I love finding worms in my garden. They compost the soil so well and plenty of worms means that my soil is rich in nutrients; a fact that my flowers and vegetables will also love. It's a great family project to take it a step farther and create your own vermiculture or worm composting bin.
It is easy and fun to start your own worm farm - and it's worth the effort. Those wriggly little critters can break down kitchen waste and turn it into rich soil that your flowers and vegetables will reap the benefits from.
You can make your own worm composting bin, or there are bins commercially available for purchase.
Either way, getting started is easy and only requires a little dirt, some shredded newspapers (no colored ink, please), some cardboard and some worms.
For some excellent instructions to make your own worm composting bins, check here - this is a great project to involve the kids with.
Worms can be purchased at local bait stores, or you can simply harvest them from your own yard.
Since worms love cardboard, lay a sheet of cardboard out in your yard then wet it. In a few days, pull up the cardboard and you should find plenty of the slick little critters to add to your bins. Use a small gardening trowel to dig them up and a bucket to dump them in.
After you've set up your worm composting bins, and you've put your worms into their new home, you can use them to turn your kitchen waste back into a usable product: Worm castings.
Worm castings are the rich soil the worms leave behind after they've consumed and broken down paper, cardboard, leaves, or scraps. Worm castings are actually worm poop - but since worms poop dirt, there's no need to be squeamish.
Setting up a worm composting bin is a great way reduce the amount of garbage waste a family puts out. The type of kitchen scraps that can be added to a worm composting bin are breads and grains, cereal, coffee grounds and filters, fruits, tea bags (without staples), and vegetables.
If you like fishing, worm farming can also provide free bait worms and saves digging up holes in your yard.
Sources: Personal experience wormcompostingtips.com
By Tammy Lee Morris - Tammy Lee Morris is a lifelong resident of southern Illinois where she enjoys a quiet life in a rural area. After working for a local newspaper while studying journalism at a local community college, she dev...
Can you put worms in an ordinary compost bin or do you need a worm bin?
help me please! science help?
13.
Illegal hunting and fishing practices are still occurring globally. (1 point)
True
False
14.
Some poor countries sell off their natural resources or accept toxic waste from other countries in order to improve their economy. (1 point)
True
False
15.
Countries sign laws and treaties to protect different species. There is enough funding to supply the enforcement needed. (1 point)
True
False
16.
Countries which use the most natural resources have always been willing to participate in global communications to resolve many environmental problems. (1 point)
True
False
17.
The first Earth Day took place on April 22, 1970. At the time, it was the best attended protest of its kind. (1 point)
True
False
18.
The Environmental Defense Fund, The Friends of the Earth, and The Natural Defense Council, are all divisions of The Environmental Protection Agency.
(1 point)
True
False
19.
After the first Earth Day, two more environmental groups were established; Greenpeace in 1970 and the Sierra Club in 1971. These two groups went on to be the most popular and outspoken of the environmental awareness groups. (1 point)
True
False
20.
The Environmental Protection Agency is in charge of all of the following except:
(1 point)
1970 The Clean Air Act (CAA) Required the reduction of pollutants being released into the air.
1972 The Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) - Regulated dumping of hazardous contaminants into water ways, lakes and oceans.
1971 The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act - which provided monitoring, management and protection for the animals.
1973 Endangered Species Act (ESA) Established protection regulations for species that are headed for extinction.
21.
The EPA is also in charge overseeing all of the following environmental acts except: (1 point)
1977 The Clean Water Act (CWA) Established clean drinking water standards, and enforced regulations on factory discharge water.
1980 The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) This Act listed the hazardous substances that could cause danger to the environment and enforced cleanup of sites contaminated by those substances.
1990 The Pollution Prevention Act Established a national goal of eliminating pollution and finding ways to reduce toxins, recycle resources, and increase public awareness of all EPA issues.
1970 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was established to be in charge of highway design, construction, and maintenance, as well as automotive safety.
22.
All the plumbing fixtures and toilets should be low flow, which reduces the amount of water needed while still maintaining the pressure. (1 point)
True
False
23.
American consumers have the lowest amount of waste per person in the world. (1 point)
True
False
24.
Some examples of biodegradable materials are diapers made of cellulose and plastic bags made from cornstarch. (1 point)
True
False
25.
One of the least difficult wastes to deal with is nuclear waste. (1 point)
True
False
26.
It is estimated that over 80% of all products are thrown away after six weeks of use. (1 point)
True
False
27.
The waste material that comes from discarded computer technology items, peripherals, and electronic information devices, such as computers, printers, software devices, and monitors is known as: (1 point)
pre-consumer waste
post-consumer waste
E-waste
rucksack
28.
______ is waste that is left after the consumer buys the product. It is usually the packaging the product came in, a byproduct of the original product, or the product itself. (1 point)
Pre-consumer waste
Post-consumer waste
E-waste
Rucksack
29.
_____ is the waste that is created in the process of making products.
(1 point)
pre-consumer waste
post-consumer waste
e-waste
rucksack
30.
Compost is a rich soil amendment of organic matter that is made from decomposed plant parts collected from kitchen or yard waste. (1 point)
True
False
