Turning the worm in Yellowknife gardening
Environmental organization looking to boost worm-use for area green thumbs
Simon Whitehouse
Northern News Services
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
As gardeners prepare for another growing season, Ecology North is once again distributing worms to growers to help break down organic material in their compost.
Jennifer Broadbridge, administrative co-ordinator at Ecology North, delves into a tote bin of red wiggler worms at the environmental organization's office on Thursday. Broadbridge is encouraging area users to share and pick up worms for compost breakdown and gardening. |
Jennifer Broadbridge, administrative coordinator for Ecology North, unveiled the organization's leather-made tote of about 200 red wiggler worms used for vermicomposting - a process by which worms are put in a bin of a user's collection of food scraps to break down the material for gardening.
The number of worms at Ecology North is probably at its highest as gardeners come in to purchase worms for use outside, Broadbridge said.
"I find in the springtime people start thinking about gardening so I do find it gets a little busier in the spring," she said.
"But because composting is done indoors, people can come by anytime of year."
The benefit of the service at Ecology North is that it is informal and a good way for people who are starting gardening to be quickly introduced to the practice, Broadbridge said.
Interested users can call or drop by the office to see what worms are available and can take home a yogurt container of worms with a cash donation.
Along with the container, the environmental organization provides educational material on how to practice vermicomposting to the best results.
"It is fantastic because the worms speed up the composting of the organic material and the worm castings are great for the garden," Broadbridge said.
Although she now composts in her backyard, she emphasized that it is great for people in smaller dwellings.
"I use it for my indoor plants and if people don't have a backyard composter, it is good for small spaces in your apartment, like for example in a little bin."
Broadbridge said as people come in to take worms, the number of the species will dwindle and she encourages people who want to give up their worms to contact Ecology North to help boost the supply.
Eme Landry, a former kindergarten teacher in Yellowknife, recently moved to Saskatchewan and regularly donated worms to the organization.
As an educational professional, Landry said she showed children how a small and 'sensitive' species could be useful for human food consumption.
"While teaching kindergarten in Yellowknife, I developed a bin in the classroom to divert food ends and coffee grounds, and to have it as a class learning centre," she said.
"The children learned about the worm digestive system, and were discerning about what products were not healthy options for the worms, or the earth (dyes in newspaper flyers, sweets, etc). Most of the children developed empathy with the worms, how to handle them and knowing they needed their privacy, as they are sensitive beings."
Tips on successful vermicomposting
The food you put in is very important. Use items like vegetable or fruit scraps, tea bags, small amounts of citrus, bread or coffee grounds.
Avoid using meat, fish, oily foods, or dairy products that could spoil or attract bacteria from rotting.
Check on worm composts at least once a week to ensure they have adequate food.
The worm compost should not have strong smells. If stinky, the compost is too wet or may not be well turned.
Source: Jennifer Broadbridge, Ecology North
