I’m a little bit excited! On March 4th and 5th our very own Paula Anderson is hosting a workshop about worms. I mean really, how could I not be excited! I’ve decided that I’ll sit in on it and soak up as much knowledge as I can about them.

Green-Up's Paula Anderson with worms that will be part of this year's vermicomposting workshops.

One of the great (some would argue not-so-great) things about my job is I have to know about everything Green-Up related. If a reporter from one of our area news organizations calls for an interview and one of our resident experts isn’t available to speak, then I have to be prepared to talk about pretty much anything. I guess I could classisfy this workshop as professional development.

So, about the workshop? The topic is Vermicomposting! It’s just a fancy word for feeding worms your left over table scraps, but please, hold the mayo. Worms won’t eat just anything.

Vermicomposting has real advantages, especially for those of us who live in apartments or don’t have access to a backyard– and it’s really very easy.

I don’t want to give away all of Paula’s secrets ahead of the workshops but I’ll post a little preview here.

To get started you need a bin, but not just any bin will do. It has to have proper ventilation to allow the worms to breathe. Specialized worms are a requirement as well. Your typical earth worm isn’t nearly as efficient.

Those who come to the workshop will leave with a half pound of worms that can hardly wait to turn your table scraps into “black gold” for your gardening needs. You’ll also get the proper bin to house your worms in as well.

Paula will be talking about the do’s and don’ts, what you can and can’t feed them, what happens if they get to moist, how to avoid fruit flies etc etc.

The workshop fee is $50, which as I stated before, get’s you both your worms and bin in addition to the knowledge from our resident worm expert.

The workshops are taking place March 4th from 2 until 3:30 pm and March 5th from 5 until 7:30 pm. The deadline for registration is February 24th and a $20 deposit is required to hold your place. There are only few spaces available, so get your information to us soon.  You can call Paula at 745-3238 ext 205.

I hope to see you there!

-Matt