In the Garden with Pat Rubin

Bee garden writer Pat Rubin writes about everything that grows, from flowers and trees to vegetables and lawns. Pat volunteered for several years as a Placer County Master Gardener and has written about gardening for many national and regional publications. In addition to gardening, she spends time raising and showing miniature horses and miniature donkeys.

In the Garden will include news, events, advice and other gardening tidbits. Pat will also answer reader questions.

• Ask a question

« Pruning hibiscus | In the Garden front page | Lavender woes »

February 7, 2008

Worm composting

My weekend project is going to be setting up a bin for vermicomposting - or worm composting. I vowed I’d get this project going this year as part of my commitment to be more environmentally friendly

The Can-O-Worms bin I ordered arrived a few days ago, and now I’ve ordered 1 ½ pounds of worms. My plan is to feed the hungry critters the kitchen scraps we produce each night as we make salad for dinner. The worms will turn it into compost for the garden.

According to Michael Dunn of P. J. Dunn Worm Farm in Galt, “For 24 hours a day (the worms) are tunneling and feeding on bacteria and decaying organic matter…Redworm castings are one of the richest amendments you can add to your soil.”

Of course, you can simply add worms to the compost pile and let them do their own thing. In fact, if you dig to the bottom of the pile you'll likely already find worms at work. Or you can buy or build a bin specially designed for them, like I have.

So tonight I’ll unpack the Can-O-Worms, read the directions so that when the worms arrive in the next day or so, I’ll be ready.

I’ll let you know how the project goes. Of course, if any readers have any advice, I'll be happy to receive it.

Ask a question

Please use the form below to submit your question. Because there is a 100-word limit for questions, a word counter is located directly beneath the box where you enter the your question.