Panning for "Black Gold"

A little "worm therapy" anyone? I figured that the worms weren't going to pick up my cold and maybe some fresh air might be good for me this afternoon. My vermicomposting project is most often limited by my failure to empty the finished compost from the containers. This one was getting a bit too full:There aren't many recognizable kitchen scraps left in the bottom of the box. We even threw an entire box of whole mangoes in here months ago (a really bad batch from the local grocery store) and the only remaining evidence is a few mango pits, which are now hollow.

I used the sieve to screen out finished worm compost, throwing back the undigested stuff. I try to pick up the worms if they fall through the sieve, but even if I miss some, there will be enough worms left in the box to maintain the population. Kona, our shedding "Huskamute" sits in the shade on her doghouse, indifferent to my worm-farming activities.I spread this rich black (and totally non-smelly) worm compost around some of the flowers. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Incidentally, I convinced by mother-in-law to start vermicomposting. I guess my evangelistic enthusiasm for speedy worm-assisted compost won some hearts! I point out that in our long winters, the outdoor compost slows down significantly. Besides, this nice fine compost is ideal as a natural (and potent - see the lettuce experiment) fertilizer for the houseplants.