our new pets

i'm so excited. i've been wanting to do this for months and today - FINALLY! we got our worms! look at them. aren't they sweet and cute and gross? 

back story: i've been attempting to grow tomatoes over the last few summers. while i have actually eaten some of my very own tomatoes, overall the results have been disappointing. but rather than killing my desire to grow vegetables, it has made it stronger! this past summer i created container gardens on my back porch. 

why am i doing this?

a. homegrown tomatoes are so tasty and if you're growing them yourself, they're also very cheap.

b. i'm the only one in my family that eats certain vegetables so why not just grow them instead of spending money on them and having them go bad. 

c. getting the kids involved with growing veggies they like (red and orange peppers) is a great learning experience. 

why on my back porch?

a. with 2 boys, i just can't sacrifice any more space in my already small backyard for gardening. 

b. the dog isn't pooping on them.

c. raccoons, stray cats and strangers in the alley are less likely to mess with them. 

this past summer, i had chives, cucumbers, orange and yellow peppers, and tomatoes... or at least those are the plants i bought at lowe's. my actual crop was less than desired. by mid-summer, the boys were learning "all that hard work i put in with mom was useless and let's just go to kroger." i called my dad, a vegetable-grower and farm boy. his diagnosis was bad soil. ack! bad soil?! is that like bad blood or bad karma? it sounded so final, like some judge had just dropped the gavel - Bad Soil was my conviction. SHE'S GUILTY! you can't make a whole lot of excuses for bad soil in a container garden. however, we do have a problem with cats using flower pots as litter boxes. gross - an excuse with little dignity. 

so anyway, my dad suggested i simply use miracle grow. "well, i don't know, dad. isn't that kind of chemically?" i don't have deep convictions about organic living (yet), however, i did have this picture of pouring miracle-gro vinaigrette over my salad. if i'm going to do this, why not learn how to do it naturally? so i decided summer garden '08 was what it was and i'd try something different in '09. 

enter worms. back when i was in 1st trimester sickland and on the couch 24/7, i discovered a lot of "new" tv. i was watching the bonnie hunt show and learned about indoor composting, or "worm bins." i knew this was my answer! you just throw these guys in with some paper and rotten food and come spring, you've got yummy rich compost for your garden. sweet. i decided i would do this some time between i-feel-awful and baby-is-coming-any-day. 

so today we got our pet worms and made our worm bin. it was fun, easy and definitely something the whole family enjoyed. the boys wanted to name the worms. while we didn't name all 100 of them, we decorated our bin with the names we picked.

here's mac holding "max," "diggy," "wiggly," "dirty" and "slimy."

bode with "bode."

be nice to your new friends. don't eat them.

instead, love them...

the truth is 3 years ago, i would have been content with a single tomato plant and an annual camping trip. but lately i've been dreaming of big compost piles and acres and gardens and sometimes even chickens. sending my kids out to play and not seeing them for hours as they are playing fort in the woods or wading in the creek somewhere on our land. i don't know what the future holds, but at least i know my chances are good for some soil redemption in '09. the next big step will be the harvest. hopefully this works...

want to make your own worm bin? here's some info:

1. read this post from the germinatrix and do what she says. 

2. i got my worms at Petsmart. they sell them as "food" and keep them in the back so you have to ask for them. a container of about 50 sells for $4.25. the germinatrix recommends you get at least 200. you could probably get them cheaper at a bait shop, but i paid for convenience as i got my bins from target and went right next door to petsmart. 

3. if you're in the cincy area, know this: 

- while all petsmarts carry worms, the oakley store told me they're having trouble keeping them in stock b/c of indoor composting. so call before you go. 

 - i did try Whole Foods in Rookwood. they do not carry worms and didn't know what i was talking about. probably the san francisco whole foods carry worms, but not in cincinnati.

- there's a bait shop on Erie Ave. near Edwards called Delamere and Hopkins.

ok, who's ready to get their own wormy worms?