Greetings fellow humans,
People, let’s talk about worms! Worms have been on my mind lately, and they should be on your mind as well. Here at Food for Thought, we’re replacing worm bins at three of our elementary schools. So of course I have worms on my mind, with the details of removing old worm bins, getting the new ones installed, making sure they’re safe and rodent proof, and most importantly, making sure they will provide a happy home for lots of worms. But more generally, worms are super important to the health of our soil. And the health of our soil is super important to all humans. And, of course, we are all in on anything that is super important to all humans, as we should be. That’s why worms should be on your mind as well.
We need worms. We can’t eat healthy, organic food without them. Frankly, we can’t eat just about anything without them. The humble Earthworm is like a super hero for the planet’s soil. The next Marvel comic book movie should have worms as the superstar. Did you know in a single acre of land there are more than 1 million worms? That there are over 2,000 different kinds of earthworms? That they breathe through their skin and have no lungs? OK, how about this quote from Tyler Labenz, Resource Soil Scientist with the USDA: “Perhaps no other living organism in the soil is as important as an earthworm in helping to increase soil health. Earthworms increase soil aeration, infiltration, structure, nutrient cycling, water movement, and plant growth. Earthworms are one of the major decomposers of organic matter.”
So, how can you help the earthworm, and protect soil and help our planet, all at the same time? The answer is worm bins. They help people to compost organic waste instead of going to the landfill, and they help grow fat, happy, healthy worms. And the world needs more fat and happy worms. If you are interested in learning more, please stop by our booth at the Ojai Community Farmers Market every Thursday afternoon and ask us about worms. Or, if you’d like to volunteer in one of our gardens and see the new worm bins first hand, click on the ‘volunteer’ link on our website.
Thanks for reading. Until next time,
Nate
