By Dorothy Volker, UC Master Gardener of Nevada County
From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2007
So, when the kids are helping you cook or clean up after dinner, (they do help with that, don't they?) has anyone ever thought about where "away" is when you throw food scraps away? Well, when you think about it, you realize that the truth is, there is no "away"! When all those vegetable peelings and leftovers are tossed into the trash, it just goes somewhere else…out of your sight, but it's not really gone. You know that finding places to get rid of garbage
is a big problem for our local trash collection agencies. But, there is a small thing that families can do to help with this problem.
Most of your kitchen scraps can go into a worm bin where worms will be happy to eat what you didn't. A worm bin can be just a big plastic bin…the sort that you used to store stuff in your garage. And, the resulting worm castings are useful as soil amendments in your potted plants.
All you will need is a bin, some damp newspaper strips, worms and some of that leftover food. You will need a place out of extreme heat and cold. Some families put their worm bins under the kitchen sink, others in a garage. Don't worry about worms escaping…they are quite shy and usually prefer to stay in their homes where their food is.
You can pick up all the information you will need to get started with your worm bin by attending one of our very popular composting classes or come into our offices in Grass Valley or Auburn between 9 and noon on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and talk to a Master Gardener.
Then, you will be helping our environment, our garbage companies and your kids will be tending to lots of new wiggly pets! And, now there really is an "away" for some of your kitchen garbage!