Vermiculture or vermicomposting is the practice of using worms to aid in the breakdown and disposal of waste into viable, useful material.  The end product of vermicompost is vermicast; worm casting or manure created from the digestion of materials.  This process takes material that is not readily useful to either soil or plants and turns it into a nutrient rich and water soluble plant fertilizer.

Residential worm bins can be made out of several materials.  The least common is metal; these transfer heat too readily and can be prone to rust.  Wooden bins are okay but over time the wood will rot.  Even resilient wood like cedar has its drawbacks; the resinous oils that prevent decay can actually harm worms.  Bins made of used or recycled plastic tubs are durable, easy to work and are fairly inexpensive.

After some research and many alternate designs, I decided on a fairly simple worm bin system for my garden.  It employs two plastic bins with lids, one must be able to completely fit within the other with room for a few bricks at the bottom of the larger bin.  The inner (smaller) tub houses the worms and the bedding (a mix of shredded newspaper and soil).  Before adding these I drilled small (1/8”) drain holes in the bottom of the bin and drilled larger (1/4”) vent holes in the lid.  In the larger bin, I placed four bricks at the bottom and sat the smaller bin onto them.  The main purposes of the larger bin is to protect the inner bin from excess moisture (rain), extreme temperatures, and to catch the liquid run off from the inner bin (often called ‘worm tea’).

The inner bin is the engine of the system.  Kitchen (vegetable) scraps are buried into the bedding and both lids are closed.  The amount of waste that your bin can handle ranges with temperature, food type (worms prefer different foods) and the species of worm one chooses.  A widely used species of worm is Eisenia foetida, or Red Wiggler (I found my worms on Craigslist but a Google search will point you in the direction of many local sellers).  These worms are voracious eaters and can handle the compact and hot nature of a worm bin. In contrast, our common earthworms need a cooler environment with the ability to migrate freely through a wide territory.  Using the right worms in a balanced worm bin has many benefits.  I have found that my bin is much less hassle than a compost pile (or bin), the breakdown is much faster and it creates a more concentrated useful fertilizing product.  Also it is very convenient; I keep mine in the basement with no noticeable odor. This indoor placement provides both temperature and moisture control.  Worms are most active with temperatures ranging from 55 and 75 degrees.  The soil should be moist like a rung-out wash cloth; if too much moisture the bin can take on an acrid smell.  Outdoor bins must be protected and can be susceptible to freezing, overheating; and flooding.  I have placed my bin outside and exposed my worms to all of these conditions, and the worms don’t fare well.

My worm bin has been going for nearly a year, in fact, I have split the one into two, but before this weekend I had never used the castings.  I have read of multiple methods of separating the worms from the casting and these fell into two basic categories- one being hunger driven and the other being light driven.  The basis behind the hunger driven is to stop feeding the bin and place a bin with food material on top to coerce the worms to migrate into the new space.  I chose the light driven method of putting the contents into piles on a tarp outside, the worms move down in aversion to the light, the top material is skimmed off and the worms are gently returned to their bin.  Although a little messy, this method of separation was quick and easy,.  Soon I was mixing the castings into a raised bed in preparation for the growing season.  Also, I diluted the worm tea collected in the outer bin and hit all of my edibles with a shot of home-made organic fertilizer.  If everything I have read is true, I can look forward to vigorous plants and a great harvest!

Attracting birds into your landscape can be easy if you know a little about what they like and their habits. Plants are a key part in many birds’ lives because they provide both materials and structure for shelter, and provide food with not only a multitude of fruits, nuts and seeds but also a source for insect eating birds.

Birds are highly visual and are attracted by brightly colored flowers; this is especially true of hummingbirds, so choose plants with red or orange (tubular) flowers to get them interested. The eating habits of birds vary widely. Small non-migratory birds eat almost constantly during daylight hours where as migratory birds need large amounts of food for a day or two.

Different plants have different resources to offer. Deciduous plants bear the most fruit, nuts and seeds. Evergreen plants and trees provide berries and seed-filled cones and can act as year-round shelters and nesting sites.

Here are some locally available plants that provide resources for birds in Seattle gardens:

Trees

Acer circinatum / Vine Maple – Provide seeds eaten by many birds

Crataegus douglasii / Black Hawthorne – Grows in a thicket, provides great shelter, berries eaten
by birds, robins, woodpeckers and ducks

Sorbus varieties / Mountain Ash – Provides shelter and berries in summer and fall

Shrubs

Cornus stolonifera / Red-Twig Dogwood – Provides nesting site, berries eaten by warblers, robins
and flycatchers

Ribes alpinum / Red Flowering Currant – Berries eaten by jays, sparrows, and woodpeckers,
nectar and color attractive to hummingbirds

Symphoricarpos albus / Snowberry – Berries persist into the winter, eaten regularly by quail and
grouse, emergency food for many others

Sambucus varieties / Red and Blue Elderberry – Red variety ripen in early summer, blue variety
ripen in fall, nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies

Lonicera fragrantissima / Honeysuckle – Prolific flowers provide nectar for hummingbirds

Fuchsia varieties – Spring and summer food source for hummingbirds

Perennials

Aquilegia formosa / Red Columbine – Favorite native for hummingbirds, sparrows and finches
like seeds, very adaptable plant and showy flowers

Dicentra formosa / Western Bleeding Heart – Early spring source of nectar for hummingbirds

Crocosmia varieties / Montbretia – Summer food source for hummingbirds