Worms are Happy!

It is that time of year again and the worms are ready! If you would like to order some, just email us or you can contact City Folks Farm Shop.

Kids Art and Nature Camp

Columbus Parks and Rec has an awesome arts camp every summer. 

These kids get out in nature at the Smith Farms park and Mrs. C does 

a wonderful job of mixing in nature with art.

This year we had the awesome gift of going out a couple times to talk to 

the kids about worms and worm composting. They were soooo exited 

to dig in and see what they could find.

 She was so happy to hold her "adorable worms"

 It makes my heart happy when the kids have no fear, they dig in and 

find the bugs and ask awesome questions. It gives me hope, hope that 

this generation does all live in front of the TV!

Worm Waitlist

Thank you for all the calls asking about ordering worms, BUT we are hold for a little bit. We are a small urban farm and have to take time to let the little guys to  reproduce. ( a little Barry White never hurt right?) 

Right now what orders we can fill, we are arranging pick ups
with Shawn at City Folks Farm Shop.

How do I order? Currently, You can email us and we can put you on our waitlist. As soon as our bins are ready we will email you.

Happy Composting!!

Dirt Days May 18th

Join us for Dirt Days at the
Clintonville Farmer Market!

This Saturday May 18th 9-12pm

 We will have buckets of worm castings for your kids to sift through
and see what they can find. Everything from itty bitty food scraps

to hungry worms! Come find us in Clintonville Saturday.

 

Worm Pick ups

Now is the time of year everyone is getting excited getting their hands dirty, planting seeds and best of all - start worm composting!

Thank you for all the calls asking about ordering worms, we have plenty! Right now we are arranging pick ups with
Shawn at City Folks Farm Shop.

www.cityfolksfarmshop.com/contact-us/

How do I order? You can order them with us or with Shawn and we will have them at City Folks for pick up on Tuesdays. Check out their site for open hours.
It's that simple!

 

Happy Composting!!

 

Keep them warm!

Don't forget, when it is cold out, don't leave your worm bins out! Left in the open on the back porch or in a cold, cold room, is a sad place to leave your worms. In most places like Ohio, they will freeze for sure!

Keep them in warmer spaces, like your basement or a garage near

an interior wall.

They will thank you  for it later!!

Holiday Sale!

Are you or someone dear not happy with the container you're

composting in now?

Give the gift that really keeps on giving! Worm Composting!!

From now until December 15th, mention where you found us and receive $20 off any One20 farm handmade worm bin!

www.one20farm.com

Happy worms and veggies will be jumping for joy everywhere!!



Need more reasons to compost?

Some people need more reasons to compost. We see that as a challenge!

So we are happy to give you more reasons:

1. It will save you time. You'll also eliminate the need to bag grass clippings or raked leaves.


2. You will reduce your needs for fertilizer and water. Chemical fertilizers demand more water and garden will get more nutrients from the compost.


3. You will reduce your effects on the landfill. Yard and food waste amount to more than 25 percent — or 60 tons — of the material in landfills. If more people start composting, a significant amount of waste then can be diverted from the landfill.

for mroe tips on worm composting or Traditonal Composting, visit our website!

Is there a problem with teeny farms?

Very interesting article here on The Problem with Little Teeny Farms. the author may have a point but I have a problem with economic number crunchers who dont get their hand dirty to realize it looks different in real life then on paper...

little critters in your compost part 5

Pot worms or white worms are small, white, threadlike worms that are found in worm bins when there is a quantity of finished material. They are beneficial organisms that feed on decaying organic. While usually found when the bedding in the bin is slightly acidic, their presence does NOT indicate a pH problem and pH adjustment is not recommended. Pot worms are white, segmented worms, most often mistaken for baby redworms. If you look close enough, their bodies are nearly transparent and their digestive system quite visible when viewed through a hand lens. Potworms do not feed on living plants and pose no threat to the garden or people.

little critters in your worm bin part 4

Soldier Fly Larvea can be a rather freaky find in your outdoor or indoor worm compost bin. You can often hear them "chew" on your compost! They are also called a Window Fly. The following is an excerpt from the Oregon State University Garden Hints website and the quotes are from Cindy Wise, “Soldier fly larvae are voracious consumers of nitrogen-dominant decaying materials, such as kitchen food scraps and manures.‘Don’t worry, soldier flies don’t usually invade houses, unless your compost pile is close to your house,’ said Wise. ‘They almost exclusively populate compost bins or sheet mulch compost piles and manure piles,’ she said. ‘In the southern United States they are being utilized to reduce hog manure, as they can consume up to 30 tons of hog manure in two days.’ Soldier fly females lay eggs on the surface of nitrogen-rich material that is exposed. So, if you want to avoid having these large flies and their maggots in your compost pile, make sure you have enough leaves, dry grass, shredded paper and other organic “brown” material in the pile to cover the nitrogen food sources by at least two to four inches. Remember to bury food scraps deep down in the pile and cover them.

They often thrive in worm bins, as well as compost bins, where they may compete with the worms for food. ‘In a worm bin, bury food scraps down at least six inches for the worms and let the flies eat what is on the surface,” said Wise. “The flies don’t eat the worms or their eggs so they aren’t predators of the worms.’ The maggots are known to break down organic material in the pile so it can further decompose. And the flies inoculate the compost with beneficial bacteria from other sources."

little critters in your worm bin part 2

Mites?

Mites can be among the most numerous inhabitants in the worm bin, with many different species feeding on decaying organic matter and such. Don't worry, they are not like lice or other mites. they won't harm your worms, they actually help. They are generally found on the surface of the bin, though some predatory species will venture deeper if the material is loose and there is a food source. Mite populations can be controlled by placing melon wedges, fleshy side down on the worm bedding. This is a favorite mite food, and they will soon collect on the melon, which can then be removed from the worm bin. . Leaving the bin lid open and exposing the bedding surface to drying and UV light will also control mite populations. The vast majority of mite species in the bin are beneficial organisms which make up a significant part of the bin ecosystem. Mite species which damage living plants are not found in the worm bin. To take control of mite populations should only be considered if the worms are demonstrating stress behaviors like refusal to come to the surface, huddling in a ball, low reproduction or mass exodus. Remember what worms consider to be infestation levels of mites is often very different from the human view. Many species of mite found in the worm bin pose no threat to garden plants or people.