Worms. I think you either love them or detest the wiggly little guys. I fall into the former category. I love worms, always have.  Every time I unearth one of these whimsical little creatures in my garden I have to take a moment to enjoy their squiggly little bodies and thank them for keeping my soil healthy. So, I was thrilled when I was given a chance during our Master Gardener Training to learn about vermicomposting – composting with the aid of our little wormy buddies. During that class I learned about the red wiggler and its amazing ability to create a rich, nutrient filled compost.

Red Wigglers (Eisenia foetida) are different than the earthworms (Lumbricus terrestris) I find in my garden.  Instead of processing things found in soil, such as decaying roots and leaves, or eating living organisms such as nematodes, protozoans, rotifers, bacteria, fungi, the Red Wiggler prefers our kitchen scraps.  Since these little red guys (getting no larger than 5 inches in the proper environment) can eat up to three times their weight each week in such things as veggie and fruit waste, cardboard, and shredded paper, bread, and pasta (in moderation) and even coffee grounds, they are able to create compost in about 6 weeks.

How do they do it?  By digesting all of the yummy (to a worm) waste and then excreting it as “castings” – more commonly known as worm poop. The process starts as the worm takes in the food by mouth, technically called their buccal cavity. It then travels through the worm's pharynx, esophagus, crop, gizzard, intestine, and lastly, their anus and out into their habitat where we humans can collect it.

These castings are full of the nutrients iron, sulfur, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (NPK rating: 5.5.3). They are water-soluble, allowing your plants to easily absorb these nutrients with little chance of “burning” that can often happen with chemical fertilizers. This poop also contains good bacteria from the worm's digestive system along with fungi, enzymes, protozoa, and actinomycetes. All of this combines to create a wonderful humus that your plants will love.

But one little worm doesn't do this alone. You need an entire colony of them! Good thing Red Wigglers are prolific breeders. Did you know that worms are hermaphroditic, meaning they have both male and female organs?  They join with another worm in a three-hour mating session (phew) and when complete they create a small cocoon. They can create 2 to 3 cocoons per week. These cocoons darken and harden over the next 20 days. Then the little hatchlings inside the cocoon – anywhere from 1 to 5 of them per cocoon- grow for the next three months. Once hatched these wiggly babies will mature in 9 weeks, able to reproduce again at that point.

In order to have the best success at both the reproduction process and the production of worm castings, the Red Wiggler needs a cozy habitat to do its thing. A simple rubber tote will work as an ideal environment, or you can purchase specialized stacking trays from the Internet. If you create your own you will need to provide your worms with proper ventilation, a moist – but not too wet – bedding source (such as shredded newspaper) and food. Keep their habitat in a temperature regulated space, moist, and with an adequate supply of tasty scraps and an initial colony of worms will increase to perhaps double in 3 months and quadruple in 6 months.

Harvesting your castings is simple. When the bedding has darkened, looking more like soil than the newspaper or other material used, it is time to harvest.  To do so, add new moist bedding material and kitchen scraps to the opposite side of the habitat and stop adding food to the side with all of the castings.  The worms will migrate to the side with the food on it – usually in a few days. You can then harvest your castings. When the new area fills ups, repeat the process and you will have a steady supply of new compost for your plants.

Red Wigglers are a squirmy, wiggly, wonderful, and fun way to compost your kitchen waste. Please attend our free, online Vermicomposting class taught by myself and Dennis Lee on February 23^rd from 6:00-7:30 p.m. Register at http://ucanr.edu/vermicompost/2021 

Photos by Terry Pellegrini.

Sources

About Worm Castings - https://ucanr.edu/sites/mgfresno/files/262372.pdf
Red Wiggler – http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/2010/yard_jose/
California Master Gardener Handbook, Second Edition, Page(s) 56-57

           

 

 

           

           

It's a cold winter's day here in the Central Valley. But instead of curling up in a cozy chair with a cup of tea, I'm out in my garden, planning and prepping for my spring planting. For me, this is the fun part, walking the gardens, looking at the raised beds, empty pots, and bare earth. I imagine what I'll place where, and jot down what needs to be done to prepare these spaces. Then it's inside to peruse the seed catalogs and online sites, make notes, and dream about the coming spring.

Planning your garden now, I feel, will save you headaches and money, come spring. By taking the time to understand how much space you have (or don't have), whether or not you wish to plant directly in ground or containers, or a combination thereof, and what types of plants grow best in your area, you'll only purchase what you need. In addition, you can decide whether or not you wish to devote the time to starting your seeds indoors or in a greenhouse, plant the seeds directly in the garden beds, or if transplants are the way you wish to go.

Some other things you'll need to take into consideration when planning your spring garden is how much sun you have in each of the proposed planting areas. If uncertain, take a look at the surroundings now. While you'll not be able to gage precisely how much sun they'll have come spring and summer, you can take note of things that could possibly shade them or hinder the sun from reaching them. Are there a lot of trees in the area that will shade them once their leaves have returned? Will that patio cover keep the sun from reaching them? Perhaps the arbor next to the west bed will be covered in greenery when the Wisteria blooms, blocking out the sun. If you are contemplating shade plants, are there locations that may be too sunny for them? Taking the time to scope out the positioning for your new plants will give them the best chance to grow and thrive.

