By Susan Ellis of Key Life Journeys

Recently at the seasonal pot luck dinner and AGM of the East York Garden Club there was the annual ritual of deciding which lucky person got the table centre. This year the selection was from pet owners. Those of us who kept worms in our basements were not considered pet owners. I remember when I bought my first half pound of Red Wigglers and brought then to their new home. The seller reassured me that the most difficult job I would have in their care was naming them all. I had not succeeded at the task so I guess I was not a pet owner. But I am sure I had earned every table centre in the room since, having been at vermiculture for a year, I certainly had the most of anything in my house.

I’m very fond of my Red Wigglers. Not as big as the garden worm variety but somewhat more mobile, sleek and colorful. Each one of them is blessed with five hearts, but no teeth, ears or eyes. They are however sensitive to light and burrow deeper when its feeding time. They never complain, they don’t ask to be let out in the middle of the night and they don’t get angry when I don’t change their littler for months at a time. All I do is feed them and occasionally shred some more newspaper to add to their living environment.

I’m thrilled to say that even when I did not read all the instructions about their care and habitat, they still reproduced and ate all my vegetable leftovers. Along with the fruits and veggies, they had coffee grounds and filters, opened teabags, chopped up garden plants, leaves and crushed egg shells.

A year later I realize I had neglected to give them a full varied diet. In year two I am adding pasta rice and bread. I could also add cardboard egg cartons and coffee trays; if I had any I could give them my beard clippings. To speed up the decomposing process I cut up everything into small pieces. I also wash bananas, oranges and melons before cutting into them to stop the proliferation of fruit flies.

Recently it was time to harvest - the separation of worms from their castings. The "poo" is much treasured plant fertilizer. A year ago I started with half a pound of woems. I think I could go into business myself since my family of hermaphrodites has enlarged greatly. Harvesting is a tedious task to do manually so this year I invested in some real estate. I bought a three story worm chalet. The Red Wigglers are all currently on the ground floor. But when I think it is time for them to move out of their current bedding I set the new bedding and the food in the floor above and I have been promised they will move up and voluntarily vacate the ground floor. I will keep you informed.

A year of verminculture and so little of my food waste has gone out to the composting station. Well that’s where I am told it goes; I still believe much of it goes to the tip. All that is in my green bin these days are animal/fish scraps, oils and dairy products and the veggies skins which have coated in wax. Each of my family eats half its weight in waste vegetable matter and newspaper ever day. Bless their many hearts.

To learn more about vermiculture, worm sex and starting your family, visit this informative website.  I bought my worms from Cathy.