The full moon of March is called the “Worm Moon” arriving on the 18th of this month. Setting into mysterious motion “The rise of the earthworm”.

Life on earth, as we know it, could not exist without earthworms. Worm beds provide an invaluable source of rich compost. And, around here, these little critters work their wiggle through mountains of discarded produce and spent shiitake logs turning the combination into black gold. Essentially our composting is just a much bigger version of what any homeowner can do. If you check out the links, it will save me a whole lot of time explaining what others have already discovered, in great detail, and I can do other things like farming. 

Now, with that said, here on the farm we use what is available. This essentially consists of discarded vegetable waste, along with spent shiitake logs. Years ago, we started with red wigglers purchased from Uncle Jim’s; about a 5# sack if I remember right. We began in late March — being it is the “Worm Moon” month. Our first bed started with a wheel barrow or 2 or 3 of loamy shiitake log compost as a base about 6 inches deep. We added the 5# sack of worms, and then top dressed it with discarded vegetables. We laid cardboard over the top of the finished bed to shade heat from the sun and to help shed heavy downpours of rain. Mainly, an initial stress reducer from the heat of the sun, and Red Wigglers are terrible swimmers. FYI: Worms will die if they cannot escape temperature around 95 degree Fahrenheit, and they will drown if things become water logged. So good drainage is key and north facing slopes are good. If you take a look at our pics you’ll notice we use the natural lay of the land — such as an earth bank facing north. It helps in allowing the worms to move freely from the food source back to drier more comfortable humus conditions. When enough worm compost has accumulated, we just move the food source farther down the line and the worms follow — leaving behind the black gold. There is no telling how many worms are working their mojo on the farm now. There has got to be more than a zillion, and our plants really dig their poop. Cheers to the Worm Moon!

Eat a Peach.

Steve