I have a confession: my worm bin has a serious case of the ickies. My small batch of “red wrigglers” purchased in a pint-sized container from my local OSH, swims through a sea of sludge-y goo, and actually they seem perfectly happy. But the whole scene just doesn’t jive with my expectation of worm composting. I thought they would be living in a lovely loam-y kind of potting soil, and that the minute I added a new “meal” to their plate, it would be quickly eaten, and out would come this gardeners’ gold, otherwise know as worm castings. From my research into this undertaking, I had also reached the conclusion that my worms would be reproducing at a rabbit-like pace, and that, by now three months into it, I’d have handfuls of worms to foist on my unsuspecting friends. But my bin seems eternally muddy, with moisture condensing on the lid, and keeping the whole business rather soupy…..and another thing: the bog seems to breed tiny flies, that can’t be a good sign. Clearly, I need a worm expert.
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