Compost should be simple, do it with worms!!!
When I started composting with worms in my own backyard in 1998, I hardly knew what they were capable of. I bought into the common belief that the red worm was a “fragile” creature, almost “ill-suited” for an outdoor life. What?! Yes, that was certainly the belief of most, especially where winters are cold. Here I am 23 years later having been well-schooled by the red worms that they are indeed very stout and hardy creatures, fully capable of thriving outdoors year-round in places with cold winters and hot summers. The micro-climate within a compost pile can be a very different place than the surrounding air. Make a pile an adequate volume and the worms will thrive with a minimum of care. And, dare I say, keeping worms in an outdoor bin or pile or trench, is far easier and more productive than a small indoor bin will ever be, and without the annoying fly and gnat outbreaks!
I first became serious about organic farming and gardening in the mid-eighties. I enrolled in the Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture at UC Santa Cruz where Red worms were at work, and though only in a very limited way, I was hooked. Once the apprenticeship ended, I spent A few years at UC Davis gathering a B.S. in agriculture and a great deal more experience making compost and dabbling in vermi-composting at the Student Experimental Farm. A few years later in 1997, in a very round-about way, I ended up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In addition to raising two children, I began making compost on a commercial scale and raising red worms to sell at the local farmers market. I eventually took a job managing a bulk landscape materials yard where I developed a composting facility, recycling yard and food wastes for the city and county of Santa Fe. I continue to manage the bulk materials yard and composting program, but I now have the space to expand worm production which allows me to reach out to broader markets. Hence, this website.
I still sell worms at the local Saturday farmer’s market, which is equal parts compost education and sales. Gardeners are intrigued, but have a lot of questions to resolve before taking the leap into worm-ownership. Over the years, I have talked to thousands of people about using red worms in the compost and garden. over this time, I’ve had to learn the answers to thousands of questions about such things as winter survival, sorting the worms from the castings, keeping bears away, using the worms in a tumbler and in garden beds, and so many more. Though this provides a small income, the actual reward comes from the fact that nearly everyone who begins composting is appreciative of, not only my help, but most importantly, the unmistakable benefits to the garden and environment broadly, the joy of gardening and the satisfaction that results from having less waste.
Sam McCarthy – Owner
Do It With Worms!