Paddle at the Point

In the first of my not-necessarily-wormy topics, Paddle at the Point is June 5!

Did you ever pour over the Guinness Book of World Records to see which one you and your friends had the best chance of breaking, only to be let down when none of you could stand on one leg for 76 hours and 40 minutes?

If you live in Pittsburgh and have a canoe or kayak, you have the chance to redeem your childhood dream and get your name on the record roll call this Saturday at Point State Park, when the 'burgh tries to join over 1,200 canoes and kayaks in the world's longest flotilla.

Have a canoe or kayak? Click here to go to the Registration Page. It's f-r-double-e.

Just a landlubber who wants to get a look at what 1,200 canoes and kayaks will look like floating around the three rivers? Great views can be had from Point State Park, Station Square, or North Shore Riverfront Park.

Has anyone seen the weather for Saturday? Having just completed the Pittsburgh Half Marathon in an absolute monsoon, I have much higher hopes for the Paddle...

Also, it wouldn't hurt if the weather is above, say, 75 degrees and sunny, since myself and [insert lucky person's name here!] will be pulling this off in ocean kayaks, sitting majestically on top of the water and not-so-majestically in a little bit of the river (given the holes in the bottom).

The next time I blog, I will be a Guinness World Record holder!

Lilliworm or Lilliworld?

So my wormy blogs are getting fewer and farther between. It's not that the worms aren't alive and well- because they are- and it's not that they aren't producing loads of castings- because they are- it's just that now that I have the hang of this and they do just fine with little intervention from me, I'm kinda...well...bored!

I know, I know! I bred these little critters up from one small pound, worked tirelessly on a business plan and website, had a great logo designed, and planned an entire worm empire! I bought special bags and little worm tea bags and wrote brochures and postcards! I have a huge worm colony and work area in my basement! I know!

Maybe there is more to learn, but I think I know enough to know I'm kinda wormed out. My real job takes up so much time right now that worms are starting to seem like work, too.

So, Lilliworm is at a crossroad. My first idea was to change the blog name to Lilliworld so I can talk about other interesting organic-y and healthy topics, yet still include some wormy updates.

What to do, what to do?

Sharing the Worm Love!

This morning, I attended a small craft and garden show and distributed some free Lilliworm vermicompost to the guests and residents at Arrowwood.

Packaging the samples went quickly- I lined the small cotton bags with a wax paper bag and dumped about one and half cups of castings in each. I could fit about twenty bags into a medium size box, and I gave out about thirty-five to forty samples.

It was a great day, and I think I said the word "compost" about a million times! I hope everyone liked their samples and it makes their plants grow like weeds!

With my real job taking up so much of my time, I have been feeding the worms less often but with more per feeding. Whereas I used to feed them maybe once a week with one bowl, I have dropped back to maybe once every two weeks with two bowls and whatever else works that's going bad in the fridge.

I turned the crank on the bin a bunch more times and have a lot of vermicompost drying out in the bottom- which is good- 'tis the season for planting!

Wormsicles

Our area has been in a deep freeze, and we had a power outage here at worm central for 3 days. When we returned, the thermometer said 41 degrees- INSIDE THE HOUSE! So...how did the worms fare?

I went down for a feeding today fearing the worst- a bin full of wormsicles. I mean, if it was 41 degrees upstairs, it probably went below 40 downstairs.

I opened the bin and stuck in my gloved hand, and guess what?

WORMS!

Although they did seem a little sparser than usual, there were worms squirming around and they sure looked happy to see the funky scraps headed their way.

I have read different articles and sites saying that their environment should not go below 50 degrees. That might be true for the masses, but I have some serious SURVIVOR WORMS!

YAY to the hardy wormies for surviving snowmegeddon, snowpocolypse, blizzard extrordinaire of 2010!

The Bottom Dwellers

Remember the escapees from way back when? And the more recent migration?

I can no longer refer to those times as "the good old days" anymore:
I took that pic yesterday when I was clearing out some castings from the bottom of the wigwam.

That's right: the BOTTOM of the wigwam. Not INSIDE the wigwam, where I faithfully water and feed them, but in the BOTTOM.

WHAT IS GOING ON? I feel like Happy Gilmore when he gives his speech to the golf ball to go HOME, just GO HOME, GO TO YOUR HOME.

I carefully put the "bottom dwellers" back into the bin where they belonged. It will be a far merrier Christmas for this motley crew of worms now that they'll be back where food and family is..HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Worm Bin Under Arrest!

When I was growing up, my Mom would get real angry when people would leave up holiday decorations past their time. Because of this, I called her the holiday police.

The problem happens a lot between Halloween and Thanksgiving...you see all kinds of people with their jack-o-lanterns on their porches like, right up until the day before Thanksgiving. At least turn their faces around!

Another rush (or lack of it!) occurs after Christmas, when some aren't inclined to put away the lights until the Easter bunny hops up and snatches them down.

The holiday police would have a major arrest on the worm bin this week, as I noticed the Halloween pumpkins I put inside continue to sprout and grow no matter how deep I bury them and no matter how far past their season it is. Here's the recent sprout collection:
I just pull them out and rebury them so they rot and the worms can just eat them.

That's the only problem with unloading Halloween pumpkins into the Wigwam- the never-ending growing season with the seeds!

I haven't been using peat moss at the top of the bin lately, and I've noticed the bin is a lot drier. The peat moss must hold a significant amount of water and keep it at the top of the bin longer than just with scraps and castings.

Looks like I will be giving the wormies a healthy gift of peat moss this year for Christmas!

Where, Oh Where, Have My Little Worms Been?

They've been right inside their bin since I last left you on JULY 5th! Ugh! What a terrible blogger I've been and I haven't been winning any awards in the worm-farming department, either....but lucky for me, the worm wigwam doesn't require much.

So, despite my mild neglect, my worm herd is still flourishing and multiplying!

In recent worm news, I fed the bin a head of funky lettuce and a worm-bowl full of rotting fruit and cucumbers today. I keep a watering can nearby so I can also give them a little sprinkle once I've buried the scraps. I had to give up on the spray bottle a while back, as I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome from the number of spritzes required to keep the bin moist.

For those following the strawberry planter saga and plant/berry count, you won't want to read this next part. I ended up with ONE berry plant that grew to about an inch and a half and ZERO berries!

I finally dumped out the whole conglomeration and kept the snappy white planter for next year. Reuse and recycle!

Recommended seasonal sites to visit in honor of the autumn season:

What Tree Is It? Click through their basic photos, and they'll help you figure it out.

What's That Bug? With all the spiders and wooly-willies that fall brings, What's That Bug? makes it easy to identify any creepy-crawly. You can even submit your own pics for identification.

What To Do With Leaves? This Philadelphia Inquirer article has tons ideas with links about what to do with fall leaves, including drying and pressing, mulching, and even painting.

Pics promised for next time!