If you are thinking of planting spring veggies, take under consideration what you and your family will actually eat. If the kids detest string beans, then planting a huge area full of them is probably not a good use of the space, your time, or money.  However, if zucchini is something you eat frequently, then two mounds may serve you better than one.

Winter is the best time to prepare your planting areas for your spring garden. Whether you are planting flowers, or veggies, in raised beds, containers, or in ground, getting your soil ready now is key. The time you spend this winter prepping and amending means that you'll be able to plant immediately once the threat of frost has passed (usually around mid-March here.) In addition, placing amendments, such as steer or chicken manures, in your garden now will give them a chance to “mellow” and break down, so that the soil is ready for transplants and/or seeds.

Now is also a good time to get control of any weeds in your proposed planting areas. Removing any weeds now, before the weather gets warmer and they decide to seed, means less work for you come spring and summer. I like to get down, move the soil with a trowel, and pull out any stray roots or seeds that I see. You may even find grubs and larvae of Hoplia beetles that you can remove, saving your precious roses and flowers this spring.

Many of us reuse our favorite pots and containers year after year. As such, these pots will need some TLC and prep as well. All the old soil will need to be removed and the pot cleaned with a solution of one-part bleach to nine parts water. Submerge in solution and soak for at least 10 minutes. This sterilizes them, removing any insects or diseases from the previous plant in the pot. 

Planning and prepping your garden now for your spring planting will give you that head start to a successful, satisfying, and fun gardening adventure. So, get out your seed catalogs, notebook, and take a walk in your yard or garden space, and imagine all the possibilities. Happy Gardening!

With the Fall upon us the leaves have are turning colors and have begun to drop. Soon we will be raking, trimming trees and bushes to prepare for the winter. But what to do with all those leaves, twigs, and garden waste. Why not compost it!

Composting is a fabulous way to turn your garden waste into garden gold. By taking your dry waste and combining it with your green waste, you can transform it into a rich, usable material to enhance your soil. You can also use it as a mulch around plant beds to reduce weeds and fill your containers and pots without the cost of store-bought soils.

Not only is composting good for your garden, but it is also good for the environment. By composting your garden (and some kitchen) wastes you are conserving precious landfill space, reducing the need for commercial soil conditioners and fertilizers, as well as adding beneficial microbes and nutrients back into the soil. Compost, either added to the soil or used as a mulch, saves on water usage as well.

One of the first statements I hear when I talk about composting is that “It's too difficult.” or “Composting takes too much time.” On the contrary, composting is rather easy and takes little time. As long as you don't try to make a huge pile – keep it to about a 3' to 4' square pile or in a small commercial or hand-made bin – your pile will then be easy to manage. Chop your materials into ½ inch to 1 ½ inch pieces (think of the great exercise you'll get chopping those twigs and branches) before you add them to your bin or pile.  Mix together 50% “brown” material – those twigs, branches, and dried leaves – and 50% “green” material – grass clippings, wilted flowers, fruit, and veggie waste – and you've got your compost started!

Turn your compost every day or two (for rapid composting), or once per week. Check to make sure it isn't too wet or too dry (it should feel about as moist as a wrung out sponge) and protect it from the weather (a tarp or covering to keep out intense heat or rain) and in no time you'll have rich, usable compost.

Composting is a science but still, things can go wrong. The number one complaint I've heard from friends is, “My compost always turns out stinky and I give up.” Stinky compost is a sign of an imbalance in your pile.  A healthy compost pile should smell earthy and not look wet and slimy. Trust me, stinky compost is a real turn-off. I should know – it's happened to me on occasion. Checking your moisture levels, adding in additional brown materials if needed, and making sure to turn your pile will help with this issue.

Don't let composting scare you. It can be a fun and rewarding way to give back to the environment, save money and water, and enhance your landscape. With a little bit of work, a pile of waste becomes the garden gold we all desire. Still have questions about composting? 

Sign up for our Composting Basics class!

When: November 24, 2020 6-7:30 p.m. PST.
Where: on Zoom.
How: http://ucanr.edu/compost/2020 sign up by Nov 24 at 4 p.m. to receive a link sent the morning of the class.
Instructors: Master Gardeners Terry Pellegrini and Heidi Aufdermaur.

And remember, all classes are recorded so you can always watch it again later.

Hope to see you there!

Planning to get your fall garden started? If you missed our live presentation of the Fall Vegetable Gardening class, you can now watch it on our YouTube Channel!

Fall Vegetable Gardening was recorded on August 25, 2020. Our speakers' included two very talented Stanislaus County Master Gardeners, Terry Pellegrini and Rho Yare. The class offered best practices for vegetable gardening in fall, and some tips from our local Stanislaus County Free Library library about the vegetable gardening books that are available.

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