Worms at Work: Harnessing the Awesome Power of Worms with Vermiculture and Vermicomposting(Homegrown City Life)

Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural, nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield. In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage includes: Simple designs to build your own vermicompost bin Caring for your worms Garden applications for your worm castings Lesson plans to incorporate vermicomposting into the school science curriculum Whether you're tending to a small backyard garden or managing a large farm, Worms at Work can show you how to start vermicomposting today in order to grow healthy plants in healthy, happy soil. Crystal Stevens is the author of Grow Create Inspire and has been co-manager of La Vista CSA Farm for the past 7 years. She teaches regular Vermiculture 101 workshops.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1: A Good Garden Begins with Healthy Soil Compost: A Gardener's Most Valuable Resource Nitrogen Fixation and Carbon Sequestering Composting is an Example of Biomimicry A Good Garden Begins with Healthy Soil Soil Quality Nature Is a Good Model to Follow 2: The Essentiality of Worms Some Worms Pose a Threat 3: All About Worms The Anatomy of a Worm What Worms Eat Worm Reproduction Types of Worms 4 Vermicomposting Basics Benefits of Backyard Vermiculture Purchasing Worms Home Composting The Do's & Don'ts of Compost and Vermicompost Pile Division Resources No- to Low-budget Gardening Gardening Tips: Water Conservation Standard Worm Bin 5 Compost and Vermicompost Designs for Your Backyard Simple Compost Boxes Permaculture Worm Bin Design Larger Vermicompost Operations Windrows Stock Tanks 6 Caring for Your Vermicompost Bin Feeding Your Worms Vermicompost Bin Conditions 7 Harvesting Worm Castings, Making Worm Tea, and Garden Applications Simple Methods for Harvesting Worm Castings Worm Tea Garden Applications 8 Sharing the Love in the Community and the Classroom Sharing Your Worms Worm Health Sharing the Knowledge in the Community and the Classroom Integrating Vermiculture into Science Curriculum, Grade 2 to Grade 8 Garden Field Days Other Curriculum Applications Conclusion About the Author A Note About the Publisher

About the Author :
Crystal Stevens and her husband, Eric, have been managing La Vista CSA Farm for the past 6 years. As they operate on a shoestring budget, this forces them to find creative, cost-effective methods to improve soil fertility and plant health in order to boost crop yields. Upon their arrival at La Vista, they built vermicompost bins and added a mail-order bag of 250 worms which have multiplied by the hundreds of thousands since then. They have been teaching Vermiculture 101 workshops for several years, and have both completed the Missouri Master Naturalist and Missouri Master Gardener programs. Crystal is a blogger for Mother Earth News and contributes regularly to The Healthy Planet , Grit Magazine and Permaculture Magazine . She also hosts dozen of workshops on resilient living and teaches a summer gardening camp for kids.