Not only is it nutrient rich for your plans and fertilizes them in an Earth friendly way but it also helps reduce waste going into the landfill.

What it is: Worm cast and decayed organic matter.

How its made: The worm will eat its own weight in organic matter (Vegetable scraps, paper, egg shells. You do not want to dispose of animal bi-products other than egg shells) then they will digest the waste meanwhile killing any pathogenic bacteria providing casts that contain eight times as many micro-organisms as their feed, the ones that help your plants grow. The cast has perfect PH balance,five times more nitrogen, seven times more phosphorus, and 11 times more potassium than ordinary soil, the main minerals needed for plant growth.

How to use it: Dig some into your plantings, for seedlings it is said to incorporate 25% of vermicompost into your mixture or you can make "compost tea" by adding some compost and water into a spray bottle, letting it sit for a few days and then spray your plants with it and watch them grow!

Being that Im trying my best to cut cost and reduce garbage it only makes sense to make my own! If you go online you can find local companies who sell vermicompost worms however they are close to $30 a pound, fortunately once they are established in their new damp and dark home they will double their population within 6-8 weeks.

Well to lessen the expense even more and to provide an educational experience for my son's classroom I went and ordered Red Wiggler cocoons. Apparently, it has become a learning experience for me too so Ive decided to share it on my blog and hope to provide weekly updates on their growth and development.

Cocoons can stay dormant for years from my understanding and will only hatch in the most optimal of conditions: Dark, damp place with food. Mine arrived to me in a plastic bottle with dry papershreds so I moved them into a Tupperware container, threw in some vegetable scraps and moistened the bedding. Now we wait....

Their first picture: