EEK Worm Composting 101 LIZ GETSINGER BCPS GREEN

EEK! Worm Composting 101? LIZ GETSINGER BCPS GREEN SCHOOL SUMMIT

• 25% of food Americans buy is thrown into a landfill • 12. 7% of our waste stream is food waste

Worms are just so cool!

In Canada and the Northern US, most native earthworms got wiped out by: A. disease B. drought C. floods D. glaciers

What is the longest earthworm in the US? A. 3 feet B. 7 feet C. 9 feet D. 12 feet

Most earthworms are… A. Male B. Female C. Male and Female D. Male Changes to Female

How many hearts do earthworms have? A. 10 B. 3 C. 5 D. 1

Not all worms do well in compost bins. Compost worms Special Features • Eisenia fetida – Tiger worm, manure worm, brandling worm • Live in top 12” of soil • Dendrobaena venta – Dendras, blue noses • Lumbricus rubellus – Redworm, blood worm, red wiggler • Eisenia Andrei – Red tiger worm • Don’t build permanent burrows • Just burrow randomly

Worm Factory 360 by Nature’s Footprint

How it Works • Newspaper • Minerals • Food • Water

Build Your Own Vermicomposter • https: //www. diynatural. com/ver micomposting-worm-farm-diyeasy-and-frugal/ • http: //www. in. gov/idem/iee/2367. htm • http: //www. wikihow. com/Make-a -Worm-Compost-System

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AVOID! • Salty foods • citrus • spicy foods • oils • prepackaged foods with preservatives • meat and dairy products

What to Feed Worms • Add food when engaged in older food Add equal portions of greens and browns: Greens: Vegetable and fruit scraps, bread, pasta, coffee grounds and filters, teabags, dead plant matter from houseplants Browns: Paper, junk mail, paper egg cartons, cardboard, dry leaves • Chop food up

Curricular Connections: NGSS • Elementary K-5: From Molecules to Organisms • Middle School Life Science • High School Life Science Topics – – – Organisms’ needs Using animal mimicry to solve problems Life Cycles What structures do animals have to grow and live? Decomposition Design investigations (invertebrates)

Vermicomposting Lesson http: //bcpsgreenschools. pbworks. com

egetsinger@bcps. org bcpsgreenschools. pbworks. com