Tomorrow I will be a new mom

Tomorrow I will become the mother of one pound of red trout worms. They are babies. It will be a new adventure for all of us.
I will not tell the chickens.
Love,
Betty

If I can look like Eddie Fisher Betty, you can be the mom of a pound of red trout worms (notice the clever way I used your term "mom" instead of "the mother of?" I should be commended for that!)

We used to raise chickens - so I know you are well advised not to tell the chickens, or the Robins, about the worms!

Thanks James. I remember Eddie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds and then Liz. After that I lost track. I always thought he was nice looking in an Italian kind of way. I remember Oh, My Papa!

The worms are now in their new bed which is called a worm factory. It is a contained composting system. The worms are fed table scraps (ground in a food processor) and shredded newspaper as food. The media is coconut fiber and a little composted soil. This will produce compost for gardens and liquid fertilizer. I would like to see how much of these two things the one pound of worms produces and how long it takes, how many new worms are the result and if it is feasable to do this on a large scale.

I am still thinking of the honey bee adventure.

I have not named all these worms. I will wait to see if they have any personality.
Love,
Betty

Dear Betty

It sounds like a real adventure - how are you going to know how much compost and liquid fertilizer this will produce? Does it spread or increase in some manner?

P.S. I'd think naming the worms would be kinna tough - they all look alike to me!

I've heard about this. I am so proud to know someone who is using it. One more step toward sustainability.

Ann

A worm farm--how clever--leave it to you

Hi Mom, this is such an interesting project. I wonder if the fertilizer would be good for the strawberries?
If successful maybe you'll branch out and farm silkworms.

My son-in-law has a large container in his basement where he grows worms for his garden. Doesn't look good, but seems to work. The garden does well, and some are used to go fishing.

The way this is supposed to work is a worm high rise. The worms compost the media they are in in one try, breed and multiply, another tray is added on top of the first tray. Each tray is perforated with holes so the worms can travel upward to the next tray, the food on the second tray, which is attop the first, attracts the worms to move upward through the little holes to get to the food in the second tray so the media in the original tray is free of worms and can be harvested for compost, the liquid that is generated by the ingestion of the worm food drains through the media and is collected in a bottom tray that has a faucet for easy removal and collection. Worm pee.

It is clean, does not smell. The abundance of worms that are concieved and born in this system and grow to adults are used to start other factories or sold as fishing worms.

Love,
Betty

Update on the worm farm

I have gotten the feeding down to a science. I put the potato peelings the shredded newspaper, the left over rice, noodles, whatever into the food processor until it is puree. I put it into zip lock containers that hold about a cup and freeze it in the ice cream freezer that is is the same building as the worm farm. Once a week, I thaw out a container of it, mix it with water so that it can be poured over the farm and there I am, good for another week. After a month of this, I add another tray to the top, put the shredded newspaper, some composted leaves, some soil and top it all with the food from the freezer, cover it with wet newspaper and put on the lit. Ahhh,
So far, so good.

Love,
Betty