Back to it....

With the holidays behind us, it is time to get back to it. My worms are doing fine and business is going well. There is a lot of interest in "Going Green" and I, for one, hope this one sticks. We have all heard about the "pet rock" and what a fad that was...I don't believe this is like that at all. I talk to people all the time who care about what they eat and want to grow it themselves. People in apartments have herb gardens, and one of my customers is actually experimenting with my castings in his Hydroponic garden. I hope we are all getting back to the basics and what's important. Here's to a happy, healthy 2009!

Great Idea for feeding!

I recently talked with a fine young man at the farmers market. He is a worm enthusiast and told me his way of feeding his worms that I would like to pass along. He uses a blender to puree his organic material. He takes all his carrot peels, banana peels and other food waste items and blends them into a fine pulp. He then uses this mixture to pour into the worms. This is a great idea because we all know the smaller the pieces, the easier for the worms to eat. An added bonus is the water rich content of the mixture helps keep the bedding moist and cuts down on how often we need to spray water on the beds. Keep the ideas coming and talk to you soon.

Worm Castings and Pest Control

I received a call last night from a gentlemen that has used some worm castings that I sent him. He did an experiment, some plants with worm castings and others without. The results were astounding. Not only are the plants with worm castings healthier but they also had no aphids or white flies. According to his research, once the plant absorbs the benefits of the worm castings the plants put off an odor that insects do not like. So not only do worm castings fertilize your plants organically but they have an added benefit of being healthier and stronger by keeping bugs away. I have asked him to blog his research, so in the coming days you will be able to get this news first hand. Thanks and stay tuned.

Time To Get Started

What great weather we are beginning to have here in the mornings and evenings. Planting season is upon us and I have Cucumbers, Squash and Carrots already coming up. I have been composting all summer long and preparing the ground. I put some Worm Castings in each hole that I planted my seeds. I hope you have a great planting season and you are keeping your garden organic. Always remember that we are going to be eating what we grow. Keep it green!

Keep them cool!

I really did not know where to start but felt that I would begin with some familiar territory. We need to do the best we can at keeping our critters happy and comfortable. Here in Phoenix it is near impossible to keep ourselves cool, let alone our worms during the summertime. I currently have a swamp cooler running 24/7 blowing nice cool air on my worms in the garage. This has worked all summer long, however some people may not have the ability to do this. So another idea is to bring them inside. I have customers who have a spare bathroom and they keep their "Factory For Worms" in the tub. I have another who uses the hall closet and yet another who keeps it in the kitchen. If you leave them outside, make sure your compost bin is large enough for them to escape the heat. To be more specific, make it deep enough so worms can keep away from the heat and wide enough for them to retreat into the center to escape the heat. They love staying moist so water them down during the summer, at least everyday or every other day for sure. Thanks for listening and please post your thoughts.