Workshop Participants

Lunch by Abundance Foundation Office

Ben describes a worm life c

Ben conducted the Vermicompost-Build a Worm Bin workshop on Saturday sponsored by the Abundance Foundation. A dozen folks registered and participated.  The weather was beautiful and we were able to be outside for hands-on activities.  Ben explained  the worm farming processes we use at Carolina Worm Castings and then we were able to actually do them by screening and separating the worms, the castings and the cocoons. We ate lunch together in the sunshine outside the office of the Abundance Foundation.  Following lunch, we set to work assembling the worm bins. Everybody left with their completed worm bin and half pound of happy worms!

Happy vermicomposting to all who participated!

?? WANT TO BUY WORMS, WORM CASTINGS OR A VERMICOMPOST BLEND ??

SEND US AN EMAIL TO info@carolinawormcastings.com OF WHAT YOU WANT & WE WILL CONTACT YOU ABOUT DELIVERY ARRANGEMENTS

! CHECK HERE TO KEEP UPDATED WHERE YOU CAN FIND & PURCHASE OUR PRODUCTS !

WHOLE FOODS  (CARY STORE):  Located at 102B New Waverly Place, Cary. Offers our products in store.  Worms take a couple days notice for us to have them there for you fresh and happy!  Phone: (919) 816-8830.   We are at Whole Foods many Saturdays from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm.  We take orders for worms, 10 gallon bags of vermicompost and larger for bulk casting orders for delivery the following Saturday.   Check with us for dates we will be at Whole Foods in Cary’s Waverly Place store.

FAIRVIEW GREENHOUSES AND GARDEN CENTER: Located at 8224 Holly Springs Road, Raleigh.  Fairview offers our vermicompost blend and worm castings.  Look for Ben when he visits with an active worm bin and is there to answer all your vermicomposting & worm inquiries personally!  Phone: (919) 851-6821.

PITTSBORO PIEDMONT BIOFUEL PLANT: Visit our worm operation and pick up what you need directly from us.  Please call (255-8527 or 928-6497) or email (info@carolinawormcastings.com) ahead of time to ensure our availability.



The soil in your garden soil is the most important piece of a successful garden, but sometimes  people forget to nurture and feed that soil.  Some people forget that soil is a living thing, containing insect life, microbes and fungi.  These insects, microbes and fungi are necessary to plant health.  A little soil “TLC”  pays off each and every harvest.

You may wish to think about your soils pH, or the acidity or alkalinity.  Adding  organic materials can lower the pH, or make it more acidic. If your soil is already high in acid and you would like to neutralize it, you might add lime or wood ashes to your soil.
Also, in the Winter you will want to feed your garden soil fungi.  Many stores that specialize in products for organic gardening and sustainable agriculture will sell “micorrhizal spores”,  a fungus that helps the soil release nutrients.  Micorrhiza needs to be fed in order to reproduce and survive the winter. Use a hose-end sprayer, and fill it halfway with molasses. If you can, use the sulphured kind of molasses.  Fill the rest of the sprayer up with flat beer and then spray this solution over your garden area. The sugar in the molasses will feed the existing fungi and beneficial bacteria in the soil.  The yeasts and enzymes in the beer will add more; so you will make your garden soil come alive!

Ben Reckendorf of Carolina Worm Castings will dig into the basics of backyard composting, including bins, tools, and accessories; sift through the process of turning kitchen scraps into plant fertilizer and cultivate the production of compost tea. You will learn from an expert while experiencing the process first hand.

You go home ready to start composting with a half pound of worms and their bin.

Please bring a paper bag full of newspaper for worm bedding (no glossy ads, please) to the workshop.

This compost is what would make a yummy smoothie for your WORMS!!!

Worms like smoothies just like we do.  If you take time to process your veggie & fruit scraps in a blender or food processor, your worms will be able to eat more food faster.

Why is everybody excited about worm poop?!  Because research shows us that compared to just the plain soil itself, worm poop (‘castings’)  are higher in bacteria and organic matter, nitrate, nitrogen, exchangeable calcium and magnesium, available phosphorus and potassium.  To put it simply: Worm castings are a sterile, odorless way to  enrich and condition your soil.  Worm castings are an organic and natural way to provide your plants with the nutrients they need.    Research has shown that worm castings work very, very well in promoting lush plant growth, but to this day, they still are not exactly sure why the castings work as well as they do.   It just goes to show us that…… Mother Nature does know what’s best!

Wormy Facts

1.  These are the four types of worms that you may run into in your garden soil:

• Nightcrawlers:   They grow to be about 8 to 10 inches long and they are a favorite bait for fisherman.

• Garden Worms:  They grow to be about 5 to 7 inches long and are found in damp soils.

• Manure Worms:  These are approximately 4 to 5 inches long and are commonly found in manure rich soils.

• Red Worms: These worms grow to 3 to 4 inches long and are also the most readily available  on the commercial market

2.   Earthworms are in almost every type of soil.  The healthier the soil is,  the greater the number of worms in that soil.   Healthy soil allows for much air and moisture, both of which are needed by the earthworm for its existence.  Earthworms do not have lungs like humans but breathe through their skin instead.  Their whole skin absorbs oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. They need moisture to assist them in their breathing but too much moisture is not good for them.

3.   A garden without earthworms would miss out on all of the great benefits worms bring to your soil.  Their first job is to till your garden’s soil by tunneling through it. These tunnels  allow air and moisture to pass  through your soil easily, creating a healthy environment for your garden plants. The tunnels retain water your plants can take up and the tunnels also hold air to help break down organic matter and bacteria within your soil.  After digestion earthworms produce excrement called “castings” or “vermicompost” and is a most excellent soil amendment.   It improves properties of your soil such as porosity and moisture retention and it aids in plant growth as well.

4.  Various species of worms are used in vermiculture, the practice of feeding organic waste to earthworms to decompose and compost food waste. These are usually Eisenia fetida (or its close relative Eisenia andrei) or the Brandling worm, also known as the Tiger worm or Red Wiggler, and are distinct from soil-dwelling earthworms.