How to Start Your Own Worm Farm

Photo Credit: @jeff_trauner

For parents.com

My family and I got our worm farm after moving into a teeny apartment in Long Beach, California. We didn't have a yard or garden, but wanted a solution to help us get rid of our food waste, something my husband and I both grew up doing. Spending his early days on a Kentucky farm, my husband owned very hungry pigs who enjoyed any peel or core they could get their snouts on. I, living in England, used a traditional compost pile in our garden.

But when we moved into our Californian shoe-box flat, there was no garden, and certainly no pigs, in sight. After a few Google searches, we settled on a worm farm. Worms are low maintenance, don't require a large outdoor space, and can compost half their weight in food scraps a day. They're also amazingly educational for kids.

According to Isaias Hernandez, an environmental educator and creator of the popular Instagram account @queerbrownvegan, worm farms, or composting in general, "allow children to learn about soil health, independence, and understanding of how natural-based systems operate."

My toddler backs up this theory. He loves to be included in gathering up our veggies for feeding time, and can't wait to grab his shovel and help remove their castings (nutrient-rich soil worms leave behind) to sprinkle on our plants. Ultimately, Hernadez says, this exposure "can help lessen the impact of food that is being thrown away." Considering nearly one-third of food produced globally is thrown out every year, I'd say that's kind of a big deal.

That's not the only benefit of inviting hundreds of wiggly friends into your home, though. Here are a few more, along with advice on starting your own worm farm.

Cuts Your Family's Waste Down Dramatically

Household waste basically consists of three groups: recyclables, compostables, and landfill. In most communities recycling and trash collection are very accessible, but there are limited programs to help with food scraps. As "most food waste in the United States is generated in our own kitchens," this is an issue Hernandez says.

Adding a worm farm is an easy method to make a huge difference. Since our family started, we only produce one trash bag a week. Our recycling goes to the city, and our worms take care of the rest. Less trash also means fewer arguments about who's going to take the can out on garbage day! Bonus!

Helps Kids Care About the Environment

Organic matter (like carrot peels, apple cores, and strawberry tops) thrown out with the rest of your rubbish can actually contribute to global warming. Instead of breaking down naturally, food scraps get compressed in landfills and begin to rot. This produces methane gas that escapes into our air, and a toxic liquid called leachate that can leak into our groundwater.

Worm farms have the opposite effect. They reduce methane emissions and produce an amazing fertilizer for your garden. According to Hernandez, introducing your kids to worm farms also has the potential to make them "better stewards of the environment," and can even lead to improving their focus and stress levels if your worm farm, or compost heap, is outside in a green space.

Read more: https://www.parents.com/fun/activities/how-to-start-your-own-worm-farm/