Vermiculture is using worms in composting your left over food, coffee grinds, or as in larger uses – rice hulls etc, in order to increase the microbal activity in your garden or agricultural uses. Since a young boy, I have been fascinated by worms. It turns out, that they are one of the most effecient composters in the world. They not only areate the ground, but are voracious eaters, and leave behind Poop. The saliva in their droppings hold water and nutrients and allow more effecient absorbtion by plants of the nutrients in the soils. As a small world turns, some friends of mine at Skokie Country Club are venture capital investors in the largest Vermicoposting business in the US – Terrvesco. I believe these guys are on to something, and I predict they will do extremely well and I will continue to follow them to see if we can use some of their knowledge in areas like Haiti and other resource short areas.
I have used Worm Factory 360 for two years, and it is great
The nutrient rich vermicompost and vermicompost teas, can either basic or alkaline, depending on what you feed them. They will eat anything but citrus and meats. Cardboard, newspapers, eggshells are all mainstays of worm's daily fare. They even have under-the-kitchen counter vermicomposters, (I am barely allowed my vermicomposters in the basement).
The best book ever is Teaming with Microbes, followed by Teaming with Nutrients by Jeff Lowenfels. The first book is all about the billions of Microbes in the soil and how they are required for good soil health, and the second is a very detailed (meaning difficult) book on how plants actually take in nutrients through the soils and metabolize them in their systems. Anyone who would like to understand organic gardenting has to read the first book! You will see me quote this book a lot!
