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How to get most out of worms.
These model serfs and their handiwork - called worm compost, vermicast or worm castings - are the simple centerpiece of TerraCycle's burgeoning eco-empire. And no, the castings don't smell. They look and feel like fluffy, rich soil.
TerraCycle buys castings from independent worm farmers, then turns them into "compost tea" in giant brewing tanks at the Trenton factory, which is just off Route 1. Then it's drained, strained, bottled and capped with recycled spray tops.
Organic gardeners have long known the TerraCycle secret. They count on earthworms to improve soil structure, drainage and fertility.
"You want to encourage earthworms in your garden, definitely," says Jackie Ricotta, associate horticulture professor at Delaware Valley College in Doylestown.
You can buy or make a worm bin for your home and fill it with the two species considered composting champs: red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) or red earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus). They love kitchen garbage - minus meat, dairy products and oils.
Ricotta has another, easier, suggestion. Boost your garden's earthworm population by avoiding pesticides and adding organic matter, such as regular compost from a pile or composter in your yard.
And don't overdo it with the Rototiller. You'll end up with worm bits.
Worms in the soil are different from the composting reds, but they do good work, too. "They act like their own tiller," Ricotta says, burrowing through the soil and creating air pockets that help aerate and hold water better.
For information on worm composting, contact your county's Rutgers University or Penn State Cooperative Extension Office or go to www.wormdigest.org/.
- Virginia A. Smith
