For many years, we have had a “worm bin”, a specially designed container to keep compost worms and feed them with kitchen scraps. This works pretty well, although the worms sometimes find it a bit too hot in summer. However, come winter, they often do not survive the cold. Last spring, we had to buy new worms. (In case you wonder: ‘red wigglers’ can be ordered on Amazon.) Last fall, we were determined to keep the worms alive. Someone would have to take them home and foster them durning the winter.
Barbara found the perfect place for our worms: Two classrooms at the Winston Preparatory School on 17th Street. The students picked worms up in late fall, put them into a bucket and kept them happy, warm and fed all winter. This was a good thing: even though last winter was very mild, only one worm survived in the garden’s worm bin.
A couple of weeks ago, it was time for the worms to come back. 9 students and their teacher came to put them into heir summer home. They added shredded newspaper, a little water and some of the favorite worm food: watermelon rind. Now it is our job again to keep them healthy and well fed. In return, the worms create valuable compost that we can use to feed our plants.
After checking out our compost bins and looking at worms with a microscope, the students went on a tour around the garden to see how everything looks in spring. We hope that they will come back in fall and take our worms to their winter quarters.
