Rolling on the River

I was so caught up with feeding the worms before I left for vacation, I forgot the camera.

Luckily, the same co-worker that has supplied my worms with an endless supply of scraps also remembers to take her camera when she goes on fun trips! While the worms were safe, sound, and well fed in PA, we were kayaking down the Colorado River somewhere in Arizona. This is right near Emerald Cave- which turned out to be way smaller but much more emerald than I anticipated.

The trip included a hike mostly downhill through some interesting rock mountains and formations, a soak in the natural hot springs, and kayaking. I was disappointed- no encounters with any rattlesnakes or scorpions (too cold this time of year the guide said), but we did get to see some big horned sheep.

The most death-defying part of the trip was when the guide picked us/drove us back to the hotel. We weaved in & out of Las Vegas rush hour traffic like a bat out of Hades and passed vehicles at mach-speed in a 10 passenger van!

Secrets of Worm Grunters!

Are you grossed out yet intrigued by the term "worm grunters"?

I found a "Worm Grunting Mystery Solved" article in the Animal section of my Google homepage, and fortunately it has nothing to do with snorting worms AT ALL.

I was not aware such a puzzle existed or that a community at large was pondering a hypothesis to its solution, but here's to hoping grunters and moles steer clear of my herd!

Worms on Vacation

Really, I was the one on vacation- but the worms got a vacation from me and my prying eyes! Although there was no chance of my verminophobic mom feeding or checking in on my herd while I was away, that was NO PROBLEM.

One of the great things about worms and organic recycling is the tiny amount of time and attention it takes. Make the bin, put in the worms, save up and throw in the scraps, give a few sprays of water to keep it moist, and you are pretty much done for the week.

Right before we left to go away, I fed the squirmers a bunch of rotten bananas and a huge bowl of fruit and veggie scraps, including their favorite- cantaloupe rinds. For this particular time, I did not puree it because I wanted it to break down slowly while we were away, kind of a controlled time-release feeding.

Then I gave them a quick dousing with the watering can.

And that was the end of "pre-vacation" prep.

I packed my bags, left, had a ball, and returned to find a super-productive worm wigwam, and a very happy mother that didn't have to get involved with the family business while I was away.

Worms for All Seasons

It's been getting colder and stormier this autumn season, and we even had a double rainbow a few days ago. However, you can see from all those green trees no leaves have started changing.

With the worms mere inches from the top of the wigwam, I am about to fly into overdrive with Lilliworm.

I'm on the search for some good organic-y, recycled, earth-friendly labels to attach to the drawstring cotton bags for the castings.

I'm not sure how large to make the label, because I want to include short instructions and info about the castings. I also have all the stuff to make the teabags and smaller drawstring bags for them, too, and they'll need different labels.

Once you've used up the castings or teabags from the drawstring bag, you can turn it inside out and throw it in the washing machine for a good cleaning. Then, the possibilities to reuse it are endless: store seeds or bulbs, beads, screws, nails, nuts & bolts; separate jewelery; use as a camera, cellphone, or blackberry pouch; throw in some dog treats and keep it in the car for dog adventure days; use as a small makeup bag; and on and on and on!

I can't wait to launch the new Lilliworm website, and hope to have it up and running by the end of the month so I can begin to take some orders- hooray!

The timing of the Lilliworm project has gone extremely well considering the other responsibilities I have, and it's exciting to see it coming together. I'll finally be able to get some recycled organic goodness out into the world, courtesy of my small, hard-working herd!

Even though at times it was moving painfully slow, I've tried to keep in mind that the tortoise beat the hare.

Halloween is right around the bend, and as I was decorating this week I snapped this cool semi-scary photo of Benj laying on the floor. Remember "Bat-Boy" from the Weekly World News?

Flower MASTER Thanks to the Worms

I have been raising some mean cana lilies this past growing season. Their bulbs looked like purple radishes with thin tan tentacles and a thick stem piece in the center.

When I planted them in May, I mixed the dirt with worm castings because the soil was kind of a clay/gravelly combo. (I didn't have all that many castings then, so I wasn't overly generous.)

Even though the weather is getting cold, my canas think it's the middle of July:
That worm poo made them look like a MASTER gardener was shacking up at my house (for those of you approaching my house from the correct side, of course) instead of a MASTER worm farmer.

I have been advised that because of the climate in my part of the world, I'll need to cut them down after the first frost and pull out the bulbs. They'll need stored in a cool dry place, but not too cold and not too dry. If they get too moist, they'll sprout or grow a nasty mold, and if they get too cold I guess they just die.

These canas require quite the balancing act.

Wait til next growing season! Not only will I have ample worm castings to nurture fantastic flowers, but I have dreams of a berry garden of epic proportions in my head.

 If you have any berry growing advice, let me know.

As the Bin Turns

The concept of the worm wigwam bin is to feed in layers, and then cover each layer of food with a few inches of peat moss and shredded newspaper or cardboard.

By the time all of the layers reach the top of the bin, you can give the handle on the side of the bin a few turns and all the good, soil conditioning poo will get sifted out to the bottom.

You lift off the "door" and collect the poo. The pile consequently goes down in the bin, and you continue the feeding/covering/sifting cycle.

The time needed to get to that first handle crank is kind of a mystery since I didn't begin with the prescribed pounds of worms. They suggested 30, I started with around 10 and probably have a little more now- we'll say 15 to 20.

With their suggested amount, they estimated the first crank should occur at 90 days. I estimated mine would take about 120 days- I started in mid-May, so that puts me around.....right about soon.

You can see the crank on the side and the trap door where you can get the goods out:
Here's the height inside when I started:
Currently, my herd is about a foot from the top:
I estimate the first crank in about a month, which puts me a few weeks behind- but, whatever! I guess worms aren't an exact science!

In other news, a friend forwarded me a really cool blog written by her friend's little brother, Jake. He is also environmentally friendly, and sells some nifty handmade stuff, too. Enjoy!

The Last Splash of Summer!

Please excuse this mostly non-worm entry today about one of my dogs favorite days of the year!


Animal Friends held their Last Splash of Summer today at Sandcastle. I don't like to brag, but I mooched the idea for this event a few years ago from The Beach Waterpark in Cincinnati and pitched it to an event person for Animal Friends while attending their Mutt Strut. They totally went for it, and now it is in its fourth year, hooray!

I love love love seeing the waterpark being taken over by dogs- especially mine. Benj adores swimming in the pools, but even more, he loves tearing around the deck and checking out the whole scene.


Here's another of him getting in some serious lap time.


If you didn't make it to the Last Splash of Summer, be sure to check out their other animal events, gatherings, classes, etc., or drop them a donation so they can continue their compassionate no-kill mission.

In creepier news, the worms are less than a foot from the top of the Wigwam, I am so geeked! As soon as the feeding/casting pile gets to the top, I can give that special handle a crank and the good stuff will fall to the bottom for collection. Then I can I finally begin production on what will be the most wonderful organic soil conditioner items in the WORLD.

Until then, patience is key and it's more feeding and watering.

Here's to hoping you got your LAST SPLASH of the summer, too!