The Worm Chronicles

I have been putting most of my food scraps in the worm composting bin I got from Melissa at the Community Food Bank in November. Whenever I bury some food, I look to see whether the worms are still alive. I usually only find a few, and they are short and skinny. It seems that the population is too low to consume food scraps at the rate I produce them.

Melissa told me that I might see the worms mating. They are hermaphrodites, and they reproduce by rubbing those bands around them together. Oh, so that's what those bands are for.

So, I was checking for worm survival last week, and I pulled up a handful of dirt containing two worms with those worm bands, and they were wrapped together! I hastily apologized for intruding and told them to carry on. I hope this means that the worm population will be increasing soon.

Also, note that the squash seeds I put in the compost bin have sprouted. If only I had my raised planter beds built, I'd have a place to place these squash sprouts.