Worm Bin Under Arrest!

When I was growing up, my Mom would get real angry when people would leave up holiday decorations past their time. Because of this, I called her the holiday police.

The problem happens a lot between Halloween and Thanksgiving...you see all kinds of people with their jack-o-lanterns on their porches like, right up until the day before Thanksgiving. At least turn their faces around! Another rush (or lack of it!) occurs after Christmas, when some aren't inclined to put away the lights until the Easter bunny hops up and snatches them down.

The holiday police would have a major arrest on the worm bin this week, as I noticed the Halloween pumpkins I put inside continue to sprout and grow no matter how deep I bury them and no matter how far past their season it is. Here's the recent sprout collection:
I just pull them out and rebury them so they rot and the worms can just eat them. That's the only problem with unloading Halloween pumpkins into the Wigwam- the never-ending growing season with the seeds!

I haven't been using peat moss at the top of the bin lately, and I've noticed the bin is a lot drier. The peat moss must hold a significant amount of water and keep it at the top of the bin longer than just with scraps and castings. Looks like I will be giving the wormies a healthy gift of peat moss this year for Christmas!

Where, Oh Where, Have My Little Worms Been?

They've been right inside their bin since I last left you on JULY 5th! Ugh! What a terrible blogger I've been and I haven't been winning any awards in the worm-farming department, either....but lucky for me, the worm wigwam doesn't require much. So, despite my mild neglect, my worm herd is still flourishing and multiplying!

In recent worm news, I fed the bin a head of funky lettuce and a worm-bowl full of rotting fruit and cucumbers today. I keep a watering can nearby so I can also give them a little sprinkle once I've buried the scraps. I had to give up on the spray bottle a while back, as I was getting carpal tunnel syndrome from the number of spritzes required to keep the bin moist.

For those following the strawberry planter saga and plant/berry count, you won't want to read this next part. I ended up with ONE berry plant that grew to about an inch and a half and ZERO berries! I finally dumped out the whole conglomeration and kept the snappy white planter for next year. Reuse and recycle!

Recommended seasonal sites to visit in honor of the autumn season:

What Tree Is It? Click through their basic photos, and they'll help you figure it out.

What's That Bug? With all the spiders and wooly-willies that fall brings, What's That Bug? makes it easy to identify any creepy-crawly. You can even submit your own pics for identification.

What To Do With Leaves? This Philadelphia Inquirer article has tons ideas with links about what to do with fall leaves, including drying and pressing, mulching, and even painting.

Pics promised for next time!

Do Fireworks Scare the Worms?

Who knows? I thought of that watching the AMAZING 1 1/2 hour display our neighborhood puts on every year. We have a big open field in the middle of our plan and the families GO TO TOWN competing for the title of who sets off the best fireworks.

Terrible news. Don't blame the worms or their poo.

Current berry plant count: 3- CASUALTY!
Total berries harvested: 0

Joining the recent ranks of Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcet, and Steve McNair, one of my teeny tiny berry plants has died. It was not an overdose, cancer, or gunshot wound to the stem. I believe this small plant was a victim of an infrequent waterer (AKA, me).

There is no reason to post a photo, because the plants are the same dang size. And I just watered them, so no worries.

In other news, I bought new kayaks and took them on the Yough today. These are not your wild-water-rapid, flipping-over-and-around, wearing-a-helmet-to-ride type of kayaks. They are more the paddle-up, place-a-frosty-beverage-in-cup-holder, coast-down, jump-out, frolic-around, get-back-in, take-your-small-dog-with-you kind of kayaks.

In worm news, I finished screening. At this rate, I should actually have some worm tea bags for watering cans around 2011. JUST KIDDING! I really did finish screening and hope to have some worm tea bags ready SOON. I am just not ready to commit to exactly WHEN!

Slow Progress

Current berry plant count: 4
Total berries harvested: 0
CLOSE UP of my best berry plant so far!

Berry growing, like worms, requires patience.

I have to feed the worms tonight and the bin is almost ready for another cranking. Unfortunately, as I have been moving slower than a worm's pace, I am barely done screening and doing something constructive with the first batch.

In direct contrast, my new job is going great. People gamble a ridiculous amount of money, and I get to work on reports, planning, and promotions to convince them spend even more. All that work and concentration makes me want to come home, walk my dog, and do some yoga or take a run. See what's missing from that list? You got it- worms.

HOWEVER, now that the new facility has opened and things are dying down a little, I have been less busy and the wheels in mind have been turning back to the squirmers.

Onward and upward!

Baby Berry Plants!

Current berry plant count: 3!
Total berries harvested: 0

The strawberry planter kit has sprouted THREE little berry plants! Look see!

I'm a little nervous now that there are three plants, because how they will get germinated? Thinking back to my elementary school science days- don't the flowers need to get "bee'd", or pollinated, so they'll actually grow berries?

If anyone has any knowledge about this, please share in the comments section. I can always put the planter outside for a few days and hope my flowers get lucky with the bee traffic.

So let's say the berries do grow, I will need to relocate them to an out-of-cockapoo-reach space. At my old house I grew strawberries and raspberries outside, but when we would let the dog out at night to go to the bathroom he would eat them! These ones are inside, which will make it even easier for him to grab a quick treat.

Even small gardens take lots of planning!

Run, Worms, Run!

I ran the half marathon today in the Pittsburgh Marathon. How cool!

I picked up my race stuff yesterday at the Convention Center- black drawstring bag, lots of samples, dry-weave marathon t-shirt, white Nike socks, coupons, plus race bib and shoe monitor thingee.

I had to get up at 4:50AM and be at the starting area for 6AM. Starting time was actually 7:30AM. I began the race with the nine minute ten second pace person, but lost him pretty quick in the mix because there were tons of runners.

I saw so much of Pittsburgh in one run, I was sure I had ran WAY further than 13.1 miles. We started near the Convention Center, ran through the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Bloomfield, West End, South Side, and back through the middle of downtown to the finish line in front of the Convention Center through cool and cloudy conditions, and it even rained the last 4-5 miles.

The best part was the first 4-5 miles- bands, fun, cheering, music- I even slapped hands with Mayor Ravenstahl! The hardest part was the ramp up to the West End Bridge and the mile or so through the South Side towards the end. UGH.

I finished in a little over two hours and got a special medal and picked up a race poster.

I developed my own way to down a styrofoam cup (gasp! I hate styrofoam) of water while running: put a hole in the bottom side with your finger then slap it to your mouth real fast and suck down the water. A little messy, but better than choking or stopping! I was determined NOT TO STOP RUNNING for any reason WHATSOEVER, and I didn't- YAY FOR ME!

What does this have to do with worms?

I have a great answer!

Worms eventually become so maintenance-free that you are able to train for a half-marathon.

Strawberry Fields Forever

I received an original Easter gift this year: a strawberry planter. What a great place to test my worm castings!

The kit came with these little compact dirt disks that swelled to five or six times their original size when I wet them. I mixed up the disk dirt with worm castings for a squishy enriched seed bed.

Then I placed the dirt about 3/4 of the way up the planter and sprinkled in the seeds in, and filled the rest in to the top. Strawberry seeds are about as big as specks of dirt or small fruit flies. Very small.Have you ever noticed product photos can be kind of exaggerated? If this kit takes off like the picture on the left, I will be pretty dang impressed (and well-fed).

Current berry plant count:0
Total berries harvested: 0

Stay tuned!