Composting. With Worms!

The more I think of it, the more there is absolutely no reason not to do some sort of composting.  Whatever your excuse is, there's a way around it.  Fleas?  There's a solution.  Smelly?  There's a solution.  Cheap?  There's a solution.  The fact is, much of those bags of trash you're producing can go where it's really needed-- back into nature and not some filthy landfill.  Vermicomposting, composting with worms, is my favorite method.  You can also make a compost pile, but they're a bit harder to maintain with lots of rules and attention needed.  I'll admit we've had one for a year now and it hasn't produced anything I'd feel comfortable putting back into the garden, even though it has decomposed a lot. 

Our saving grace is a vermicompost bin in the patio, packed with worms and moist dirt, that we feed every week.  We got the bin from a friend and the red worms from Santa Monica College, where they have a garden and give worms away to resourceful gardeners.  While my boyfriend is giddy at the idea of having "wormies" as pets, I am more crazy about the idea that we don't have to buy anything to keep this operation alive and yet we get so much in return.  The worms turn your food scraps and trash into pure money in the form of their poop (casts).  Their casts are full of valuable nutrients that can make such a difference to your garden.  Our worm casts aren't harvested very often but I use the liquid it generates about every two weeks.  Water it down and you've got some very healthy material. 

In addition to vegetable and fruit scraps, you can give them avocado skins (they'll eat them till the thinnest little shell is left), dried and crushed eggshells (to avoid disease), coffee grounds, tea bags (without the staple) and old bread.  Avoid plastic, metal and foil.  There are also some considerations to adding citrus, onion and garlic so we use it sparingly.  They say you can sparsely add meats, fish and dairy but that's a little too much for me so I avoid it.

And it doesn't stop with your food.  Add newspaper or any unwanted mail (just make sure it's not glossy or colored), cardboard cartons, shredded computer paper and dead fall leaves.  Also, if you don't have a vermicomposting container or don't want one, there is another method.  A friend was telling me yesterday that he'll just freeze all of his scraps, dig a hole in the garden and bury them for the worms to come and feast.  This sounds like a bit of effort and I don't have too much garden space, but the option is there for you. 

Our bin is due for another worm cast harvesting and renewed bed so that will be an upcoming post, with pictures and all.  There is so much information and advice out there for vermicomposting and it's a very interesting read, so I hope I've whetted your curiosity!