I’ve had an affinity towards worms for as long as I can remember. My father used to raise worms, as a hobby, and sell them as fishing bait. I think he passed the worm loving genes on to me. As a child I’d spend hours digging for worms and watching them slowly burrow back into the ground. They were so quiet and zen like. My fascination with worms has grown stronger over time as I’ve discovered how useful they can be if we learn to work with them.
I grew up on a produce & bedding plant farm. Earthworm castings could have been our most valuable operational resource. Instead, we were heavily involved in the use of chemical fertilizers. We also used a lot of pesticides and herbicides back then. I remember thinking those big vats of chemicals looked like Kool-aid. I never sampled the brew but I did sample the strawberries, apples, tomatoes, peas, beans and anything else that was growing in our fields.
Now I raise my own worms and I grow organic fruits and vegetables using worm castings – the very best fertilizer there is. My kids love to pick and eat everything fresh from the plant. Watching them eat fresh produce from our yard is a simple pleasure that any mother with picky eaters can associate. I never worry when my overly zealous boys forget to wipe things off first.
A lot has changed since I was a child. We never worried about overloaded garbage dumps or global warming. Our planet was viewed as a great big beautiful place that could hide all of the unpleasant byproducts of our lives. Sometimes I wish I could go back to that view of the world, especially when I’m bombarded with negative headlines about what has to be done to stop the inevitable. I’m glad we’re figuring these things out now. But it’s pretty overwhelming at times!
I don’t want my kids to grow up fearing the environment. I want them to grow up loving it and nurturing it in tandem. I’ve always loved the environment but I’ve only recently started nurturing it. I still have much to learn. But I’ve decided to embrace this new learning curve and to share my experiences with others. I also believe in having fun while doing what is right.
I guess that’s why earthworms are such a draw for me. Bringing them on board as my Earth friendly assistants has been incredibly enlightening for myself and my family. So much so that I truly believe that everyone should try it.
To that end I hope this blog will serve as a valuable resource for worm composters and would be vermicomposters alike.
I’m looking forward to blogging with you.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Englert
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