Worm Fancy

By: Joy Sailor

Red Worms, Earth’s natural fertilizer factory that you can own.  Do you remember when you were a kid and worms were exciting?  Whether it was fishing with dad or touching it and watching it squirm while you giggle, worms were fun.  Back then you didn’t realize worm were heroes, but do you now?  That’s right, those slimy little guys are super heroes packed into a little body.  They are cleaning our earth one compost bin at a time.  Do you realize every piece of leftover food you throw away either goes to a landfill and ends up emitting toxic gases or goes down the disposal into the water system?  Are you ready to be a hero too?  Contact Worm Fancy and they can get you set up with an attractive worm compost which will also help fertilize your plants.

Worm Fancy was created by two amazing women, Michelle and Kate, and their husbands in effort to bring vermicomposting to elementary schools.  The huge amount of food put in the trash during lunch alone daily is a huge concern and worm composting is an excellent solution.  However there are no funds in the school system to start a project such as this.  Worm Fancy’s “passion is the redirection of food wastes out of our landfills”.  Worm Fancy helps fund the outreach to local elementary schools in the Sacramento area.  In just their first four months they were able to place “nine composting bins into the local elementary schools and have been picking up salad bar waste weekly from multiple schools to feed” their own worms.  This year they were able to connect with the Sacramento Zoo to start a vermicomposting program.  On Earth Day and Green Living events Worm Fancy volunteers their time to make people aware of vermiculture and all the benefits it contains.  Their dream is to one day see some type of worm bin in every home to change the massive amount of food which goes to our landfills yearly. 

Like me, you may have many questions as to how this whole process works and how worms not directly in your garden will help your plants.  Kate had answers to every question I had and more.  Let’s start from the top with the worms themselves.  The type of worm they sell and use for composting is the red worm or Eisenia fetida.  Kate says they are “prolific and voracious eaters”.  The red worms reproduce faster than other composting worms and they can double in weight in just 45 days.  Sounds like these little guys are serious about their food.  As the worms eat their way through your scraps they will produce castings which are great for your plants. 

While most worms live in the soil these worms live on bedding made of shredded paper, cardboard or coir so you can easily see the castings.  They actually eat the paper too so more bedding will need to be added regularly.  With so many worms and castings I couldn’t wrap my head around exactly how the castings were harvested.  Here is what Kate had to say:

          “The manor that the castings are 'harvested' depends on the type of bin you have and how hands-on you want to be.  Tray systems like the Worm Factory 360 are the simplest and most hands off way of harvesting castings.  You start with one tray and as it fills you put the next tray on top of it and the worms migrate vertically up to the next tray.  This continues... when the second tray is full you add the third and then the fourth.  The Worm Factory 360 comes with four trays but it can hold up to 8 trays.  When the fourth tray is full the bottom tray (the first tray) has been completely composted and it is full of castings ready for the garden.  You dump out the castings and this becomes the top tray. 

We also sell the Worm Inn which is called a 'flow through' system where you feed through the top and when it is full you open the bottom and let the castings fall out.  Composting worms are top feeders so when you start seeing worms come out the bottom you are done harvesting (toss the escapees back in the top). 

If someone were using a rubber bin or a wooden box you would need to get the worms to migrate to one side by only feeding in one spot then you can remove the opposite side of castings... or you can 'light sort' by pulling out a portion of the bin contents (worms & castings) and put them under a light or in the sun.  The worms will burrow down in the castings away from the light and you can take off the top layer of castings till you see some worms... wait a minute as they burrow down deeper and scrap off more castings... over and over till you are down to just worms or mostly worms and then return the worms to the bin.”

These worm castings are water soluble and rich in Nitrogen, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Phosphorus; all of what your plants need to thrive.  Worm Fancy sells these castings in a few different forms.  You can get it in course grade which means they are “screened through a ¼-inch screen and may contain small quantities of worms and cocoons.”  This grade is good for spreading in your garden or mixing with potting soil as it will have some worms in it which will need to live.  The fine grade castings however will contain no worms as it is screened through a 1/8-inch screen.  These castings can be scooped into house plants and outside plants or you can make a tea from it.  Both of these castings are sold in a zip lock bag which makes it easy to care for and not messy.  The last form of castings sold is in tea bags.  These tea bags are made with the fine grade castings and make a gallon of tea each.  This tea is very healthy for your plants and will give them the nutrients they need to thrive. 

Now if you choose to have your own composting bin you will be producing your own castings to make tea or use as fertilizer.  Worm Fancy makes this easy as well.  They sell a few different option of bins to suit whatever your needs may be.  Even if you live in a small apartment you can enjoy a bin because it doesn’t smell.  Here is what Kate had to say about it:

          ”A healthy worm bin doesn't smell...rather it smells like dirt, not rotting food... but if you feed it too much, add meat or dairy to the bin or don't turn the material it can get stinky.  But if the bin is properly maintained it stays in balance and the worms are keeping up with the food and it will smell earthy like walking in the forest.

Worm composting is perfect for composting in small places (or anyplace) since you could put a bin under your sink, in a closet, on a balcony... pretty much anyplace that isn't in direct sunlight.  Their are bins attractive enough to sit right out in the open in a kitchen.  Worm bins have lids so it would keep flies out and properly maintained it smells like dirt and wouldn't attract house flies.  Fruit flies can come in on your food... anyone who has left a banana on the counter knows how these little guys can show up overnight.  But they are easy to keep under control... just fill a small jar or cup half full of apple cider vinegar and a drop of dish soap.... they are stupid for the stuff and will drown.”

So whether you are a “Do-It-Yourself” type person or use a manufactured bin which has it all ready to go or somewhere in between Worm Fancy has the answer to all your vermicomposting needs.