Tuesday, July 8, 2008

The Worms, After 2 Short Weeks

Jo Hunter Adams

I recently started an indoor composting bin, and wrote about it here.

The last push towards composting came when my sister-in-law assured me that it doesn't smell. "Just put your scraps in, and they'll turn it into compost in a week!" I thought, since she was with us and not with the worms (in Minnesota) they were probably low maintenance, also. Almost like having a really useful pet. If you don't have space for a hamster.

So I went to the baitshop and picked some up. The advantage was that whatever happened to my worms, it couldn't be worse than the fate that would befall the other bait shop worms. For the most part, I was right.

But I didn't realize how their little bodies could squeeze into really tiny spaces. Tiny spaces drilled by me. So I lost a few. Well, 9. or 10. I think they left because it got really hot and they were trying to find somewhere cooler.

So, my advice when pursuing a worm solution: make the holes small and try to keep your babies cool.

That said, despite a heatwave here in Boston the surviving worms seem to be working very hard (well, at the worm work of eating) and the scraps are clearly being processed. And my sister-in-law spoke the truth when she said there is no smell.