Worm farming/vermicompost is a great way to super-charge any composting system. Let our earth-bound friends help us out with our waste!  The JS has initiated a vermiculture project to more quickly process compost produced in the house. Thus far we have built an indoor worm bin that sits inside the cooking island in the kitchen (a perfect location next to the food scrap bin!). This bin was formed from an old wooden drawer and only modified by cutting holes around the sides for ventilation. A second and more ambitious project is an 18 sq. ft. bin that will sit outside near the composting bins during the warmer seasons. This bin is being made from an old wooden book shelf frame with the shelves removed. It will have a large wooden lid installed and hinged onto the side, and it will slope slightly for rain run-off. Initial estimates are that the bins can support about 2-3 pounds of worms for every sq. ft. of area. The larger bin may hold upwards of 60 pounds of worms!!! The red worms can eat upwards of their entire body weight in compost each day under optimal conditions. It is hoped that we may process upwards of 50 pounds of compost each week, and produce a spectacular amount of worm castings for our gardens! Worm Bin Composting WorkshopsLearn the fun and easy way to compost by letting worms eat your garbage! The OSU/Lane County Extension Service Compost Specialists will be conducting workshops designed to get you off to a good start. Learn how to make and maintain a worm bin effectively, food management, harvesting, pests of the bin, minimizing problems, and how to use those wonderful castings! Workshop participants will receive:
When: Saturday, October 25, 2008 10 a.m.-noon Where: OSU/Lane County Extension Service Auditorium 950 West 13 th Avenue, Eugene 97402 Cost: $30.00 pre-paid and pre-registered. (Two people in the same family may take the class together for one bin.) Extra bins are $25 each. No walk-ins on the day of the class will be accepted. Call 682-7320 or email compost.specialist@oregonstate.edu if you have further questions. Vermicomposting ResourcesWorm DigestOut of Eugene, Oregon, is an eight-year old quarterly newspaper -- and now Web site -- offering juicy info for both novice and seasoned vermiculturists. Tons of links for where to shop. [1] In addition, here is another friendly online resource that can answer many vermi-questions OSU/Lane County Extension ServiceThe Extension Service is a great source for information on composting They offer classes on worm composting that will be offered in September and October. Also they have a cool series on composting offered throughout the year. Call the Compost Message Hotline, (541) 682-7320 or (800) 872-8980 to ask a Compost Specialist about composting, vermicomposting and other educational resources that are available. compost.specialist@oregonstate.edu Location: 950 West 13th City of Eugene Solid Waste and Recycling Compost Specialist(541) 682-5542. Website Excellent website with good information on a variety of recycling/composting topics. Under ‘navigation’ on the left hand side of the page go to ‘composting.’ Suppliers: Call or email to confirm availability and price Food For Lane County GrassRoots GardenMerry Bradley coordinator (541) 954-9461. $15 per container. Call ahead to place an order and arrange pick up. Bud JonesMailing address: 2365 Madison Eugene, OR 97405. (541) 343-6422 or (541) 521-8505. $10 per container. Earth Angel Worm and GardenKarin Kelley, (503) 234-9676 or (503) 234-WORM or (888) BUY-WORM. Mailing address: PO Box 13777 Welches, OR 97067. Packed in live earth. Call for price and vermicomposting information. EPM Inc.Bruce Elliot, (541) 767-2747. Location: 836 E Main Street, Cottage Grove, OR 97424. Minimum order 5 lbs. |