fertilizer – Living, Learning and Letting Go

Perspective means different ways of seeing things.

When some people see worms they get squeamish. They wouldn’t even think holding them and letting them run through their fingers.

The picture above is of the worms in my vermicomposting bin. I feed the worms and in turn they create fertilizer! I love watching the worms. I particularly enjoy it when the time comes to separate the worms from the fertilizer (the fertilizer goes to the garden and the worms go back into the vermicomposting bin) because I get to pick them up and feel them squiggle in my hand.

As I look at the vegetable plants that are growing in my garden now, I know the worms have played a significant role in making them so healthy. I feel immensely grateful that they are doing such an important service for me and for the earth.

Perspective can make such a difference.

Written for Eclectic Corner: Perspective (Written Piece)

I have been vermicomposting for several years now. That is a process where red wiggler worms eat ground up food waste and excrete castings that become an incredibly rich fertilizer for the garden.

I have a Worm Factory that is meant to be kept indoors. I keep mine in my kitchen except during late spring and summer. During those months, I put the Worm Factory outside, on my back deck.

Last week, I made a snack for myself- raw food balls created from dates, almonds, peanut butter and dried cranberries. Once the balls were formed, I rolled them in coconut flakes. I wondered if my worms would eat the extra coconut, so I put some in the bin. They loved it! The next day, I gave them the rest of the coconut, and then put some leaves and unusable squash from the garden into my food processor. Once those items were processed, I added them to the worm bin as well. I had happy worms!

I have been trying to take a good video so you can see what the bin and the worms are like. My efforts were hampered by the fact that when I uncover the bin the worms are moving quite fast, but when the bin floods with light they either freeze or burrow further down into the bin. Finally, I figured out how to do it. Enjoy! (Hint: You will see the most worms towards the end of the video.)