This is out there and I’m cool with that. Doing things a little bit differently from others is just how we roll. I have a worm farm and I LOVE my worms.

They make fertilizer for me out of our kitchen waste, newspaper and even my kiddos homework. Hahaha, sorry teacher, my mom’s worms ate my homework!

These aren’t the worms your mom cautioned you about when you forgot to wash your hands after playing in a sand pile frequented by the neighbors cats.

These aren’t the worms dogs get injections to prevent.

My worms are red wigglers (Eisenia foetida) and they are the best composting worm around. The sole purpose of a compositing worm is to eat your kitchen waste and well, make waste or castings if you want to be couth about it.

Worm castings are THE BEST ALL NATURAL fertilizer for your garden. Red wigglers eat half their weight in food each day leaving you with black gold.

What is so amazing about worm castings?

Several things my future worm farmer. First when you add any organic material to your soil you improve it. When you improve your soil you improve the plants that grow in it. Healthier plants produce higher quality and quantity for you and your family to eat.

Worm castings won’t burn delicate seedings. In our garden, we hoe a row for planting and place the worm castings in the row and sow our seed directly on top of it the castings.

I love happy plants and my plants are extremely happy because their first start at life is in Mother Nature’s most balanced goodness, worm castings. Fertilizer made in balance with the earth. Improving soil quality rather than stripping it of the nutrients it needs.

Initially, I ordered 1,000 red wigglers and the Worm Factory 360 from Uncle Jim’s Worm Farm (www.unclejimswormfarm.com). I told my husband it’s what he was giving me for Christmas. He rolled his eyes and kept quiet because he knows better.

I have had these worms for over 4 years. I hesitate to admit this but once or twice I may have ignored them for too long and almost lost them. Please don’t send the worm police, my worms are well cared for 99% of the time, because yes, things happen.

I know I’ve ignored them for too long when I see dried up worms on my garage floor. Escapee’s mean I’m not doing my job. They only escape when conditions aren’t good. I want happy worms and healthy worms in order to get more worm castings for my garden.

Ok but really? Worms? Yep. Dear friend, you are not the average Hippie, and you love learning new groovy things. You may own a pair of Birkenstock’s. And maybe a pair of Birkenstock garden clogs in red.

You get it, we as living beings generate too much waste from too much consumption every day. The average person generates 4.3 pounds of trash a day. Seriously, that is not awesome.

Lurking uneaten food that was doomed to spoil in the fridge, dreaming of escaping the containers and bags which held it hostage, dreaming only to have a better life.

Waste from prepping veggies for dinner. The banana peel and apple core from breakfast or lunch. The outer layers of lettuce and cabbage we have been trained to remove.

Newspaper, egg cartons, junk mail and phone books - all tasty treats to a composting worm.

My red wigglers eat kitchen scraps (I compost the rest), weeds from the garden and yes, even my kids homework. They take trash and turn it into something amazing that improves the quality of my soil. Organically. Happily, the way Mother Nature intended.

One pound of worms will eat half a pound of waste per day which is an excellent way to reduce your waste. Their waste is ideal for your soil and your seedlings will LOVE you for years to come.

Do you want to know the best part? My daughter had her dad order 1,000 more worms for me for Mother’s Day. Nothing says “love you mom” like composting worms!

Why, why are worms so amazing? Because I now have worm castings ready to use as I plant new seedlings and fertilize established plants. My little seedlings will be given the best start to life a mother could give them.

Soil quality improves, waste to the landfill is lessened and the plants you grow produce better. The more your plants produce, the more you can freeze for affordable fruit and veggie smoothies.

Plus it's cool to tell people you are a worm farmer.

Happy Growing!

Brooke