My baskets look like this...
Because my hands look like this.
It seems that online everyone, including myself, posts the pretty side of homesteading.
Baskets of bountiful harvests, well behaved chickens and gorgeous freshly laid eggs!
However, the truth is it’s pretty dirty work. You don’t get to see me chasing the chickens into the coop, always slipping on mud, picking splinters off my hands and grass out of my hair.
Cleaning the coop is dirty work. We won’t get into that, not today lol.
If you don’t like bugs this is not the life for you! There’s creepy crawlies that I’m glad my chickens like to keep under control such as these horrible grubs they find delectable!
But there are bugs such as spiders who keep the mosquitoes under control and my worms I “farm” in compost bins for their wonderful nutrient rich soil they make for us!
It’s easy to start your own worm compost farm! If you’re limited in space a plastic storage bin will do! Drill drainage holes all around it for proper oxygenation and drainage. Place a layer of non/weed or seeded yard waste. I like to use the leaves I take up then some new soil. To this I add red wrigglers (worms) I order off of Amazon. Another layer of vegetable and fruit scraps and a layer of shredded newspaper and/or cardboard to top it off. Mist this well and once a month gently toss the contents over with your shovel. Save all your organic kitchen scraps (no meats/dairy or oily foods) and in no time you’ll have gorgeously rich soil!
We like to use this black gold in our planting beds to amend the soil we already have. It truly makes a difference in your harvests and you’ll be amazed how quickly your worms reproduce! They fertilize and aerate your soil like nothing else can!
It’s dirty work but I promise you it’s so worth it!
May your home be filled with warmth, your pantry full and may you always have good health!
Xo,
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The Not So Pretty Side Of Homesteading~ Worm Farming
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