Bloom Day

In response to Carol's suggestion at May Dreams Gardens that garden bloggers post photos of whatever's blooming in their gardens on the 15th of each month, here's my rather limited contribution: an aloe vera in bud, chasmanthe looking a little like fireworks, and a calla lilly about to unfurl.

500 Garden Helpers

I'm venturing into the weird and wonderful world of vericomposting. My Wriggly Wranch worm bin, which I got for a discount through the county, arrived yesterday and today I got a batch of 500 red worms to get the whole thing going. The bin comes with three working trays (you start with one tray and add on the others as each tray gets filled with worm castings), a collection tray to collect all the liquid waste, a brick of coir to use as bedding, and instructions. The worms got settled in pretty quickly and I've fed them their first meal--lettuce scraps and coffee grounds.

The bin itself cost $29 and the worms cost $20. With this, and my other composting bin, I think that in a few months I may have enough of a regular supply of compost to take care of my whole yard. The worms will get the food waste, the compost bin will get the garden waste, and the city recycling service gets everything else. And my plants will get nutrient-rich worm castings and liquid fertilizer. Something for everyone!