This summer we have about twenty Workforce Connections Youth working at the farm. Our group of boys is split into five teams with each team spearheading a different project.
Let's dig in with Alix's group to see what kind of work they are doing at the farm. Tory, Alix, Matthew & LaQuan (pictured below) are all working on a vermicompost. If you're like me, then maybe you'd like to know what vermicompost is.
As LaQuan explained it, "Vermicomposting is a form of composting in which red wiggler worms speed up the process of composting by tunneling or eating through the compost and leaving castings that enrich the compost. They ultimately form a soil so rich that it can be used as a sort of natural fertilizer."
Why use this method? According to the boys, vermicomposting is a cheaper organic way of fertilizing the farm. Also, the red wiggler worms quickly reproduce and work fast. The castings that they leave behind contain phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium. Tory pointed out how this can add more diversity the soil that can be used around the farm.
Alix, the supervisor of this team told me that the red wigglers will actually migrate up through the compost as the feed. This is another reason why the red wigglers are unique and beneficial. Most worms will burrow deeper, while these will follow the incoming compost, as it is piled on top.
Want to make your own vermicompost? Here's a few links that might help:
"How to" booklet on composting with worms, from New Mexico State University.
Start worm composting: How to raise worms for compost
Vermicomposting: Composting with Worms, University of Nebraska Lincoln
"Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig."
- Marcus Aurelius
