Many people responded to the present crisis by acquiring a pet (rumour has it that hens are hip in Berlin...) – or by rethinking the topic of sustainability and applying it to their lives. I did both – at the same time. In fact, ambitious as I am, I brought 500 new “friends” into my home. They are not as cuddly as a cat or a dog, but they’re really great at helping me to reduce my eco-footprint: 500 worms, members of the Eisenia foetida family, also known as the redworm and commonly found in compost heaps.
They arrive by post, securely packed for transportation with a generous portion of nutrient-rich substrate. I place them on my kitchen floor along with what is to become their home: a kit for making a wormery. I freely admit that the thought of worms has always made me squirm. I may have mentioned this to my colleagues – which is probably why I ended up writing this article.
The wormery kit consists of six wooden boards, some screws and wood glue. There’s a plastic container for the base (the container that the “worm tea” drips into), a perforated base board that allows the worms’ excretions, i.e. the worm tea, to drain out, and a lid with a seal – to prevent the inmates from escaping. Essentially, the wormery is a feeding station for the worms, who tuck into organic household waste. The worms break down the waste and make rich humus and nutrient-packed worm tea: two fresh, natural fertilisers that are ideal for my flower beds and raised vegetable beds. To help the worms settle in their new home, the instructions recommend soaking parts of the cardboard packaging and placing them on the bottom of the wooden box. Worms need cellulose fibres just as much as fruit and vegetable waste. The list of banned foods includes meat, bread and cereals, cooked food, salty waste and cheese.
