Book Review: Worms Eat my Garbage

Worms Eat My Garbage by Mary Appelhof

Flowerfield Enterprises, LLC 1982

This book has been republished in its 35th anniversary edition and there's a reason it is still going strong.  It is a how-to guide valuable for any gardener.  It details how to set up and maintain a worm composting system that gets rid of your kitchen waste, while at the same time, saving energy, producing a delightful compost for your garden and plants.  Not only does it save you money, but it saves the environment!

The author, who passed away in 2005, was deemed the 'Worm Woman', and was an environmental powerhouse.  She received a Composter of the Year Lifetime Achievement award due to her work and founded Flowerfield Enterprises, a mail-order business that markets and distributes products and books related to worm composting. Flowerfield can still be found on Facebook.  

I love that the book is organized in such a way that walks you through, step by step, what composting is and how to set up a worm bin; the where, how, and what kind of garbage can be processed.  It also tells you how to harvest your compost (giving it 2-3 months) and start the process over again. 

The exciting thing is I can use the worm castings as top dressing to my houseplants.  I can get rid of the kitchen waste and turn it into a free, vitamin-rich compost.

The author comments from page 126, "Earthworms in nature play an important role in recycling organic nutrients from dead tissues back into living organisms.  They do this without fanfare; rarely does anyone see them perform their tasks.  If you decide to use composting worms to process your own organic kitchen waste, you will see them at work.  You will see mounds of disagreeable material converted noiselessly, with almost no odor, to materials you can use directly on your house plants and in your garden.  You will enjoy healthier looking plants, better tasting vegetables, and money in the bank.  You will spend less on fertilizers and trash disposal."

It is a fascinating look into worm farming and environmental conservation.  It is a must read for nature lovers and gardeners looking to branch out into the world of earthworms and using them to help you in your growing quest.