LET WORMS EAT YOUR GARBAGE

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VERMIGOLD

Vermicompost is a rich mixture of humus, wormcasts, and decomposing matter, so use it selectively and sparingly! Sprinkle it into seed rows, or throw a double handful into the hole in which you're transplanting cole crops or tomatoes. Later in the season, top-dress the soil around the base of the mature plants to give them an added shot of nutrients prior to harvest. Don't worry if worms or their egg capsules are present in the compost. While the creatures live, they'll aerate the soil, produce castings, add nitrogen from their mucus, and do all those other good things that worms do for soil. Just don't expect them to thrive in your garden: Red worms aren't normally soil-dwelling creatures, and they require great quantities of organic matter to live.

Wormcasts are much more homogeneous, highly processed, and packed with nutrients than vermicompost. In fact, by itself, this manure might contain high enough concentrations of salts to inhibit plant growth. The solution is simply to use castings sparingly or to dilute them with other potting materials such as peat moss, sand, garden soil, vermiculite, or perlite. Different plants will respond differently, but a mixture of 1/3 wormcasts, 1/3 perlite, and 1/3 woody peat is good for African violets. The addition of a 1/4" layer of wormcasts alone to the surface of your houseplants' soil should also produce positive results in a fairly short time.

VERMI-VIRTUES

A home vermicomposting system saves resources and reduces your waste-disposal costs. With worms handling the organic materials, other refuse such as cans and bottles stay cleaner and become much easier to recycle. Offensive odors are minimized . . . nutritional values are utilized . . . and the end product of the system is a valuable soil amendment and fertilizer, plus-if you choose - bait for fishing.

The worm may be a lowly creature, but there's no doubt that it's high on the list of useful ones!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Readers who'd like more information on this subject will find additional material in Ms. Appelhof's book, Worms Eat My Garbage, available from Flower Press, Dept. TMEN, 10332 Shaver Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan 49002, for $6.95 postpaid (Michigan residents add 24e sales tax).

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