Meet Our Hardworking Worms

Worms are a gardeners’ best friend. They may not be the best at brunch chat, but they do support our passion for gardening. While we cycle through seasons, worms aerate our soil, increase drainage, boost decomposition, and improve nutrients. But how, you ask?

Well, just by moving through our soil, the tunnels worms create offer an enhanced structure that allows water and nutrients to pass throughout. And they do something else while moving through our soil. They poop. But it’s a good thing! Worms eat, thereby enhancing decomposition. The resulting excrement, pleasantly referred to as worm castings, is incredibly rich in nutrients. That’s why gardeners call worm castings “black gold.” 

In the two black bins by our wooden green waste bins, we house our resident CACG worms. These are the worms who produce our homegrown worm castings. Tended to by several of our garden members (special shout out to Shireen!), these worms get a healthy diet of coconut coir and excess produce. Their castings are then harvested for use by all our gardeners. This is a process call vermiculture composting.

Produce You CAN Give to Worms

• Tomatoes

• Cantaloupe (they love the rind!)

• Banana peels

• Squash and pumpkin

• Eggshells

• Carrots

• Cucumber peels

Produce You CAN’T Give to Worms

• Citrus or anything acidic

• Onions

• Garlic

• Sawdust

• Peppers or anything spicy

• Oils and oily food high in fat

• Dairy foods

*Check out more info on feeding worms here.

Want to use some of this black gold for yourself? It’s in the labeled gallon bag inside the gardener’s shed. You don’t need much to make a huge difference in your garden. Just sprinkle a cup or handful of the castings over your garden bed.